Fremantle Dockers 2018/19 season watch

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Our biggest weakness last couple of years has been transitioning from, defence. Alex Pearce back (this guy will be an out and out star) Wilson coming in and Luke Ryan (equalled most intercept marks ever in a game last year and has a laser guided 55M boot on him) this will not be a problem this year. That's where the biggest improvement is coming from. Hamling on the 2nd tall is set and forget.
Up front with Walters, Ballantyne looking to turn back the clock after discovering Pilates, Matera and hopefully Bennell and a proper marking FF in Taberner who took more marks than anyone in JLT and McCarthy/Kersten playing the 2nd and 3rd talls its not all doom and gloom.
The midfield is just fine.
Will be interesting but I think we'll surprise a few people who've already written us off.
 

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Coaster2012 said:
The JLT match between Freo and Eagles has been taken very seriously by many, it seems.
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You’ve no midfield and are overly reliant on your a grade players. Lose Shuey or Kennedy and you’ll be up a creek without a paddle. I live in WA and follow the WAFL closely, last year your reserves didn’t even make finals in a competition whose quality is questionable even by state league standards. To replace two Brownlow medallist’s that retires you need some youngsters to come along and while Ah Chee May turn into a good foot soldier he’s been a bit part player at another club for all of his career. Sure you’ll cop some wins with home advantage but I’d be highly surprised if WC finish higher than 11th.
 
I don't think we will ever be a ' power ' club of the completion but we have a pretty nice and stable set - up these days with new training facility and stadium , solid fan base and we do alright on the commercial side of things.
God knows I've done my share of Rosco bashing the last couple of years and truthfully I thought it was a bad move to give him the reigns of rebuilding after 2015 - 16. You would have to say he has done a pretty good job so far and as frustrating as the smug campaigner can be sometimes he really has been our Malthouse type figure in coming over and smartening the place up. Whether he manages to snag us a flag while he's here or not is lap of the gods but if you keep doing things the right way eventually the cards will fall your way , we will get that gorilla off the back and even if he's not the coach at the time Ross will have played a big part in it.

Of course if that hasn't happened by 2030 then he is a risk averse , spud farming charlatan who has been running a confidence scam dressed up as a game plan for years

So as far as 2018 goes as long as we don't fall in a screaming heap we just need to keep ticking along , having a crack and the end result is not hugely important within reason but a nice little cherry on the top finals run for Johno , Mundy Ballas and Sandi would be fun and not out of the realms of possibility


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donkeypunchd said:
You’ve no midfield and are overly reliant on your a grade players. Lose Shuey or Kennedy and you’ll be up a creek without a paddle. I live in WA and follow the WAFL closely, last year your reserves didn’t even make finals in a competition whose quality is questionable even by state league standards. To replace two Brownlow medallist’s that retires you need some youngsters to come along and while Ah Chee May turn into a good foot soldier he’s been a bit part player at another club for all of his career. Sure you’ll cop some wins with home advantage but I’d be highly surprised if WC finish higher than 11th.
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We lost Kennedy for quarter of the season last year and kept winning. And we do have a midfield, Redden came good by end of the last season and I think people will eat the words about him this year. Yeo is AA, and will run in the middle. Gaff is good for 30 touches a week and we have Venables to debut, and Sheed to hopefully take another step up, a guy who was 3rd in the rising star. So yes, we do have a midfield, we just need some things to go right (i.e Duggan to get his shit together too) And our reserves not making finals means shit in my books, since teams that finish on top are full of mature aged players, while our team is a bunch of kids that by the time they get good, are playing in WC colours.

I'm not saying we will win the flag, but we are not as bad as some posters think we are either. To say that Freo have gone past us is just a knee jerk reaction to the game on the weekend. Freo got absolutely obliterated in some games last year and one good game in JLT doesn't fix that. WC showed absolutely no pressure on the ball on Sunday, you can bet that won't be the case come round 1, and if it is, well then, **** me.
 
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schmuttt said:
Honestly I thought they were lucky to win 8 games last year, they went 4-1 in games decided by under a goal. They've got a couple elite players in Fyfe and Neale who when playing well enable them to challenge just about any team, big dropoff after their top 6 or so though. I think they'll do well to match their 2017 output.
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So in close, tight games we were able to be the better team? But you say we were lucky? How does that make sense? I'm curious to know who you think our top 6 are, considering I doubt you know much about Fremantle at all. While we had some big losses, which isn't unusual given we played lots of inexperienced kids, it's worth noting that our young team pushed GWS on their home ground, pushed Geelong at the Cattery to literally the siren and beat you and Richmond at the G'. We'll do better than 2017, we wont play finals, but we're not as bad as you make us out to be.
 
Coaster2012 said:
We lost Kennedy for quarter of the season last year and kept winning. And we do have a midfield, Redden came good by end of the last season and I think people will eat the words about him this year. Yeo is AA, and will run in the middle. Gaff is good for 30 touches a week and we have Venables to debut, and Sheed to hopefully take another step up, a guy who was 3rd in the rising star. So yes, we do have a midfield, we just need some things to go right (i.e Duggan to get his shit together too) And our reserves not making finals means shit in my books, since teams that finish on top are full of mature aged players, while our team is a bunch of kids that by the time they get good, are playing in WC colours.

I'm not saying we will win the flag, but we are not as bad as some posters think we are either. To say that Freo have gone past us is just a knee jerk reaction to the game on the weekend. Freo got absolutely obliterated in some games last year and one good game in JLT doesn't fix that. WC showed absolutely no pressure on the ball on Sunday, you can bet that won't be the case come round 1, and if it is, well then, **** me.
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Redden had a couple of good games last year, on the back of showing very little for most of the year. Not sure how you can have any real confidence for 2018 based on that. Yeo is magnificent in the half back but a liability in the middle. Gaff is an outside player which doesn't help your significant lack of inside midfield strength. Shuey is quality; Sheed has potential but who else do you have to play on the inside?

It is interesting how some WC posters put the outcome of the Freo v WC JLT game as resulting from West Coast deliberately playing that way. However, there hasn't been the slightest indication by your coach or players interviewed post game that would give credibility to this view - quite the opposite actually. Given that this game was the last before the season proper, it would seem highly unusual for any side to not approach it seriously and as a "dress rehearsal" for round 1.
 
Spoken4 said:
Redden had a couple of good games last year, on the back of showing very little for most of the year. Not sure how you can have any real confidence for 2018 based on that. Yeo is magnificent in the half back but a liability in the middle. Gaff is an outside player which doesn't help your significant lack of inside midfield strength. Shuey is quality; Sheed has potential but who else do you have to play on the inside?

It is interesting how some WC posters put the outcome of the Freo v WC JLT game as resulting from West Coast deliberately playing that way. However, there hasn't been the slightest indication by your coach or players interviewed post game that would give credibility to this view - quite the opposite actually. Given that this game was the last before the season proper, it would seem highly unusual for any side to not approach it seriously and as a "dress rehearsal" for round 1.
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No ones saying they deliberately played that way. What is important is that pressure is something that can be fixed before round 1 and they were lacking in it. They underestimated what freo would throw at them and werent prepared. I would be very surprised if WC turn up round 1 with the same lack of intensity.
 

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schmuttt said:
They've got a couple elite players in Fyfe and Neale who when playing well enable them to challenge just about any team, big dropoff after their top 6 or so though. I think they'll do well to match their 2017 output.
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Id take a hiding to nothing that you dont actually know to much about the list Freo are developing!
 
In a weird position for mine. Nearly 13-15.

Had to go back to the well. And it looks OK. Solidish forwards, OK defence, get Fyfe, Bennel, Hill x 2, Neale in the middle, some high picks and it looks half decent.

Yet the Ross factor hangs over them too much. I think personally he is a hell of a coach. But he is stubborn. And circa 2018 that is one thing a coach can't be. Never mind a new game plan working for a couple of years they literally change by the month. You need to adapt and fing fast now a days.

Don't know they can. So bottom 5 imo.
 
Coaster2012 said:
And we do have a midfield, Redden came good by end of the last season and I think people will eat the words about him this year. Yeo is AA, and will run in the middle. Gaff is good for 30 touches a week and we have Venables to debut, and Sheed to hopefully take another step up, a guy who was 3rd in the rising star. So yes, we do have a midfield, we just need some things to go right (i.e Duggan to get his shit together too) And our reserves not making finals means shit in my books, since teams that finish on top are full of mature aged players, while our team is a bunch of kids that by the time they get good, are playing in WC colours.
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I get the big names just strolling through a preseason match as they have nothing to prove, but kids or new players trying to make a name for themselves, well I just dont think they have the runs to just stroll through any game. But hey, if it keeps the cockles warm...
 
Bit of interest in them this week to beat the Bombers in Perth - will be an interesting match up I think.

Freo could have the edge in the middle but Essendon’s talls at both ends could prove a handful.

Definitely 2 teams that can look excellent when it’s all clicking and a mess when it’s not.

I am tipping a Freo victory with Fyfe BOG and Sandilands dominating in the ruck.
 
Black JuJu said:
Bit of interest in them this week to beat the Bombers in Perth - will be an interesting match up I think.

Freo could have the edge in the middle but Essendon’s talls at both ends could prove a handful.

Definitely 2 teams that can look excellent when it’s all clicking and a mess when it’s not.

I am tipping a Freo victory with Fyfe BOG and Sandilands dominating in the ruck.
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Their mids were no existen on saturday, their fwd lines the same as last year and their defense was a shambles...., tipping the Dons to get up quite easily
 
Farang83150 said:
Their mids were no existen on saturday, their fwd lines the same as last year and their defense was a shambles...., tipping the Dons to get up quite easily
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Spot on. Every freo fan goes on about how great their midfield is. Nonsense.

Look disinterested on Saturday. Blown off the map.

For a team that is 3rd year into a rebuild its hard to see where, if any, improvement has come.
 
dcutter said:
Spot on. Every freo fan goes on about how great their midfield is. Nonsense.

Look disinterested on Saturday. Blown off the map.

For a team that is 3rd year into a rebuild its hard to see where, if any, improvement has come.
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More so when the side had the second oldest average age team wise in round 1
 
Farang83150 said:
Their mids were no existen on saturday, their fwd lines the same as last year and their defense was a shambles...., tipping the Dons to get up quite easily
Click to expand...
Yeah exactly.
Every season its the same. Their game style hasn't changed, their forward set up etc.

How long have Freo fans been calling for an extra '2-3 goals a game'. At least 6-8 years.

On paper it doesn't appear as bad as what the output it delivers week in, week out. I see other teams rebuilding with some form of method and improvement but none get as routinely spanked like Freo, nor continually offer up lame excuses for the same old.
Being able to hide under the word 'rebuild' seems like a pretty decent smokescreen for a team seemingly going nowhere and a coach looking increasingly out of his depth.

The larger question is whether a more credentialed coach could get more out of this list. Its pretty hard to argue they wouldn't.
 

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