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The minor premiers were shock losers to Hawthorn in last week\u2019s qualifying final and now face the possibility of becoming the sixth team in six years to bow out in straight sets.<\/p>\n
They\u2019d be the 11th team in just 12 years to hit that brutal low should they lose consecutive finals and blow a golden opportunity in front of home fans.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s no question Fremantle got stage fright last Thursday night, with AFL premiership coach Adam Simpson even accusing players of \u201cnot showing up\u201d.<\/p>\n
Hawthorn upset Dockers in big finals win | 04:23<\/p>\n
What had been the AFL\u2019s number one ranked defence was torn apart by Hawthorn\u2019s attack, while their own forwards simply failed to function.<\/p>\n
But pressure is a funny beast.<\/p>\n
And that valve appears to have been released after that first-up finals loss, as the Dockers now take on a stacked Geelong side searching for their own grand final revenge.<\/p>\n
Freo young gun Isaiah Dudley said players were quick to own up to their poor showings against Hawthorn.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was one of those rare games where the footy gods weren\u2019t talking to us,\u201d he told foxfooty.com.au.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf the big boys aren\u2019t working well, then something is wrong. We couldn\u2019t fire a shot.<\/p>\n
\u201c(Hawthorn) had all the answers\u2026 But that\u2019s footy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pleading with fans to \u201cjust stick with us\u201d, Dudley said the Dockers were going to give it a \u201cred-hot crack\u201d in tonight\u2019s semi final against Geelong.<\/p>\n
\u201cHopefully we can come out firing and throw the first punch,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Lyon gives dire warning to defeated Freo | 01:10<\/p>\n
And as Longmuir has said, it starts at the contest.<\/p>\n
Expect a fired up Freo on Friday night. <\/p>\n
On the line – only a fourth-ever preliminary final appearance for the club, and a first for Longmuir as coach.<\/p>\n
SELFLESS ATTACK TO GET BACK TO BASICS<\/p>\n
Fremantle\u2019s 2026 season has been spearheaded by a three-pronged attack that has delivered time and time again.<\/p>\n
The big trio of Josh Treacy, Jye Amiss and Pat Voss has proved a headache for defences across the competition.<\/p>\n
Treacy and Amiss have been ranked second and third in the AFL for marks inside 50 with Voss in 16th.<\/p>\n
Amiss was the fourth-most targeted player inside forward 50 in the competition, with Treacy in 15th and Voss in 24th.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think that Amiss has been one of the most improved players of the competition over the past two seasons,\u201d dual premiership Roo David King praised.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s become a key power forward now that most clubs would die to get.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s their lead up option,\u201d Jack Riewoldt added.<\/p>\n
Dockers dominate All-Australian team | 02:42<\/p>\n
What we\u2019ve seen in 2026 is when one opponent locks down one or two of those big forwards, the third gets off the chain in a sign of just how flexible Freo\u2019s attack is.<\/p>\n
But we didn\u2019t see it last Thursday.<\/p>\n
Instead of the individual leading lanes and off-the-ball applause that has become a feature of Freo\u2019s forward line, the Dockers tall targets crashed into each other.<\/p>\n
Conceding players had a \u201cvery honest chat\u201d about where they went wrong, Isaiah Dudley said there was an easy fix come tonight\u2019s semi final.<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone wanted to be the man. During the season, our forward line has been as selfless as it\u2019s been and enjoyable to play with,\u201d he shared.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause we weren\u2019t firing a shot, I think everyone wanted to be the man and take the moment.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut we\u2019ve got to get back to what we were doing for the past 24 rounds and be that selfless forward line which we have been all year.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s the exciting part.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe big boys have reviewed it. We go again Friday.\u201d<\/p>\n
Where did Justin Longmuir go wrong? | 04:59<\/p>\n
That selfless nature that\u2019s been a feature of Freo\u2019s game is highlighted by an attack end with Treacy, Amiss and Voss all bagging 40-goal plus seasons; at a time teams like wildcard finalist Carlton didn\u2019t have a single player hit that mark.<\/p>\n
Only fellow premiership contender Brisbane had an attack end achieve the same feat in a sign of just how damaging the Dockers can be when firing.<\/p>\n
So a team bonding day at Peel Thunder last Saturday was exactly what the doctor ordered as the club\u2019s WAFL affiliate booked their own grand final date.<\/p>\n
\u201cJL\u2019s message was pretty clear \u2013 we didn\u2019t get our roles set the way we wanted to defend,\u201d Dudley said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe didn\u2019t get our roles right or the ground set as we wanted. The stuff we\u2019ve been doing all year we didn\u2019t execute right.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had a good training sessions today and everyone is buzzing.<\/p>\n
\u201cFooty doesn\u2019t always go the way you want it to\u2026 but we\u2019ve set our season up to have a second chance. We finished top for a reason.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe get another crack at it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fremantle players back at training this week.Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
UNITED DOCKERS READY TO TEST THEIR BONDS<\/p>\n
Fremantle\u2019s 2026 season has been one of both on and off-field success.<\/p>\n
A historic 19 wins and a record membership of almost 62,500 has put the club in the best position possible.<\/p>\n
Spots in the team have been hard to come by as a lack of injuries and the club\u2019s willingness to pick and stick at selection should the form warrant it, has seen plenty of AFL-level players bide their time in the WAFL.<\/p>\n
But one thing clearly working in Freo\u2019s favour is the unity within the club.<\/p>\n
Week after week, players have been adamant the club is the place to be as this band of brothers attempt to break Fremantle\u2019s longstanding premiership drought.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re a team with a team mindset. We don\u2019t want standout individuals,\u201d Jordan Clark told foxfooty.com.au.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt takes a whole army \u2013 not just the 23 players out there.\u201d<\/p>\n
While Longmuir admits it\u2019s \u201cbeen hard\u201d for players to get an opportunity, like Chris Scerri who has travelled at least five times as an emergency while managing just nine games in his debut season, it shows the determination.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s so many good players knocking on the door at Peel Thunder,\u201d Scerri told foxfooty.com.au.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s great to see. For me, whenever my moment comes I\u2019ve got to take full opportunity.<\/p>\n
Cats head west for Freo showdown | 00:53<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m ready to do whatever the team needs and do my role to the best I can.\u201d<\/p>\n
Scerri agreed the unity within the club – both at AFL and WAFL level – was something that made it feel like home.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re all brothers \u2013 running out there, it\u2019s not just your mate. You run out with 22 of your other brothers,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe play for each other. We have that much love for each other, not just on the field.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPlayers aren\u2019t playing to get the accolades\u2026 we\u2019re playing to help our teammates and be on the trademark clips on Monday,\u201d Neil Erasmus added.<\/p>\n
And that bond will no doubt be on display against the Cats as Fremantle look to respond to last week\u2019s horror show.<\/p>\n
Pat Voss, the player rival fans love to hate, said the Dockers were a \u201creally close-knit group\u201d; summed up by their attendance in the \u2018Pat Voss Academy\u2019 – a pre-training workshop for players to upskill.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe do a lot of work on our connection away from the field and it really shows on field,\u201d Voss said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s no ground ball – it\u2019s all marking (laughs).<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s got a great vibe around it \u2013 a lot of boys come to it, a lot of boys buy into it. There\u2019s a great culture around it so I think the boys enjoy it \u2013 we all get something out of it.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy biggest room for growth has been my marking and my aerial craft. I saw an opportunity every main training morning to do that. Got the right coaches behind me.<\/p>\n
Sicily lets Voss have it after the siren | 00:38<\/p>\n
\u201cMe and Josh Treacy actually did it together \u2013 now we\u2019ve got just about all the key position players doing it.<\/p>\n
\u201c(Assistant coaches) Jaymie (Graham) and Jade Rawlings come out every morning.<\/p>\n
\u201c(Graham) has got a lethal right boot \u2013 he gets them in pretty hard.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s a fun environment \u2013 everyone gets on. It\u2019s one big group that\u2019s connected and driven for a common goal,\u201d Matt Johnson told foxfooty.com.au.<\/p>\n
\u201cI love coming to the footy club every day \u2013 I\u2019ve got the best mates there to see. We\u2019re all invested in the club and where it\u2019s going.\u201d<\/p>\n
TIME TO END THE HEARTBREAK<\/p>\n
Fremantle don\u2019t have the best finals record under Longmuir – sitting at 1-3, as it\u2019s been heartbreak after heartbreak in recent seasons.<\/p>\n
Last year, the one-point final minute loss to the Gold Coast Suns saw Freo bow out in a home elimination final.<\/p>\n
In 2024, it was a torrid late injury run that saw the Dockers slip from top four to missing finals altogether off the back of four consecutive defeats – three of those by less than two goals.<\/p>\n
In 2022, it was Collingwood who ended Freo\u2019s charge in front of more than 90,000 at the MCG in a semi final blockbuster.<\/p>\n
Jordan Clark with a SCREAMER! | 00:40<\/p>\n
So Freo have been close … but not good enough in those big moments under Longmuir.<\/p>\n
But the chance to book the team\u2019s first preliminary final in more than a decade looms large. And Longmuir remains confident the finals heartbreak tide is turning.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like we\u2019re ready to go,\u201d Longmuir said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe learnt the lessons we needed to (against Hawthorn).<\/p>\n
\u201cThe players are really positive and keen to get out there and amends.<\/p>\n
\u201cRight some wrongs.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe should have a lot of confidence that we can handle the moment and handle what the game\u2019s going to throw at us.<\/p>\n
\u201cLast week is last week.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd just like last week, we\u2019re one win away from a prelim.\u201d<\/p>\n
Longmuir said there\u2019s \u201cmore than one way\u201d to make it to a grand final, as Freo blew their first chance last Thursday night.<\/p>\n
But star Andy Brayshaw is confident players can get the job done, as he embraces the hype surrounding the club.<\/p>\n
Andy Brayshaw speaks to the media ahead of the semi final vs Geelong.Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t get another chance,\u201d Andrew Brayshaw said this week.<\/p>\n
\u201cCafes, restaurants… every one is up and about which they should be.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a really exciting time to be part of the club.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re trying to lean into that love.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cDon\u2019t panic.\u201d That was Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir\u2019s message as the Dockers stare down a semi-final date \u2013…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":887563,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[560],"tags":[638,64,63,55,639,85],"class_list":["post-887562","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-afl","tag-afl","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-australian-football-league","tag-australianfootballleague","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/887562","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=887562"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/887562\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/887563"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=887562"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=887562"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=887562"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}