It's been a while between purple pints. But you get the feeling we're going to be well hydrated over the next decade. Time to Restump preview podcast the start of our September quest.

Does this September participation feeling ever diminish? Or has the drought and the heartbreak of often orchestrating our own demise over the journey created this exhilaration? Not sure, but something tells me given our history, we'll never take the sight of September for granted.

It's time to put away the pitchforks and remove the hands from the holsters of those who were gunning for the club and coach.

We haven't found ourselves in finals facilitated by favourable results falling around us. We forced our way in winning 12 of our last 14, many against fierce foes. And when it came down to the final affair, the do or die clash against the dogs, we were formidably emphatic.

So, where does it position us? Past results now count for nothing and have no bearing on what is to come.

We rightly go in Saturday night as favourites, but if we have any hint of forgone conclusionary mindsets, the Suns will seize on it.

While there's a dash of relief making finals, the pressure on Saturday night is all on us. The Suns are September debutants, so they'd have a weight-off-the-shoulders feeling and an element of freedom about them, which can be a positive or a negative. Reaching finals for the first time, they may feel the job is done and subconsciously play accordingly. But they may also have that dangerous now 'nothing to lose' mentality and play unrestrained with reckless abandon.

However, lets not forget they have a 3-time premiership ‘been there done that’ coach at the helm. Damien Hardwick won't have the satisfied mindset and he'll pull all the psychological levers to ensure his players don't either.

Apart from the obvious, both teams have additional reasons to perform. For us, while it is his final appearance in WA, this could be the final time Nat Fyfe, the generational player, who won himself and us two Brownlow medals, who regularly carried out club through some dark times, graces us with his on-field presence if we lose.

And for Gold Coast, their club's first ever draftee and co-captain, David Swallow, has called time on his career and goes out in his and the Sun's debut finals campaign.

Both players could have abandoned their perennially unsuccessful clubs at times and there were no shortage of options. But they dug in and showed a rare loyalty at the expense of potential premiership expense, until now.

Interestingly, Nat Fyfe and David Swallow both are West Aussies, one club career players and both currently sit on 247 games, providing a chance to play a deserved 250.

There are a host of heartstring tugging motivations for both sides regarding these two magnificent players to draw upon, should added inspiration be required.

While we should just concentrate on the now, if we were to pull off the unthinkable, every game from here is an elimination final. And should we get to and plant our purple flag on the promised land, taking into account our elimination final against the Dogs, we'd be the first club in history to win the premiership from outside the 8!

We've been set up well by the club, the coaching staff and recruiters. They've created the framework for success and now the opportunity is there for the players.

Home and away and finals footy are two different bags, so are we ready as a group? Is the 'why not us' cliché fitting? Maybe, maybe not, but Saturday night is the first step to finding out.

There's still 48 hours or so until bouncedown! So, if you're on edge and dealing with some purple anxiety

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It’s often said “A wrong King still believes his crown makes him right.” Give it up Kingy, there’s no place left to hide. JL has got your number! Time to Restump Podcast Freo’s magnificent September securing victory against the dauntless Dogs.

There was barely an institution that didn’t write us off. The media, the footballing world, the bookies and my postman gave us no hope. But why? Why was so much analytical weight and judgment placed upon the loss to the Brisbane Lions a week bacl? Was our previous 3 months invisible? Did the pundits not even bother to watch the Fox Footy mini’s?

Justin Longmuir got on the front foot though as he was having none of it and he wasn’t shy in letting them know. However, let’s hope they all double down and write us off again in 2 weeks’ time.

In real time, we’d all be lying if we said we didn’t harbour some minor concerns half way through that first quarter. But we’d seen that movie before several times in recent months and, more often than not, it had a favourable twist.

Stop, take your hat off and give the defensive collective an acknowledging nod because we were able to build that win on it’s ability and relentless efforts to weather the Dog’s high pressure, 19 inside fifty storm. It kept us in the game when others couldn’t. The individuals were remarkable. No one does what our defensive delegation did to Sam Darcy!

Depending on how you view it, its either worrying or pleasing seeing Andy Brayshaw and Caleb Serong combine for just a 5 possession first quarter. Worrying because they got destroyed, but pleasing because we were still able to win centre clearance for the quarter and set up four scoring chances. Hayden Young, take a bow!

The Dogs did well at trying to rattle our cages early with their pressure but we dealt with it, we regrouped at quarter time and then we let go with a scintillating period of footy that saw us put an uninterrupted run of 8 goals on the board.

Sure, the Dogs have some defensive deficiencies but our forwards were phenomenal, showing no mercy in exploiting the advantage. Everyone got their unhygienic lick of the what would now be germ riddled ice-cream. But even contracting covid was an acceptable risk if it meant seeing Jye Amiss in the embryonic stage of a return to some serious form!

If you put your hat back on, can you please remove it once more as we have a moment of respect and marvel at Murphy Reid yet again? Everything he touches turns to gold… or rather goal. It’s not too often that a first-year player becomes irreplaceable and a vital cog in the team wheel. It’s done, pull your dress down Mary, the shows over. All bets are off… just give him the rising star medal!

And while our hata are still off, give a nod of appreciation to Bailey Banfield who has reinvented himself in a meaningful way.

While we appeared to be cruising to victory, the Dogs are too good a team to not mount a comeback. On the back of the magnificent Marcus Bontempelli, he dragged them back to somewhat within striking distance late in the final term. Yes, Ok, a nerve or two crept in, but we’re not that same old Fremantle team anymore. We weren’t letting this September securing victory slip through our fingers. Bring on September!

We didn’t put too much weight on last week’s loss to the Brisbane Lions and their win over the Hawks justified our position. So, likewise, given the Dog’s record against top eight teams, we’re not getting carried away with the win over them either. Having said that, it doesn’t mean we’re not bouncing off the walls excited about being part of September this year!

So, you know what to do. If you’re foraging for a fistful more of Freo fanfare, don yo

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We pick up the bits and pieces that are recognisable and look to the Dogs. Time to Restump Podcast the life leveller the Lions landed on us, which wasn’t as horrific as the picture suggests.

Probably unpopular opinion but that performance wasn’t as, pun intended, catastrophic as the outrage infers. In context of the play, it's possible to be in the game but not on the scoreboard, and for much of the 80+ minutes we were.

Quite simply you can't kick 8 points straight, not kick a goal until the 2nd term and, despite our recent efforts, expect to run teams down, especially of the Lion’s ilk.

We can rant and rave and question how did we not perform to a necessary level in what was largely a make-or-break game. But the Lions, the 2 two consecutive grand finalists and reigning premiers, were in the same season on the line boat.

Were we overawed early? Could we not adapt to the Lion’s well researched and executed strategy? Yes, to some degree on both accounts. But we overcame it and produced enough chances to be on par at quarter time. The shots on goal and the forward attacks we butchered were both of our own doing and the Lion’s pressure.

Albeit with some costly blemishes, our defensive unit again stood up under adversity to keep us within reach at quarter time. They dealt with a 47-to-16-mark deficit resulting in a 15 to 7 inside 50 count for the Lions. The game would've been over had it not been for the defensive crew.

We adjusted and equalised the game in the 2nd term. While we still went -20 marks, we’d settled and secured the corridor and cut off their supply to go in 8 points down at the half.

However, the Lions didn’t fluke the 2024 premiership. Their 16 finals, 4 preliminary finals and 2 grand finals weren’t luck. They’re an extremely tough and talented backs to the wall side and they were able to draw on that monstrous body of big game experience to rise to another level we simply don’t have in us as yet.

It isn’t the standalone game to judge individuals on, but Luke Jackson was off and nowhere near his recent influential best. Alex Pearce had a mare, or rather too many marish moments, Freddy needs his radar realigned this week and Josh Treacy must learn to pull up and not play on after marking in a goal square. Is Andy Brayshaw carrying something significant injury-wise? His recent output hasn’t been at AB level. What about the Disco? Saturday continued a lean trend for him. And where are we all sitting on Jye Amiss? 5 touches last week, 3 on the weekend. He was handy prior to that though.

We’ve won 11 of our last 13, we’ve beaten some serious sides from behind on numerous occasions. It’s an exceptional string of performances, but did those games include the best there is? I’d suggest not and that means we’re a very good side, but we’re not yet in the top echelon. We’re making gigantic inroads, but we’re not invincible.

Our recent wins have predominantly been built on accurate kicking. 15 goals 4 against Carlton, 12 goals 5 against Hawthorn and 12 goals 7 against the Pies. Almost identical scoring shots against Brisbane, 5 goals 14, and we lose by 57 points.

Personally, it’s is somewhat of an understandable performance and one which doesn’t really say a great deal other than that we were put to the sword by a very good flag favoured side.

For that reason, it shouldn't impact our confidence levels going up against the Dogs, a high scoring side with defensive deficiencies.

Anyway, more discussion needed so, let’s pick it up on the pod. However, if you’re a candidate for misery needing company or if its purple pessimism you’re looking for, you couldn’t be further from the right place. We’re going to defe

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Not sure if Paddy has the conventional Lion taming temperament, but it’ll be one hell of a spectacle. Time to Restump Podcast preview Freo's Friday night’s clash against the Brissie Lions.

It’s almost beyond comprehension that we’re starting round 23 in the top four. Thinking back to that infamous and well documented appalling performance against St Kilda in round 8, it was unfathomable at the time to even contemplate making the finals. How far we have come in a short space of time… 11 wins from our last 13 games? Shut your face, I don’t believe you!

We take on the Lions and if we have any chance of remaining in the top four at season’s end, we need to ensure it is a successful safari hunt Friday evening.

The reigning premiers have chopped up a bit in the last few weeks, losing to the Suns and Swans. Is that a positive or a negative for us? A positive in that they may be a little shaky, but it could well be a negative because they will be filthy and ferocious Friday night.

Our form is good, maybe not quite as good as 11 wins from 13 games suggests, but good enough to take it right up to Brisbane, so we shouldn’t be fearful going in. But while they’ve only won 2 final quarter in their previous 6 games and despite having been run down after leading at ¾ time three times this year… I’m not sure we should continue leaving our run until the final term.

From our perspective, unfortunately Izzy Dudley is heading back to the twos but we welcome back Corey Wagner for some defensive bulk. For the Lion’s Brandon Starcevich makes his return and similar to Wagner, his defensive pressure will be a positive for them.

Interestingly enough, Brisbane decided against running two recognised ruckmen to go up against Darcy and Jackson. Surely, we can run Darcy Fort into the ground?

While it’s an advantage for us that Lachie Neale isn’t playing, it would have been fitting for him to be out there against the great Nat Fyfe, maybe for one last time? Brisbane have us and the Hawks to come, it’s not outside the realms of possibility that they miss the eight!

But right now, nostalgia takes a back seat and sentiment sits on the side-lines because there is serious business to get done. We really want to concentrate on Friday night and we don’t want to get ahead of ourselves… but if we beat the Lions this week, the Dogs next week and the Crows can beat the Pies on Saturday, we’re a serious chance at hanging onto a top four finish.

With it being a double header and Fremantle being the later game, it’s the Friday night semi-big stage. So, it should at least halve any possible big stage fright… shouldn’t it? However, be that as it may, the overriding problem for us fans is that we can’t help the early onset of anxiety!

But a problem shared is a problem halved! So, if your nerves are starting to rumble as well, then pitch in and join the pre-game group calming therapy on the preview pod. Preparing a plan B is always prudent… so, maybe bring some Valium with you just in case.

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Can we ease up on the escapee artistry? Too many more of those wins and our hearts will escape our chest cavities! Time to Restump Podcast the too close for comfort win over a plucky Port Power... oh and the heart-breaking Nat Fyfe news none of us wanted.

You can have all the science in the world at your disposal and access to the greatest minds, but no one escapes the aging process. Even the great man Nat Fyfe is but a mere mortal.

It was the news we all knew was coming, we just didn’t know when. Many of us hoped there was one more year in the dual Brownlow medallist, but he’s called time on his illustrious and unrivalled career. He thrilled us for now 16 years, he delivered the club accolades, he provided hope when there was none and, more times than we can count, he picked up the team and carried it across the line.

After David Mundy’s farewell a few years back, Sonny Walter’s exit a couple of weeks ago and now Fyfey’s departure, it brings to an end the 2013 premiership era representation at Freo. While we have and will continue to live on the vivid memories, it sadly closes the door to a period that we, as Fremantle football club loving purple people, cherished and built our future hope on.

Could we do the unthinkable? In our 31st year in the league, could the fairy-tale unfold? Is the prospect of sending off the great man with a premiership medal based in any possible reality? Imagine the absurd sense of exhilaration of it. It would send the club and us fans to nostalgic levels beyond our current comprehension.

Fate is in our own hands. Leave nothing to chance, leave nothing in the tank and leave winning not until the end, like we have been doing of late. Lets go all in and immortalise Fyfey and the Fremantle Football club.

Speaking of not leaving winning until the last second, are we pushing our luck? I know we self-profess to be a “win from anywhere” team but do we have to prove it up every week? Just because we can, doesn't mean we should. Could we just bring things forward a touch and put results to bed before we pass out with anxiety?

We genuinely got out of jail Saturday night. We didn't play anywhere near out best and a depleted Port Adelaide took advantage and all but put us away.

Without some Alex Pearce heroics, aided by his trusty Serong sidekick, it would have been "good old Freo found another way to screw it up” again. But this new mentally tough purple posse is a different bag. There's a resilience there now and a coinciding self-belief. There's a calmness about them when surrounded by chaos late in games. They're well drilled, they execute rehearsed strategies and they're super fit. But is it a sustainable strategy? Is it conducive to the ultimate success?

Too much to get through here so let’s pick it all up on the pod. So, wipe your Fyfey news tears, bring your box of Kleenex and grab your security blanket. Hey, we don’t have all the answers and we’re not the gate keepers of keynotes or guardians of the gab, so settle in get involved and add your piece to the Docker dialogue.

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Yes, he does and he also confiscated much of Carlton’s ball before redistributing it. Bloody marksist! Time to Restump Podcast Sunday’s tough win over those bold and brazen Blues.

There'd be numerous schools of thought in regards to the game. One is we were horrid for much of it. No, that’s far enough.. we stunk it up for a half! We were beaten up around the ball, we relentlessly fumbled, played unintelligently and we couldn't execute under the Blue's pressure.

Then there's the counterview. The above happened, but we hung in there, took the hits, regrouped, started playing as a team rather than individuals, began to play a style conducive to the conditions and piled on a 10+ goal 2nd half to run away for a near on 5 goal win.

As a rate of all round improvement and growth of the collective, I lean towards the latter. Sure, that type of performance probably doesn’t cut it deep in September, but did we get a truer picture of where we genuinely are? Recent years, we didn't have the physical and mental capacity to win like we did yesterday, or our earlier games against the Pies, Hawks and co this season.

Yesterday was another for the “not as good or as bad as it seems” files.

When a team, injury depleted or otherwise, has nothing to lose, they release the shackles and play with a dangerous freedom. While we didn’t handle it well, their pressure was off the chart for arguably 3 quarters. It forced us into our old self-preservation, dump kick and hospital handball traits. Old habits hey? But now we do have the capacity to rectify things in game.

Karl Worner must be on cloud nine. He was magnificent at times yesterday, showing up when it was most vital. His defensive smothers and big marks in the final term played no small part in the win.

Andy Brayshaw had a rare mare and Caleb Serong was shut out for 3 quarters. Then when we started playing for each other and running protection rackets, everything changed. Serong’s last quarter 9 touches, 6 of them contested, turned the momentum.

Clunker Treacy played one of his best games. He was a focal point at times all over the ground, kicked 3 ripping goals of his own and to do it when the midfield was being belted, is even more meritorious.

Do we win without Jaegar O’Meara superbly performing the job he was handed mid game to shut down George Hewitt? I have my doubts.

Tragically we saw Hayden Young go down with a groin injury and, depending on severity, it has to cast some concern over our full September potential.

However, old man Fyfe did a fair bit of timely damage in the WAFL on the weekend. Was it coincidence? Is this the sentimentalist’s dreamer? Could this be the universe delivering the unthinkable?

With now 14 wins, we’ve all but secured a final’s berth. However, celebrations should be on hold because we still need one more victory to certify it, so the door to devastation is still slightly ajar. We still all suffer the scars sustained from our uncanny ability to secure an end of a season slump!

For sick and twisted, almost perverse theatrical purposes and in the manner of how we do things in the most unconventional but weirdly entertaining way at Freo, there is a part of me that would love it to come down to our final encounter against Lobby and his Dogs in round 24.

Oh c’mon, how does anyone think like that! Let’s just get it done against Port this week.

The depth we dive to talk everything Freo, is deeper than the hole West Coast have dug themselves into. So, if you want to consume Docker drivel and disregard the safety level, bang our noisy nonsense in the seashells on the sides of your skull and we’ll all overdose on the purple together.

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Sorry Blue boys, there's no room at the purple Inn. Time to Restump Podcast preview Sunday's must win game against the Carlton crew.

We're in ripping form, we've got quite a healthy list, we're at home and we're rightfully long odds on to beat the out of form and depleted team of mercenary Blues. So, why are we not feeling as arrogantly confident about the task this week, as we did last week?

I'll tell you why... because the spirit of Jack Newnes still haunts us! Because we're still not over the 2024 gather round atrocity we suffered against this very side! And because as ordinary and as seemingly broken as the Lygon Street Lira chasers are, they're not as atrocious as that rabble up the road!

However, if we can set aside that irrational hysteria, we look at the Blues outfit and fail to see Charlie Curnow, Adam Cerra, Sam Walsh and Mitch McGovern. While they have enough talent over the team they're sending out Sunday to cause some issues, surely, that quartet of absentees should alleviate most of our fears?

We've had some interesting tussles against the Blues over the journey. Amazingly 17 of our 41 encounters have been decided by 3 goals or less, 11 of them by single digit margins. Is that the cause of the slight feeling of unease?

The Western Lobbradors did us a massive favour Thursday night destroying GWS along with their percentage and the Crows put the Hawks in a precarious position last night which is also beneficial for us. They are gifts we need to make the most of by consolidating them with a good numbered win on Sunday.

While we wouldn’t mind adding an Alex Pearce to the team to stand Harry McKay, we’re going in with an unchanged line up.

We’re playing really good footy, results are falling favourably around us and we’re oozing stability managing a predominantly healthy list coming into the right time of the season. Everything is coming up Milhouse!

Did the Chief go too far with the West Coast Eagle commentary? We feel an apology is on order for overstepping the line with some insensitive remarks. So, the Neighbourhood Watch may unfortunately get wheeled out. Meanwhile, after a couple of atrocious weeks with the audio, we just hope Jojo concentrates on correctly pushing the buttons of a different kind.

Anyway, while nobody asked for it or truly wants it, let's get this purple palaver underway on the pod. So, if, like us, you subscribe to the notion that too much nonsensical noise is never enough, you're amongst like-minded folk. Come on in, make yourself at home and join in the conversation.

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Nearly a four large fine for Paddy because Harley wasn’t watching where he was going! What a travesty! Is this where the revenue raising AFL corporation world has gotten to? Time to Restump Podcast the formality that was Saturday afternoon.

Paddy Voss should be hailed, heralded and and held up as a beacon of compassion and restraint. He had the chance to put Harley Reid in the morgue. But he fought every fibre of his being and showed wonderful discipline to not follow through.

Pre-game we’re all for it, but we take no enjoyment sticking the banter boots into West Coast post-game after a win. Hey, we don’t make the rules, we just abide by them.

The entire day was a formality. It was simply a matter of just going through the motions and overseeing the safe transport of the 4 valuable points into our win account. It was a precisely calculated and managed, bigger fish to fry performance.

At three quarter time JL gave them a spray telling them to be mindful of their excursion and to reel in the effort and intensity! He said, “This is July and they’re blue and gold traffic cones, so leave plenty out there and I don’t want to see anyone come off that ground with an empty tank!”

Understandably, apart from Liam Ryan standing on Karl Worner’s head, the game never reached any great heights. While similar in age and relative experience, there were two vastly different classes of teams out there and there was a boat load of daylight between them.

However, it was pretty enjoyable watching the surely now unbackable 2025 rising star winner, Murphy Reid, go about his business yet again like a seasoned veteran. His craft, his ability to execute and his intelligence… he has no purple peer!

Well maybe that’s not quite true because that guy Hayden Young is thereabouts. What a welcome inclusion he is. We’ve missed him all year and his return to the side couldn’t have been better timed. 23 disposals, 6 inside 50s, 7 clearances and an absurd 3 goals. And if you thought that was mental, he ridiculously did it with just 57% of time on ground.

Can we stop and appreciate the work of Jaegar O’Meara? The endless variety of roles and tasks he has been asked to do since he arrived at the club, not many players could perform them to such a level he has. Albeit acknowledging the disparity in age and experience and condition between the two, his work on Harley Reid on the weekend was superb.

It was a convincing win but it wasn’t the percentage booster we were all hoping for. We did put on 3% though and surprisingly we’re now ahead of Brisbane on the metric.

However, we’re rarely been big on percentage. We’ve been a big percentage boosting team at times in the past, but unfortunately it has usually been for an opponent! So, lets just focus on the winning. A place in the top 8, possibly top 4, is ours to lose.

This game probably perfectly falls into the never as good or as bad as it seems category. We weren’t at our best but we won comfortably. We generated a lot of shots on goal but our inaccuracy hurt us.

Not really sure what else we learn from the game, but given it was against West Coast there’d no doubt be some substance to take out of it! Oh, c’mon it’s West Coast… it’s cheap shots and lame lines in more ways than one, all round!

Anyway, lets engage the detection dogs and get them to run their noses over the game on the pod. So, feel free to join us as we wrap up the Derby proceedings and begin the Carlton focus commentary.

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