\u201cBut he stayed true to us. We stayed true to him, and we\u2019ll keep playing for him. We love him as a coach.\u201d<\/p>\n
Loading<\/p>\n
A heart-to-heart chat among the player group following the calamitous 61-point loss to St Kilda at Marvel Stadium proved to be the turning point of the season.<\/p>\n
Ryan was one of the leaders who got up to confront the group straight after that game.<\/p>\n
Fremantle won 12 of their next 15 matches to lock in just their second finals berth since 2015, and they are backing themselves to give the premiership a red-hot crack this year.<\/p>\n
\u201cI sort of felt like we were playing as individuals. We weren\u2019t playing as a team,\u201d Ryan said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were just playing a soft brand of footy, a selfish brand of footy. And I think after that, everyone agreed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had a good players chat. A lot of the leaders chimed in. A few other boys chimed in and agreed.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd we bought into it after that game \u2013 we are such a different team from that game to now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fremantle enter Saturday\u2019s match with 51 games of finals experience.<\/p>\n
In contrast, Gold Coast only have 21 games of finals experience across three players \u2013 former Tiger Daniel Rioli (13 games), ex-Pie John Noble (seven) and former Saint Ben Long (one).<\/p>\n
The final siren will bring to an end one great career \u2013 either that of Fremantle\u2019s two-time Brownlow medallist Nat Fyfe, or former Gold Coast captain David Swallow.<\/p>\n
The Dockers have recalled Isaiah Dudley and Nathan O\u2019Driscoll for Sam Switkowski (knee) and Corey Wagner (pec), while Swallow comes in for Jake Rogers in the Suns\u2019 only change.<\/p>\n
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