There\u2019s a pattern here. Qualifying finals that were once jolly romps are now often nerve shredders. The week off appears to have narrowed the gap between fourth and first. Both Craig McRae and Chris Scott spoke earlier in the year about the benefits of being the hunter rather than the hunted. The top side, they said, is always studied, copied and plotted against. Both stressed that just because you finish 12 points clear on top of the ladder doesn\u2019t mean you get a 12-point advantage on qualifying final night.<\/p>\n
Fremantle spent nearly four months on top of the ladder this season. As they go into Thursday night\u2019s qualifier against Hawthorn, Champion Data\u2019s boffins say the Dockers have the best premiership profile since the 2022 and 2007 Geelong sides. They had five players in the All-Australian team, and several who were unlucky to miss out, including captain Alex Pearce. They have thrown up bangers nearly every time they\u2019ve played at Optus Stadium. One of their few losses, against Melbourne at the MCG, was arguably the best game of the home-and-away season.<\/p>\n
Luke Ryan applauds fans as the Dockers leave the Optus Stadium pitch after victory over Adelaide. Photograph: James Worsfold\/AAP<\/p>\n
And they\u2019ve had the kitchen sink thrown at them. Opposition coaches have tried everything. They\u2019ve gone fast, slow and sideways. They\u2019ve flooded and tagged. In at least half a dozen games, there have been moments where the Dockers look like they may have been found out, where they may be too good to be true. In every instance, they absorbed what the opposition threw at them, adjusted and put their foot down. There\u2019s no fat or filler in there. Every player contributes, and every player has a defined purpose, even the WAFL reserves.<\/p>\n
Their late season slump, if that\u2019s what it was, can be explained away. In August, with two home finals secured, they could be forgiven for asking themselves \u201cwhat exactly is at stake here?\u201d. They just trundled along at times. They left good players back in Perth. They\u2019re a team, and a midfield in particular, that needs to feel blade against the skin to be at their best. They\u2019re not a team that banks instantly forgettable four-goal wins. They\u2019re not cut out for sleepy early Saturday afternoon shifts at the Docklands. They need jeopardy.<\/p>\n
They got that the last time they played Hawthorn. It was a game that tested every aspect of their coaching, their commitment and their talent. They never threw in the towel, even with Nick Watson pinging like an arrow from the bow, even with Jack Gunston operating in more acreage than Jason Dunstall at Waverley.<\/p>\n
On the night before games, especially on interstate trips, Sam Mitchell sometimes relaxes by reading passages from the Bible. On the day of games, he plays hours of online chess. Chess is a great leveller \u2013 a five-year-old from Mumbai can take down a 43-year-old Melburnian who\u2019s still deciding whether to tag Reid, Bolton or Serong. For Mitchell, coaching is a chess game, a puzzle to be solved.<\/p>\n
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