20-year history of the Fremantle Football Club
Past Freo greats were in attendance, including former captains Ben Allan, Peter Mann, Chris Bond, Shaun McManus and Peter Bell. They joined current skipper Matthew Pavlich, Lee Spurr, Ryan Crowley, Chris Mayne and Cam Sutcliffe.
Basil Zempilas was the MC on the evening, which was kicked off with a president’s address from Steve Harris.
Harris told the audience that the hard times the club had experienced over its first 20 years had forged the values that characterised the Fremantle Dockers today.
“We are what we are today as a result of our past,” he said.
"Today we are strong, today we are independent and today we are resilient.
"This spirit is at the heart of the Fremantle Dockers, and this spirit is at the heart of every member, corporate partner and every supporter of the club.”
Harris used last year’s march from Federation Square on Grand Final day as an example of that spirit.
“It is this spirit that has our members recognised as the proudest, loudest and most passionate members in the AFL,” he said.
After an emotional 20-year highlight DVD was played, Harris introduced Bell, who made a toast to past, present and future Freo players.
“All the players would like to acknowledge the club for giving us the opportunity to fulfill out lifelong dream of playing AFL football," Bell said.
On behalf of every Freo Dockers’ player, the former captain thanked everyone involved with the club on the 20-year journey.
“We would like to thank the staff, the volunteers, as well as the supporters, you’ve supported us passionately and loyally, particularly in the challenging times," Bell said.
Next up was the current captain Pavlich, who said he felt like he had grown up with Fremantle, having been at the club for half of his life.
“It's an enormous part of who I am… I’ve learnt so much about myself, performing at a high level, leading a high-performing team, dealing with failure, dealing with success,” he said
“I think the club runs parallel to that, we’ve grown up and matured and I’m very, very proud to be a Fremantle Football Club player.”
Senior coach Ross Lyon, who will chalk up three years at Freo in September, talked about the growth of the club in his time here.
“We’ve all see it, we’ve seen the members grow, and we’re a really serious football club and we’re aiming to win a premiership,” he said.
There was also an auction that included a leather-bound Lyon and Pavlich signed copy of the club’s history book, An Illustrated History.
While the night was all about reminiscing, there was also a strong focus on the present and future, a theme that was consistent in all the on-stage interviews.
Lyon had members of the audience in standing applause with this statement.
“We’re trying to win a premiership here for Fremantle, that’s what we’re in this for.”
