Fremantle vs Adelaide
Friday 29th March 2024
Optus Stadium
4:20pm
Friday 29th March 2024
Optus Stadium
4:20pm
Me and Football and Big Footy
This little intro is not funny. It may not be interesting. I hope it is not maudlin and I hope it does not come across as attention seeking. If you don’t want to read a personal and sad story that is intended to show the value of being a fanatical football supporter and the value of a forum like Big Footy, then jump straight to ‘Last Time They Met’.
I have attended football all my life. (I am a boomer). I was a rusted on East Fremantle supporter back in the day and even after the Eagles entered the V/AFL in 1987 I still relentlessly attended the WAFL. It was only after the Dockers were formed that I gradually gave up the WAFL for the Dockers and the AFL.
Now, jumping forward a bit to the sad part. In winter of 2010 my lovely husband had very poor health. On Friday 3rd September 2010 we were told he had leukemia. This was the day before the Elimination Final against Hawthorn. I had tickets, of course, and what could one achieve by staying home? So I attended. Although at times I cried behind my sunnies, the match cheered me up. I still enjoy watching that match. Luke being so dominant he just about made Buddy cry. Dave Mundy coming of age as an elite midfielder. And a great performance from Greg Broughton, a pity that went awry. That team was so young – an average age of 23 years and 10 months, so Footy Wire tells me – ridiculous.
Anyway, in 2011 things went from bad to worse. On Sunday 11th June I sat in my husband’s hospital room while the neurologist explained to us that the cancer cells had entered the brain and spinal fluid – a rare occurrence. This was the day that the Dockers threw away a 3 goal lead at ¾ time (and more I think early in the fourth) vs Hawthorn at the G and managed to go down by 22 points. The neurologist was a wonderful doctor, a wonderful human being and a Dockers supporter. He sat through that last quarter in the hospital room with us and tried to help us assimilate the information he had given us.
Round 1 of 2013 came between the day I was widowed and the funeral. We played the Eagles and had a comfortable, and somewhat unexpected, win. I attended of course. It cheered me up no end.
During that 2.5 years I spent a lot of time on Big Footy. I was either at the hospital or largely house-bound being a carer, so what else to do with my time? I felt like I got to know the posters and loved the training reports from salim malik. After my husband died I started going down to Freo Oval to join the training watchers. I needed something enjoyable to do. I met Salim (now sadly gone) and I met King Huskii – a very compassionate and caring person. I met some others as well.
I was lucky enough to attend the 2013 Grand Final and hope to be at the Grand Final again for all the right reasons.
The football, the Dockers and Big Footy were a big support to me over that time, although they didn’t know it and I can mark so much of that time by football matches.
Nobody needs to feel sorry for me. I lead a full and happy life. The football, the Dockers and Big Footy are all an important part of it. I don’t attend training as much as I used to, as I am too busy. I don’t post all that often, but I am often here and feel part of a Dockers’ community.
I don’t know how to round this off except to say ‘Let’s F..ing Go’.
Last Time They Met
2023 Round 4 Adelaide Oval Dockers 10 12 72 Adelaide 17 9 111
Our form was poor, despite lodging our first win of the season the previous week against the Eagles. We won the clearances and split the inside 50’s but turned that in to very little. Tex, Rachele and Rankine kicked 10 between them.
Line-ups
The Dockers are without Darcy, Chapman and Cox who are clearly best 23. I guess we will go in unchanged. Our defence looks a bit underpowered with Draper in for Cox (although Draper’s debut was quite promising).
Adelaide are without Sloane, Thilthorpe and Nick Murray. The lack of Thilthorpe makes their forward line a little less intimidating. Their backline might be somewhat weakened by the absence of Murray.
This Week’s Battle
Interestingly Adelaide have won the inside 50s in their 2 games so far. Against Gold Coast it was a low scoring game in trying conditions, inside 50s 54 to 51. Tex did not play that game. Against Geelong on their home deck inside 50s were 66 to 53 and yet Adelaide only kicked 77 points and went down by 19 points.
By contrast the Dockers have lost the inside 50 count in both their games this year – by 8 against Brisbane and by 12 against North Melbourne. I am not sure what this means – I guess Adelaide’s forward line hasn’t hit its straps yet and the Dockers’ forward line is operating quite efficiently. The Dockers’ scoring came quite differently in their 2 matches as well – 10 goals out of 14 from the 4 talls against Brisbane, 6 goals from 15 from the 4 talls against North Melbourne.
Reilly O’Brien has won the hitouts in both Adelaide matches so our midfield needs to be prepared for that. I think as long as we get out of the blocks and split the midfield battle our forwards should put on a decent score and our defence will cope. Rachele and Rankine might be a greater threat than the Adelaide tall forwards.
Prediction
It is a match we should be winning.
Dockers by 25 points.
. (Erasmus also an option?). Not just big, quick and smart, but will also learn a bucketload from oppo forwards.
