An hour after Fremantle’s heartbreaking Preliminary Final loss to Hawthorn, captain Matthew Pavlich shared a special moment with his family on Domain Stadium.
Under the dimmed lights, Pavlich stood with his wife Lauren, daughter Harper and son Jack, after a season ending 27-point loss to the reigning premiers.
The club games record holder said he had made no decision on whether he would play on for a 17th season.
“I haven’t had a chance to get out on the oval with Harper, Jack or Lauren before,” Pavlich said.
“I did it after my 300th.
“I don’t know what the plan is next year, so it was a good opportunity more than anything to get out there and soak it up.”
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Pavlich said the loss was a bitter pill to swallow.
“It’s extremely raw right now and really hard to take,” he said.
“We’ll do everything we can to improve.
“Credit to Hawthorn…(but) we had our opportunities.”
Pavlich said despite missing out on a sought after Grand Final spot, there was an upside for the side.
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“The great thing about this team is we have so many guys under the age of 25, the future is extremely bright for this footy club,” he said.
“It’s an absolute privilege to represent this group and club.”
Pavlich reserved most praise for the club’s faithful members and supporters.
“They’ve been through a lot as well,” he said.
“It was great to see their support again tonight, they were vocal and gave a huge amount of support.
“They’re hurting as much as we are.”