In senior coach Ross Lyon’s first season in charge in 2012, the club came home with a withering run in the second half of the year to claim a top eight finish and shock the then-reigning premiers Geelong in an Elimination Final at the MCG.
Four key elements were identified that could help the club ‘take the next step’ in 2013.
The first was breakthrough seasons among the playing list. In just their second years in the system, two young South Australians stepped up to become integral members of the team.
Lachie Neale emerged in the latter part of the season as a quality ball-winning midfielder, while Cam Sutcliffe went from sub-elect to a regular member of the league’s best defence after Garrick Ibbotson’s season-ending injury. A number of experienced Fremantle players enjoyed arguably their best seasons of AFL to date, including Ibbotson, who went from serviceable utility to one of the best half-back flankers in the game. Michael Walters consolidated his strong finish to 2012 with a sterling effort in attack, while Zac Clarke answered his coach’s challenge and became a quality ruckman capable of being more than just a back-up to Aaron Sandilands. Lee Spurr transformed himself from a fringe mature-ager to one of the best small defenders in the league and a member of the club’s leadership group for 2014.
The second element called for the alignment of Freo’s stars. In 2012, classy midfielders David Mundy and Nat Fyfe were hindered by injury. While the pair were both big contributors to the club’s finals campaign, they struggled to stay on the park for the entire season. Mundy didn’t hit his straps until after the midway point because of a pre-season injury. Fyfe only played 11 games in 2012 because of a troublesome shoulder. The brilliant midfielders enjoyed a free run in 2013, culminating in the pair being arguably the club’s best players on Grand Final day. Last year’s web article stated, ‘It’s frightening to think what Fyfe can do with an unimpeded run in 2013’. A Doig Medal answers that question, and this superstar has not yet reached his ceiling.
The third point was staying fit and available, which did not go entirely to plan. The club had to endure long periods without a host of stars in 2013, including skipper Matthew Pavlich, who didn’t play between rounds 4 and 14. Aaron Sandilands played his first game in round 15, while fellow ruckmen Jon Griffin and Kepler Bradley both had their seasons ended by knee injuries early on. The second half of 2013 also threw up some personnel challenges, with Luke McPharlin sitting out rounds 16-23, and Ibbotson and Clancee Pearce sitting out the finals series. Some stars, such as Michael Johnson and Michael Walters, played through injury in September.
The final element was making the top four, which the club achieved in 2013. A year earlier, Freo ran out of steam in the Semi-Final against Adelaide, perhaps in part to the brutal travel schedule thrown at Ross Lyon’s side. But you can’t expect any favours when you finish seventh. The top four finish last season gave the club a double chance and a shot at direct entry to a home preliminary final, which it took and subsequently qualified for its maiden AFL Grand Final.
So having taken another big step forward in 2013, what can help Fremantle go one further in 2014?
The emergence of talent and the addition of experience will give the club a very deep list. Players such as Tom Sheridan and Hayden Crozier now have three seasons under their belts and will push hard for more game time. Neale and Sutcliffe will look to become even more influential. Scott Gumbleton and Colin Sylvia are quality players from other clubs, while Griffin, Bradley, Ibbotson, and Clancee Pearce are names that didn’t play in the Grand Final. Then there’s the latest comeback attempt by the enormously gifted but equally luckless Anthony Morabito. Freo also has a talented group of draftees all eager to make an instant impact. Given a fully fit and available list, the fight for spots in the 22 will be incredibly tough week after week. It’s safe to say there will be some long match committee sessions inside the walls of Freo headquarters in 2014. As always, staying fit and available will be paramount to Fremantle’s chances in 2014, but should the injury questions arise again, the depth among the squad will hold the club in good stead.
Ultimately, just as last year’s article stated, history does not treat sides that don’t make the top four kindly. Since the current finals system was implemented in 2000, no team has even made a Grand Final from outside the four, let alone won one. To have any realistic shot of playing off in the decider again, top four is vital.
Hands up who had to pinch themselves last year every time the words Fremantle and Grand Final were used in the same sentence late in September. The club has been to the AFL’s decider now and come mighty close, save for execution, to achieving greatness. There should be a burning desire within every player, coach and supporter to return for another crack, minus the surreal feeling that many fans had for their side’s date with destiny.
