The Restump Podcast

We went in with a healthy level of nonchalance; we injected the appropriate amount of complacency and deliberately ended up lackadaisically horizontal. Time to somehow Restump Podcast that beyond meaningless, going through the motions, self-preservation performance against the Blues.

https://www.therestump.com/podcast/episode/8364dd8d/dockchair-theatre

I can’t remember a more meaningless encounter. In fact, I can’t ever recall contemplating switching off 5 minutes into the first quarter. And we were 3 goals up at the time!

And no doubt the players felt the same. There wasn’t the attention to detail, there wasn’t any defensive vigour and there was just no purple spirit. Even Paddy Voss’ attempt at inserting the energetic vibe fell flat. When Vossy can’t spark the fire, you know there’s more at play.

We had nothing whatsoever to gain and too much to potentially lose. We rested Jye Amiss, Sammy Switkowski and Heath Chapman.

But why did we stop there? It’s been a hell of a long season, so why wouldn’t we rest half to three quarters of the best 23, Rosco Lyon style? A lack of soldiers in the WAFL wasn’t it! Was a 20-day break too risky? Was it fear of the AFL and their idiotic fake optics obsession?

However, we’ve won 19 games in a season, we’ve won the minor premiership, we’ve got the double chance, two home finals and we’re not only favourites for, but we’re in the best position we’ve ever been in to win that debut flag. That says the club has gotten almost everything right this year, so who are we to question their decisions!

Unfair ifs buts and maybes though, possibly Brennan Cox wouldn’t be nursing a torn calf? And given how absolutely vital he is to our chances, you will never convince me there was merit in putting Alex Pearce on a plane to play in an inconsequential formality, especially after the knock to the knee the week before.

Anyway, Brennan Cox aside, we got through seemingly unscathed to close out what has, so far, been a magnificent and successful season. We couldn’t have achieved much more than we have to date and it’s caps off to all involved at the club.

However, rightfully or wrongfully, the season’s success to date inevitably raises the bar and the expectations. What we’ve done the last 23 rounds shouldn’t be understated or glossed over when reviewing the year, but it is now in the rear-view mirror and, in the context of the imminent finals campaign, it counts for noting.

We’re at the pointy end, largely healthy and in good shape. We’ve got a little over a week to prepare for what is now a new season. We all start on zero and we’re looking to win three on the bounce.

Is the All-Australian night now being held in the purple palladium? The numerous positions in the team awarded to Fremantle individuals is a reflection of our remarkable season. And it was especially a stellar evening for Murphy Reid who never seems to walk away empty handed from an award ceremony. He also took home the Best Emerging Player award, drawing with St Kilda’s Max Hall.

Nothing against Murph or Max, and by all means call me a killjoy, but these unnecessary made-up awards are getting a little monotonous! It’s becoming a bit participatory! What is this… a seven-year-old’s birthday party where everyone goes home with a lolly bag?

Yeah ok, self-indulgent rant over.

It’s pointless probing that purposeless performance, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t plenty of purple to prattle on about. So, don your daggies, deploy your deck chair, decompress and drop in on the docker drivel disguised as deep dialogue on the pod.

https://www.therestump.com/podcast/episode/8364dd8d/dockchair-theatre

Rosco is right.

In the pre-game team meeting, Paddy misconstrued the collective noun for an instruction! Time to Restump Podcast that polished purple performance.

https://www.therestump.com/podcast/episode/7fe8dccb/murder-of-crows

Let’s start at that magnificent jumper. It took us back to the nostalgic Neesham era, a simpler time in life when we ran around with a bunch of ragtag upstarts from the WAFL. Every member of the team had a license and if you didn’t do something outlandish or you performed without flair, you didn’t belong!

We got around in an unthinkable combination of purple green red and white while we made the unconventional popular. We cared little for the opinions of outsiders, we played recklessly, free from expectations and not for a second was it not entertaining. I feel for the Freo supporters who never got to experience that special time.

If we were to make that last Saturday in September, it’d be a fitting tribute if we were to don that same deep Fremantle heritage representing, kaleidoscopic number on Grand Final day. Imagine winning the club’s first premiership 30+ years later in the same jumper in which it all began.

Was that the most even contributed performance across the board you’ve ever seen?

We out pressured the best pressure team in the competition. But it felt different. It was not only a specific focus and at fever pitch, there was an added component to it, which was to make sure the crows felt it. So, it wasn't just the tackle or the corralling pressure, it felt there was an instruction to hit hard and hurt. A lighter week on the training track would probably wouldn’t go astray.

It’s difficult to argue Alex Pearce isn’t our most important player. His presence, his cover, his support and organisational skills allow other members in the defensive unit to play to their strengths. He simply makes others better.

And what about the Serong and Brayshaw combo quietly stepping back into the fold to pick up the responsibility slack. Their willingness to do the unfashionable work, take somewhat of a back seat, then step in, take the reins and lead by example when required is beyond impressive. Where we are as a team is largely a direct result of their lack of ego, and there is nothing more admirable.

There is some irony in the suggestion it was an even contribution while selecting individuals out for praise. However, a guy that rarely sees the limelight but turns up without fail, is Heath Chapman. In the context of his role, he had an outstanding multifaceted game. Courage personified, he backed into trouble, he was crisp with his ball handling and decision making, he got himself in the right positions and played his role to perfection.

Has Jye Amiss forced the tailors to ask for his jacket measurements? He’s second in the Coleman medal with 58 goals at a rate of 2.6 goals a game, going at 64% accuracy. However, he’s kicked 36 in his last 12 games. At the very least, he has surely entered the chat!

Anyway, we’re all about the collective and not about the individual. So, we continue on as one connected entity and let the individual accolade chips fall where they will.

Minor premiership secured but in the bigger picture, that is small potatoes. We don’t need to celebrate it and risk Paddy Voss damaging numerous eyeballs! Let’s just get through the one remaining inconsequential regular season game.

Meanwhile, join us as we take a deeper look into the classy performance against the Crows, decipher who to rest against the Blues and potentially plot the path the purple pioneers will proceed to possibly procure the premiership on the pod.

https://www.therestump.com/podcast/episode/7fe8dccb/murder-of-crows

Everything is under control. The purple Pearce powder preservation plan will pay off. Time to Restump Podcast the manic and mare-ish moments of mayhem against Melbourne.

https://www.therestump.com/podcast/episode/7ea679a9/preserving-the-pearce-powder

Straight off the top, quite simply, if Alex Pearce plays, we win that cracking contest of a game and you can't change my mind.

We may have plenty of victories without the skipper in the past, but when the heat really goes on, we need Captain Pearce back there organising and executing.

Did the Dees expose some vulnerabilities that we may not have known existed? Is our reliance on Alex Pearce a concern? As silly and as confusing as it sounds, has the constant systematic winning wallpapered over our deficiencies or reliances?

We haven't faced a lot of adversity this season to date. We've had just a handful of challenges, few teams have really caused us any grief, we’ve had no off-field scandals and our injured players rarely resembled a list.

The reality is they curtailed Andy Brayshaw, they put Murphy Reid under a tight tag removing his influence, Freddy was horribly absent, we were vulnerable down back, we wandered away at times from the selflessness that has served us so well, we made numerous horrendous blunders and we suffered moments of complacency. And yet all that and we lost by just a kick.

Tidy up of just one of Mason Cox's nightmare moments and we walk away with another 4-point package. However, it is preferable to get the lesson now rather than in September.

To put it bluntly, the Dees played out of their skins and cannot play better than they did. We, on the other hand, can and will.

Current focus momentarily aside, from this point on, in future meetings against Melbourne, Harrison Petty's name is in big black bold letters pregame on the whiteboard. He doesn't get to shed tears over some hurty words, garner widespread sympathy, play the taunting victim and be the catalyst for a pathetic rule change, and then come out and make a mockery of his own episode and play this fake wannabe tough guy character! You can't have it both ways and it was a little disappointing we allowed it. Alex Pearce would have rendered him irrelevant!

Anyway, we live, we learn, we look into the loss, lock in on the learnings, leverage the lessons and liquidate the lapses.

On some small level the loss alleviates the pressure a little. It has the capacity to remove any dangerous perception of invincibility that could have possibly internally crept in. It could work favourably as a grounding agent that will do us well heading into September.

Well, that's enough language laundering here. The truth is, other than temporary disappointment, the loss had no negative impact. However, dismissiveness alone doesn't feed the bulldog. So, join us to continue the loss legitimising conversational gymnastics on the pod.

https://www.therestump.com/podcast/episode/7ea679a9/preserving-the-pearce-powder

It was rarely pretty and it took us a while, but we found a way to break the dog clog. Time to Restump Podcast the minor premiership securing win over Bevo’s Bullclogs.

https://www.therestump.com/podcast/episode/7d83cef4/breaking-bevos-bullclogs

Apparently Bullies coach Luke Beveridge had no specific plan or intention to ensure our forward 50 metre arc resembled an RSPCA adoption dog shelter! The crowding and clogging “just played out that way.”

Rightio Bevo, and bank robber Bill had no plan to roll the bank, he just donned the balaclava and shotgun to do his daily banking and it, “just played out that way.”

To be fair to the dogs though, once Aaron Naughton was ruled out, they had no option and their only chance was to implement that clogging strategy, whether they care to admit it was intentional or otherwise.

However, in doing so they actually did us a favour. If the dogs played their usual high offense game we would have destroyed them by half time, given their known struggles to defend and the cattle they had out. So, we were forced to endure a different contest, weather the pressure, adapt, persist and find alternate pathways to victory. Yes, it was predominantly ugly but we still manufactured moments of Milan catwalk worthiness.

The game gave Murphy Reid a taste of the close checking treatment he's likely to get more of and, unsurprisingly, he’s already made inroads into how to deal with it if his 23 possession second half is any indication.

The armchair dingbats taking a dislike to Paddy Voss simply don't understand the Freo system and the selflessly pivotal role he is performing. The sheer volume of cages he is rattling on and off the field points to the possibility he is at the peak of his pervasive and protective powers.

Is it no Bont, no dogs? Did Marcus Bontempelli have an off night? Or was it the engaging tactics of the imposing Hayden Young that put the clamp on the champ?

The effort and the dedication to the journey Oscar McDonald have undertaken to get to his career best game, is worthy of praise. However, while he superbly played his role, there's no confusion or cause for hesitation, Brennan Cox walks straight back into the team.

One man whose role and position are well and truly secure is Karl "Marx" Worner. He had the makeshift dogs forwards on a leash and ended up the highest rated player on the ground.

We ran the dogs into the ground, we chalked up our 18th win of the season and we got through unscathed.

We then watched Sydney scrape home over the Saints; we saw Hawthorn fall over the line against the Roos and the Josh Fraser revitalised Blues put the 3-peat seeking Lions to the sword! Everything is coming up Milhouse!

It's all getting very real! So, we need to come together as a collective, remain calm, be measured and have some composure... is what we'd call for if we were a boring, self-obsessed, joyless, egotistical, purist fan base! But we're not that rabble of a rudderless mob up the road! We get involved, we get loud, we enjoy every moment, celebrate every thrill and we ride this magnificent juggernaut to whatever end!

So, for all that type of hype tripe, dig in your heels, lock in your knees, hang on for dear life and join in the conversation to give and get a purple cheerful earful on the pod!

https://www.therestump.com/podcast/episode/7d83cef4/breaking-bevos-bullclogs

Nonsense Info

The Lobradors - have played 12 games against the current top 10 teams. They've kicked 100 points twice, for 1 win and 1 loss. They've had 100 points kicked on them 6 times.

Freo - have played 10 games against the current top 10 teams. We've kicked 100 points 6 times, for 5 wins and 1 loss. We've had 100 points kicked on us just twice, one of them by the Dogs.

Are the Freo forwards in for a feast on the Naughtonless Lobradors?

Send a message to learn more

The company you keep! Dudley isn't getting anywhere near enough love for being equal 8th on the goal assist list.

If you haven't got a hat on, go get one and put it on. Then tip it in acknowledgment of Isaiah Dudley. He's also kicked 21 goals himself.

What an absolute get he has been.

Warner 127 games
Bolton 176 games
Sharman 88 games
Keays 180 games
DeGoey 200 games
Greene 279 games
Ginnivan 109 games
Cameron 273 games
Dudley 35 games
Bailey 184 game

If Andrew McQualter still wants to be a scalper, he'll have to turn to Freo's finals tickets! Time to Restump Podcast Saturday evening's walk in the Optus Stadium park.

https://www.therestump.com/podcast/episode/7ece767c/scalps-intact

Imagine being a west coast supporter and thinking you're an improved outfit. 12 scoring shots for the game, just 5 in the second half for 1 goal 4. Quite simply, they were putrid.

If Fremantle did anything wrong, it was gravely underestimating the sufficient level of complacency required to win. We could have implemented a player management strategy with a performance output made up of equal parts apathy and lethargy.

Pretty much other than the minor premiership securing 4 points, there was almost nothing to take out of that game. I mean it was a good win, and a win by 10 goals, but let’s be fair, we were up against a team of Richmond rejects, mid-season recruits and a guy who cries ‘free kick’ if someone goes within 6 feet of him!

Harley Reid has implemented his own social distancing policy. He rings his own free kick hot line when anyone breaches his self-designated safe space and lodges a complaint!

The reality is the game was never out of our control and by quarter time, despite us being the narrowest of margins behind, it went from a procession to a formality, before we let down to a ‘going through the motions’ routine.

Yes, Murphy Reid continued bedazzling us, Matty Johnson had arguably his career best game and Jye Amiss, with another 5 goals, showed he has well and truly arrived. But let’s ironically sing the praises of the unsung heroes.

Disco Nathan had a ripper of a game. Is it right to suggest he hasn’t the best right foot? But, on his left foot, unlike what left his right foot, a lot left right out of the middle. So, he did a lot right with his left, he left nothing in the tank and right now he’s in no danger of being left right out! (I can’t be the only one who is now bamboozled to a point of not knowing my left from my right?) Anyway, 2 goals, 7 score involvements, 11 possessions and a goal 3rd quarter, and plenty of defensive work from his 19 total touches from the wing, was a pretty important contribution.

And the ultimate team man Paddy Voss! His selflessness was on display yet again with his all-round game having a greater impact than it suggests on paper. Add in his goal, his 7 score involvements, his 6 inside fifties and his shepherding of Shai Bolton’s goal and it puts substantial meat on those 11 disposal bones.

The good news just kept coming off the field with Murphy Reid signing on until 2032 and Hugh Davies dedicating his future to Freo by putting pen to paper.

We cannot overstate how big an achievement securing the extension for Murphy Reid is. The system Fremantle has put in place, the culture they have built, the recruiting and list management they have conducted, the ignoring of the outside noise and backing in Justin Longmuir and the resulting ridiculously successful year we have so far put together, are all encompassing elements that enticed and landed Murphy Reid for longer. He didn’t initially want to come to Fremantle and now he doesn’t want to leave. That is a monumental feather in the Freo cap.

Well, Saturday night was fun but unfortunately the derbies have just lost their shine. Sadly, like they did to state of origin football in its former format, the West Coast Eagles have killed them off.

However, that doesn't mean there isn't plenty of purple to prattle on about on the pod! So, before we draft a docker design to deal with the dogs, feel welcome to wade into the west coast wrangle waffle water with us as we wrap up the weekend cake walk.

https://www.therestump.com/podcast/episode/7ece767c/scalps-intact