It’s time for Fremantle to step into the changeroom of actuality and put the large boys’ pants on.
This is not a story about potential; that is what a premiership window seems to be like.
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The good news for Dockers followers is it’s their first real have a look at the premiership clock so they are going to get a few swings on the title.
Fremantle, via their checklist boss David Walls and head of soccer Peter Bell, have dared to dream – addressing their wants on the draft, executing a profitable lengthy play for Melbourne premiership ruck-forward-midfielder Luke Jackson and an opportunistic hustle to usher in muscular, inside onballer Jaeger O’Meara from Hawthorn. The graph is transferring upwards.
And whereas their draw is a blended bag, the Dockers may simply be 5-0 after opening towards non-finalists in 2022 – St Kilda (away), North Melbourne (residence), West Coast (residence), Adelaide (away) and Gold Coast (away).
It will get robust mid-year and so they have double-ups towards three of final 12 months’s prime 4, Geelong, Sydney and Brisbane, in addition to the Western Bulldogs.
But they’ve been rewarded with prime-time gold, an increase from the Sunday graveyard shift to the brilliant lights of Saturday evening.
Four matches within the first 15 rounds can be of their most well-liked fan-friendly Saturday night timeslots.
Fremantle has been given the large stage it wishes. Now it’s time to ship.
Saturday, March 18 – spherical one v North Melbourne – would have been circled on West Coast’s calendar ever for the reason that pale and torn curtain fell on a horror 2022. Two wins and 19 losses, seventeenth place on the desk, an annus horribilis on steroids.
As a consequence, West Coast’s 2023 ladder place is without doubt one of the nice unknowns.
The solely unquestionable truth is that they have age, expertise and expertise to prop up an on-the-run checklist rebuild.
It’s a brand new period submit Josh Kennedy and Junior Rioli. While Eagles followers will need the Ws, the true believers must be equally tuned in to the event of younger weapons Reuben Ginbey, Elijah Hewett, Campbell Chesser, Noah Long, Jai Culley and Harry Barnett.
There can be different storylines: the transfer of captain Luke Shuey to half-back, the return of midfield bull Elliot Yeo, Nic Naitanui’s recreation time, and what Melbourne recruit Jayden Hunt offers to the group in intestine run.
The Eagles’ draw displays their seventeenth place end final season – they’ve solely two double-ups towards final 12 months’s finalists, Fremantle and Richmond – and a type of offers them two Optus Stadium appearances. They have additionally averted the journey to Geelong which has been a horror fixture in latest seasons and have three straight at residence after opening the season towards North Melbourne at Marvel.
As it stands, they’ve considerations in assault within the early a part of the season, with Jack Darling (ankle) and Jack Williams (ruptured spleen) unsure for the opener.
But the Eagles are already gentle years forward of the place they had been on the similar stage final season by way of accidents, so that they merely have to enhance. They can’t go backwards.
The query is the place do they end? A spot within the eight seems to be out of attain, 13 to 18 represents worth in a extremely rated 2023 draft as they proceed to construct their checklist, or eight to 12, which is soccer’s no-man’s land?
As lengthy because the losses aren’t too large and the wins are extra of a drip feed than the 2 drips of 2022, the Eagles can declare progress.
Get your FREE 2023 AFL Season Guide solely in The West Australian this Friday, with professional suggestions and evaluation, premiership predictions and extra!
Source: www.perthnow.com.au
