Podcast Historic Fremantle podcast

[The Dr]

Hi all,

I'm hoping some of you are interested in a podcast I've been working on for the past year, exploring the build of every non-Victorian AFL club - AFL Team Builders.

The eight-part series goes behind the scenes with the people (inaugural CEOs, presidents, coaches, board members, and star players) tasked with building the clubs that joined the then-VFL as it expanded beyond the confines of Victoria.

It launched with South Melbourne's move to Sydney, then Brisbane's launch, then West Coast, the Crows and now Freo are out today. Some fantastic stories from those who had boots on the ground including settling on the brand, the list build, preseason training and the first season.




Check out the trailer and key info: https://www.zerohanger.com/introducing-afl-team-builders-152349/

Episode Dates:
1. Sydney Swans: July 02, 2024
2. Brisbane Bears: July 09, 2024
3. West Coast Eagles: July 16, 2024
4. Adelaide Crows: July 23, 2024
5. Fremantle Dockers: July 30, 2024
6. Port Adelaide Power: August 06, 2024
7. Gold Coast Suns: August 13, 2024
8. GWS Giants: August 20, 2024

WATCH / LISTEN:
YouTube: https://lnkd.in/g6NUi_f7
Apple Podcasts: https://bit.ly/AFLTBAP
Spotify: https://bit.ly/AFLTBSP

 

[dropbear101]

that sounds cool

 

[Tonga Bob]

Love it The Dr thanks for the heads up!

The club did a similar podcast around five years ago telling the story of Freo's origins, but that seems to have disappeared into the void.

 

[Bigger]

I watched the one on the Weavils and it really overlooked a pivotal moment - when Alan Schwab flew over to chat to McHenry et al about what was needed to keep West Coast up and about and solvent, as WA money was required to keep the VFL afloat. The West Coast boys give him a shopping list and he basically granted it all.

Including getting Glen Jakovich

Glen Jakovich

Age

51

Ht

193cm

Wt

102kg

Pos.

Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D

17.2

4star

K

12.0

4star

HB

5.2

4star

M

4.2

4star

T

1.0

3star

No current season stats available

D

17.6

5star

K

11.2

4star

HB

6.4

4star

M

4.2

4star

T

0.6

3star

and Mitchell White as WA zone selections and then getting Jason Ball

Jason Ball

Age

51

Ht

201cm

Wt

104kg

Pos.

Ruck

Career

Season

Last 5

D

12.2

3star

K

7.4

3star

HB

4.7

3star

HO

8.8

5star

No current season stats available

D

6.2

2star

K

3.4

2star

HB

2.8

3star

HO

4.2

5star

as a pre draft zone selection even while they were up and about and being entirely competitive.

We weren't still getting hand shandies from the VFL with these sorts of leg-ups 4 or 5 years into our existence.

We started out with nothing at the start and we continued to get **** all.

The blind and bland acceptance of the myth that West Coast were just some mighty act of self-determination and fulfilment still annoys the shit out of me.

Most premierships come on the back of some distinguishing advantage that other clubs don't have access to. Zone selections, priority picks and father-son being the main mechanisms of advantage but we have since seen COLA and academy picks play a role.

West Coast are no different. They just pretend a little different for interests of self-perception.

Anyway, thank you for producing these. Very well done. I will now watch the Freo one and if it doesn't mention that we were treated like shit expressly because West Coast benefited so greatly from their concessions, I will spew.

 

[DragoDelph]

Love it The Dr thanks for the heads up!

The club did a similar podcast around five years ago telling the story of Freo's origins, but that seems to have disappeared into the void.

Would love to try and find that one again. Was a good listen.

 

[The Dr]

I watched the one on the Weavils and it really overlooked a pivotal moment - when Alan Schwab flew over to chat to McHenry et al about what was needed to keep West Coast up and about and solvent, as WA money was required to keep the VFL afloat. The West Coast boys give him a shopping list and he basically granted it all.

Including getting Glen Jakovich and Mitchell White as WA zone selections and then getting Jason Ball as a pre draft zone selection even while they were up and about and being entirely competitive.

We weren't still getting hand shandies from the VFL with these sorts of leg-ups 4 or 5 years into our existence.

We started out with nothing at the start and we continued to get **** all.

The blind and bland acceptance of the myth that West Coast were just some mighty act of self-determination and fulfilment still annoys the shit out of me.

Most premierships come on the back of some distinguishing advantage that other clubs don't have access to. Zone selections, priority picks and father-son being the main mechanisms of advantage but we have since seen COLA and academy picks play a role.

West Coast are no different. They just pretend a little different for interests of self-perception.

Anyway, thank you for producing these. Very well done. I will now watch the Freo one and if it doesn't mention that we were treated like shit expressly because West Coast benefited so greatly from their concessions, I will spew.

You're spot on that West Coast got some huge advantages (although i didn't include your specific anecdotes - it's hard to fit in everything in a ~30-35 minute podcast!).

But the broader themes of West Coast having a huge advantage and Freo getting screwed a bit in terms of concessions, list build etc are definitely a strong theme through this episode.

 

[Bigger]

I get that - I am just still all bunched up and weird about foundational myths Weavils tell themselves.

I heartily recommend these podcasts. They're really good and you need to take a bow.

 

[The Dr]

I get that - I am just still all bunched up and weird about foundational myths Weavils tell themselves.

I heartily recommend these podcasts. They're really good and you need to take a bow.

Cheers.

I am on the other side of the country and have never lived in WA, so probably don't know that background as to WC. But I can definitely imagine it! Hah

 

[Tonga Bob]

Just finished watching. Very close to the podcast that the club did as a 30 odd minute summary. Nicely done The Dr even though it's a reminder of the things we didn't get when compared with other expansion clubs. Question for you - one of the lines we hear is that Fremantle were brought into the AFL as a deliberate attempt to dilute the influence of West Coast, which is why the WAFC were so against our entry. Did that come across in any of the interviews?

I get that - I am just still all bunched up and weird about foundational myths Weavils tell themselves.

I heartily recommend these podcasts. They're really good and you need to take a bow.

Not just Weag myths. The one that always gets me is how Freo had access to Lloyd & Lucas but stuffed it up, when in reality we didn't have access to them at all unless we waited until the next season's draft which would have left the initial squad even more grim than it was.

 

[Tonga Bob]

Would love to try and find that one again. Was a good listen.

I've asked the club a couple of times, never heard back from them.

 

[The Dr]

Just finished watching. Very close to the podcast that the club did as a 30 odd minute summary. Nicely done The Dr even though it's a reminder of the things we didn't get when compared with other expansion clubs. Question for you - one of the lines we hear is that Fremantle were brought into the AFL as a deliberate attempt to dilute the influence of West Coast, which is why the WAFC were so against our entry. Did that come across in any of the interviews?


Not just Weag myths. The one that always gets me is how Freo had access to Lloyd & Lucas but stuffed it up, when in reality we didn't have access to them at all unless we waited until the next season's draft which would have left the initial squad even more grim than it was.

Cheers mate.

None of the people I spoke to mentioned the AFL wanted to dilute the influence of the Eagles. I think the league was just mostly determined to expand further, and it made so much sense to have a second WA team (and later another SA team).

I also imagine the Eagles were against your entry purely for competitive reasons - they had the whole state for themselves and were probably against the idea of having to share it (I'm guessing here).

 

[Tonga Bob]

Cheers mate.

None of the people I spoke to mentioned the AFL wanted to dilute the influence of the Eagles. I think the league was just mostly determined to expand further, and it made so much sense to have a second WA team (and later another SA team).

I also imagine the Eagles were against your entry purely for competitive reasons - they had the whole state for themselves and were probably against the idea of having to share it (I'm guessing here).

Fair enough, thanks for that and keep up the good work!

 

[stax on the mull]

You're spot on that West Coast got some huge advantages (although i didn't include your specific anecdotes - it's hard to fit in everything in a ~30-35 minute podcast!).

It was quite well done. It's always good to get the memories of the people involved at the beginning.

One area not to overlook with Fremantle and Port (who came in 2 years later and became a direct competitor to Fremantle's list build), was that both clubs tried to start-up and recruit established players while salary cap rorting by other clubs was at its peak.