Anything and Everything Fremantle
Archive for February, 2011
Barlow closing in on return
013 years
by DockerNow.com
in Miscellaneous
Fremantle’s Michael Barlow is on track for an ”early-season” return after suffering a horrific broken leg in July last year.
The gun midfielder, a star recruit and performer who was promoted off the Dockers’ rookie list, was one of the favourites to take out last year’s Brownlow Medal at the halfway mark – such was his fairytale start to AFL football – before the sickening incident against Port Adelaide at Subiaco.
Punters have shown their opinion of the talented 23-year-old and his ability to return to the top, and he is equal sixth favourite at $17 with Luxbet.com to take home this year’s Brownlow.
Barlow and the club said this week that they were not putting a timeline on his comeback. He is unlikely to play in any practice matches, but is keen on an early-season return.
He began running early in the pre-season, with his leg holding up well so far.
Pavlich the one that got away
013 years
by DockerNow.com
in Miscellaneous
It is one of the lesser-known AFL draft tales, but it took an astonishing draft bungle for Matthew Pavlich to move west and become the most significant figure in Fremantle’s history.
The decorated skipper was overlooked by all 16 clubs when he first nominated for the national draft in 1998, but it is in South Australia where there has been the most angst, with Adelaide and Port Adelaide letting him slip from under their noses.
Having been born at 11.45pm on December 31, 1981, Pavlich was eligible for the ’98 draft by 15 minutes despite still being 16 and yet to begin Year 12.
“I nominated on the basis of hopefully being picked up by one of the two Adelaide clubs,” Pavlich said.
“It was a bit of a kick in the guts at the time, but certainly it made me stronger and made me realise that ‘Yeah, this is something I really do want’.”
Mayne a man of his word
013 years
by DockerNow.com
in Miscellaneous
Imagine yourself standing in front of a packed room. You have a scar on your face, speak with a lisp, know you struggle to pronounce some words, but still have to address the masses.
The world can be a cruel place with hecklers, bullies and people willing you to fail. It takes courage and strength of character to tackle those challenges and defy the little voice in the back of your head which could turn you into a blithering mess.
Most people avoid it. Research lists of phobias and you’ll always find the fear of public speaking near the top.
But Fremantle star Chris Mayne is different. Born with a cleft lip and palate, a defect which leaves an abnormal gap in the upper lip and the roof of the mouth, Mayne endured numerous operations and years of speech therapy to rectify the problem.
But instead of hiding from the spotlight as an adult, the 22-year-old has embraced it.
AFL in power play for Eagles, Dockers licences
013 years
by DockerNow.com
in News
AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou wants the WA Football Commission to hand over the AFL licences of West Coast and Fremantle, giving the AFL control of the WA football industry.
The WAFC strongly opposes Demetriou’s plan, which has the potential to create the greatest upheaval in WA football for more than two decades.
But after two years of lobbying from the AFL heavyweight, who has similar goals for the South Australian system, the WAFC has agreed to discuss ownership structures with the Eagles and Dockers.
“It would be fair to say that he has asked us to talk to the clubs, West Coast and Fremantle, on the best way to go forward,” WAFC chairman Frank Cooper said yesterday.
Dockers headed for a sell-out
013 years
by DockerNow.com
in Miscellaneous
Fremantle are within 2000 members of only the second season sell-out in their history, helping to offset the loss of a major sponsor but again highlighting the need for a new major stadium in Perth.
As of yesterday, the Dockers had sold just under 37,000 reserved seat memberships to all 11 home games this season.
With 3000 of Patersons Stadium’s 42,500 seats held over for sale on a game-by-game basis, and about 1000 tickets set aside for community and corporate needs, the sell-out number for the Dockers is around 38,500 – a figure the club reached in 2007 after reaching a preliminary final in 2006.
NAB Challenge return likely for Hill, Ballantyne
013 years
by DockerNow.com
in News
Fremantle will continue to hold back Stephen Hill and Hayden Ballantyne from pre-season matches, but coach Mark Harvey is confident the dynamic pair will be ready to fire in round one of the season proper.
Fremantle will have this weekend off after being eliminated from the NAB Cup by West Coast and Hawthorn, and the club expects to travel to Adelaide next Friday night for a NAB Challenge fixture.
Hill and Ballantyne will not be considered for that match and are both two to three weeks away from playing.
However, Harvey said one or two practice matches would be enough to prime the pair ahead of the club’s season opener against the Brisbane Lions at the Gabba on March 26.
“Some guys come up a lot quicker than other guys – they can have a limited preparation and they only need a couple of games to reach their full match fitness,” Harvey said from Fremantle’s Telstra community camp in Kalgoorlie.
Freo return from Goldfields
013 years
by DockerNow.com
in Miscellaneous
The Fremantle Dockers have returned from a great three-day Telstra AFL Community Camp experience in the Goldfields.
The club visited a number of primary and secondary schools while in the region, where the players addressed the students on the rigours of playing AFL, living a healthy lifestyle and pursuing their dreams.
Some of the Freo Dockers’ travelling party couldn’t help but show off their dancing talents to the starry-eyed youngsters.
We won’t give away names but one of them was 211cm tall.
The players also conducted a NAB Auskick Superclinic and attended a sportsman’s night and a leadership breakfast.
They were even given the opportunity to join in some local activities, with the players visiting an underground mine site and others prospecting for gold out in the fields.
Freo Dockers bring smiles to faces at Auskick Superclinic in Kalgoorlie
013 years
by DockerNow.com
in Miscellaneous
The Fremantle Dockers’ community spirit reached out into the Goldfields yesterday as the players put on a NAB Auskick Superclinic for local children in Kalgoorlie.
About 300 kids, aged 5-12, made their way down to Digger Daws Oval to meet up with the players, who are on Freo’s 2011 Telstra AFL Community Camp.
Freo Docker Jay van Berlo said the players got a real kick out of interacting with the locals.
“It’s been a good chance to get a look at how the people of Kalgoorlie go about things and show them a little bit of what we do, too,” he said.
Van Berlo said the players had fun watching the kids have fun at the Superclinic.
“I was at the handball station and the kids had a great time trying to hit it through the target,” he said.
“There were lots of smiles on faces.
Duffield’s ‘one-club’ hope
013 years
by DockerNow.com
in News
Fremantle half-back Paul Duffield says he is yet to start contract negotiations for beyond 2011, but the 25-year-old would like to be a one-club player.
Duffield, who played all 24 games last year and is a member of Fremantle’s leadership group, comes out of contract at the end of this season and could be a target of new franchise Greater Western Sydney.
The important rebounder said he hadn’t started talks with Fremantle or been approached by GWS, but playing out his career with the club that recruited him to its rookie list in 2004 would be ideal.
“Every player would say they’d love to be a one-club player and that’s certainly something that we’d all aim to be … hopefully that’s the way it goes,” Duffield said from Fremantle’s Telstra community camp in Kalgoorlie on Wednesday.
“It’s something that I haven’t even considered at the moment. I’m just looking forward to fine tuning what I’m going to try and achieve this year personally and with the team.
Ibbotson injury frustrates Freo
013 years
by DockerNow.com
in News
Fremantle’s Garrick Ibbotson will miss the season opener against Brisbane at the Gabba next month after injuring an ankle.
Ibbotson faces up to two months on the sidelines after treading on a sprinkler at a local park last week, damaging ligaments.
The setback continues a frustrating injury run for Fremantle, who surged into the finals last season and are top-four contenders in 2011.
Young midfielder Anthony Morabito will miss the entire season after having a knee reconstruction while a foot injury will keep defender Roger Hayden out for the first half of the year.
With Michael Barlow (broken leg) and Hayden Ballantyne (foot) still recovering from injuries sustained last season and Stephen Hill eased through training since Christmas because of soreness, the Dockers will start the season with several key players unavailable and with others having interrupted preparations.
