Round 15 – Fremantle v Geelong: Is it ‘wharfie time’?

Round 15

Fremantle v Geelong

8:10pm, Thursday 18th June 2026

Optus Stadium

 

By Dan Lonergan

 

When Fremantle first joined the AFL in 1995, the football world was fascinated by the Dockers’ playing style under their first ever coach, Gerard Neesham. He adopted a keepings off game plan loosely based on water polo, a sport in which his family especially brother, David,  is a legend and rated as one of this country’s best ever players.

The Dockers by playing like this caught some clubs off guard and they won five of their first ten and some by big margins and did sit in the top 8 for several weeks, before winning just three of their last 12 as teams worked them out. Despite a good showing in the first half of the year, The Dockers were trounced in the first ever Western Derby by the reigning premiers, the more than established West Coast, who in 8 completed seasons had already competed in six finals series and played in three grand finals and won two flags.

I was on holidays in Perth in the lead up to that inaugural derby and if you barracked for another team, and there were many locals who did with North Melbourne, Essendon, Carlton and of course Collingwood popular Victorian clubs supported by the WA population, all of those entities did not exist as far as the WA media was concerned.

Being the first ever battle between the two WA based teams, it was a massive deal, so the media saturation on West Coast and Fremantle in the sole paper, the West Australian and other media outlets was expected. Walking around the streets of Perth all anyone wanted to talk about was the Western Derby, and even though West Coast had been around for almost a decade and had a strong supporter base, there were plenty of purple and green jumpers and scarves being worn by fans.

Fremantle had a rich football heritage thanks to the WAFL clubs based in the port suburb in South and East Fremantle and they had heaps of fans. When West Coast joined the AFL, lots of those gravitated to the Eagles provided they were not attached to sides in the Eastern States. However, once Freo was included those fans jumped ship, but West Coast was already the biggest sporting team in town and the Dockers were a poor second fiddle as big brother in that round seven historic 1995 encounter, the Eagles, thumped them.

West Coast owned them in the first 8 clashes and won again early in 1999, but the Dockers got close giving an indication the worm was turning, although Fremantle was still clearly the little brother in terms
of relevance and success to West Coast.

That first win came later in the season, when the Dockers’ prized recruit, former Adelaide superstar forward, Tony Modra kicked six as they led all day and ended up easily beating the Eagles who for a
large portion of that season, the last of Mick Malthouse’s 10 season coaching tenure, had been ladder leaders in 1999, before falling away and losing their last four to drop to fifth.

By the way, wonderful news that Modra is recovering from his horrific accident when his cattle truck hit a tree near his rural South Australian property late last week. I wish him and his family all the best.

For many years, West Coast had Fremantle’s measure and the Dockers were constantly in the Eagles’ rear view vision mirror and seemingly not likely to reign West Coast in as Fremantle were more often than not anchored (again excuse the pun) in the bottom echelon of the ladder, which for years was a foreign concept to the Eagles.

That changed when Chris Connolly took over as coach and Freo made the finals for the first time in 2003 and lost an elimination final to Essendon and then in 2006 finished top four and made a preliminary, so after more than 10 years, the Dockers began to become relevant to the football world.

The upward trend continued when Ross Lyon walked out on St Kilda at the end of 2011 despite the Saints being about to offer him a new contract, and replaced the sacked Mark Harvey, who was blindsided by his axing. Lyon got Fremantle into the finals in 2012 and in 2013 with their pressure through the roof they shocked Geelong in the qualifying final at Kardinia Park, got a home preliminary final, where they tackled the Swans into submission. They made the grand final for the first time and took front stage in the WA footy landscape with West Coast finishing 13th.

They gave a good account of themselves in the grand final with a team in my opinion not containing heaps of top end talent and many role players, but the Hawks were too strong starting their three peat. Freo made finals again in 2014 but bowed out in straight sets and then dominated the 2015 home-and-away season, like Lyon’s Saints did in 2009, winning their first nine and losing just five games to finish on top with West Coast 2nd.

Subiaco Oval hosted both qualifying finals and the Eagles and the Dockers won to earn the right to stay at home for preliminary finals and present the real possibility that both Perth based teams would travel to the MCG and play off for the flag. If that happened, imagine the build up, with the town split, along with the media, and then whoever wonwould be the King of the West.

History told us it didn’t as Fremantle were running out of steam entering the finals just beating Sydney in an ugly low scoring game in one qualifying, while West Coast beat Hawthorn easily. Two weeks later the Hawks travelled the country again and were too good for Freo, while the Eagles easily accounted for North Melbourne, but the Hawks belted them in the Grand Final to make it three flags on the trot in a powerful era for the competition’s most successful team in the past 65 seasons.

Freo then fell off the cliff next year and West Coast stayed in the 8 and won their 4th flag narrowly over Collingwood in 2018 to clearly remain the most powerful sporting identity club-wise in the West. Fast forward 8 years and the wheel hasn’t just turned, it’s been completely replaced with the Dockers undoubtably the king of the mountain football-wise in Perth.

The only caveat, they still don’t have a premiership but have won 13 on the bounce in 2026 after being run over late by Geelong back in round one. They are winning from multiple positions and in numerous different ways, while West Coast are experiencing their most difficult on the field period in their 40 year history.

It is basically in reverse to Fremantle’s first five seasons or so in the AFL and the Eagles have in my opinion been far less competitive, while the Dockers have been building under Justin Longmuir.  I believe Longmuir at times has coached too conservatively, having the brakes on in the way his team plays. This year though, when it’s time to push the go button, they have done it at the right time and left their opponents in their wake. They have started slowly in many of these victories only to explode after quarter or half time. There have been some hard fought and close triumphs indicating the self belief is at a very high level.

On the weekend, watching an entertaining encounter in the warmth at home, Fremantle at Optus Oval couldn’t buy a goal in the first 45 minutes or so being horribly inaccurate kicking an atrocious 3 goals 11,
while Geelong was efficient, hardly missing, to open up a 26 point lead. It looked like the Dockers bubble would burst and the Cats would again prove they might just be the team to beat.

However, the Dockers who were dominating general play began to find their range and won by nine points, but really the margin should have been greater. Jhye Amiss was the main culprit of the wastefulness in front of goals kicking four behinds and they were shots he is more than capable of nailing. He also played a major part in improving the accuracy kicking three goals, and it reminds me of his namesake, former English test cricketer, Dennis Amiss in the 1970s. Their fortunes though were opposite; Dennis had a sensational 1974 in test cricket filling his boots plundering plenty of runs against India and the West Indies amassing over 1200 runs before coming to Australia for that exciting Ashes series of 1974/75.

Like Jye Amiss, who was being haunted by a little voice it appeared in his head putting doubt in his mind he would kick a goal, Dennis was terrorized by new Australian quick Jeff Thomson and his partner in crime the incomparable Dennis Lilliee, and hardly made a run with his confidence crushed.

It was a pleasure watching Luke Jackson star again. He is the competition’s unicorn at the moment, with the other one, Sam Darcy from the Bulldogs, out with a knee for the season. Jackson plays like a huge ruck rover and is wonderful below his knees and can run, but he is just one piece in an impressive puzzle.

The skipper Alex Pearce, who played his 150th, marked everything in the last term as the Cats made a late charge. Being a Tasmanian, the Devils will no doubt offer him the world and if he accepts he will be captain. He is already one of the best leaders in the league and I reckon he hasn’t cut his hair since he was drafted as a fresh-faced looking youngster with a choir boy hair style. Pearce seems to beat to a different drum, but he leads from the front coupled with Luke Ryan, Brennan Cox – who has gone the other way with his hair and has none – Jordan Clarke and Judd McVee in defence, and the unsung pair of Heath Chapman and Karl Worner, who could walk down the streets of Melbourne and that pair and not be recognized.

The excitable, Patrick Voss could be included in that list as well and has been a revelation as the third tall forward and kicked 2 against the Cats. His celebrations after a goal when he does laps around the ground are a sight to behold.

Worner and Chapman are what you call role players and Fremantle have plenty of those who always contribute, like Neil Erasmus, Matt Johnson, Isaiah Dudley and Michael Frederick along with Nathan
O’Driscoll and Sam Switkowski. Mason Cox is also in that category and I’m not sure he has been all that effective, but all that counts is Longmuir is happy with him and he is being preferred to number one ruck, Sean Darcy.

Their top-end talent we all know, with Caleb Serong back from injury, Josh Treacy (who as the Great “Crackers” Keenan always said, when someone could take a mark, “he has hands like bear traps’’), Shai
Bolton, Andy Brayshaw and Murphy Reid. What a player he already is in his second year, the reigning rising star who was almost as good as Jackson on the weekend with his footy smarts and his exquisite delivery inside 50. The media keep saying how could he get to pick 17 in the 2024 draft? It’s a good question, but recruiting is not easy and the recruiters can only go on what they have seen of the better players in their junior years. Some players might be better the higher the level they play and Reid is in that boat it seems.

The Dockers have also attracted many of the outstanding WA born players wanting to return home, which was the Eagles’ domain for years. If Jackson, Bolton and Clarke were on the market ten years ago, West Coast would have been favoured to nab them.

It helps too that the Dockers are fit and virtually have a full list to choose from. It would be interesting if they lost Jackson for several weeks along with Bolton and Treacy, how they would cope without them. Mind you! Serong and Young were injured and missed for a few weeks and the Dockers kept winning.

Geelong played on Thursday night without Bailey Smith and his run, skill and ball gathering ability were sorely missed, and Tom Stewart with another concussion is the captain of the Geelong back line and
arguably the best interceptor in the game. Jeremy Cameron, watching him on Thursday and I remarked to my brother Tim that his severe arm injury he suffered in last year’s grand final is still plaguing him, the bye comes at a good time. While Dangerfield has the occasional burst of sublime brilliance, it’s few and far between as he comes towards the end of a stellar career.

Jack Martin was Jack Martin again. He teased with three first quarter goals and then drifted out of the game and the big bodied man child, George Stevens, the inside mid was another highlight for the Cats
and after finding it tough to get into this team, he needs to stay. The other highlight is talented and exciting key defender for the Cats, Connor O’Sullivan. He played beyond his years and intercepted superbly.

It was fascinating that Chris Scott, who has a fine reputation of often taking away a team’s best assets by tagging the opposition’s best players with disciplined Irish pair Oshin Mullin and Mark O’Connor, he elected not to go down that path. There were suggestions, the Cats didn’t want to show their hand should these sides meet in the finals and there is some chance it might be qualifying final day with first placed, Fremantle hosting the Cats, who despite three close defeats in their past four are still a chance of snaring that double chance in 4th. Geelong though still have plenty of work to get there being equal 4th on 9 wins and six losses with three other teams, but they have more than likely the best home ground advantage in the game and will bank
vital wins.

It’s seemingly wharfie time and at present, how teams beat Fremantle is a million dollar question. After being green with envy of West Coast’s consistent success, it’s the Dockers turn now to bask in the glory of being the trend-setter of WA Footy AFL style and never have they been more relevant than now.

Imagine if they win the flag? It won’t just be wharfie time. The purple haze I am sure will make an appearance as well. Think too about what celebrations the Prancing Pony, Voss would act.

 

FREMANTLE                      3.4   6.11   13.11   14.15 (99)
GEELONG                            5.2   9.2   11.4   14.6 (90)

GOALS
Fremantle: Amiss 3, Jackson 3, Treacy 2, Voss 2, Dudley, Erasmus, Reid, Serong
Geelong: Martin 3, Cameron 2, O.Henry 2, Neale 2, Wiltshire 2, J.Henry, Mullin, Stevens

BEST
Fremantle: Jackson, Reid, Pearce, Brayshaw, Serong,Treacy
Geelong: O’Sullivan, Holmes, Wiltshire, Humphries, Stevens

INJURIES
Fremantle: Nil
Geelong: Nil

Crowd: 55,201

Malarkey votes….

3 -L.Jackson (Fremantle)

2 – M.Reid (Fremantle)

1 – C. O’Sullivan (Geelong)

 

Read other round 15 match reports HERE

 

Read more from Dan Lonergan HERE

 

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