Anything and Everything Fremantle
Archive for October, 2011
New role sees McCartney depart Freo
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Development coach Jason McCartney has advised the Fremantle Dockers that he is leaving the club to return to Melbourne to take on a new role with the Western Bulldogs.
McCartney, who joined Fremantle in November 2010, has been appointed the Western Bulldogs’ List Manager.
The club wishes Jason all the best in his future endeavours.
Contract extensions for Crowley and Walters
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Ryan Crowley and Michael Walters have both signed contract extensions with the Fremantle Dockers.
Crowley, who played 19 games for the club in 2011, has secured a one-year extension taking him through to the end of season 2012.
Walters, who has played 14 games for Fremantle since making his debut in round 11, 2009, also agreed to a one-year contract extension that will take him through to the end of the 2012 season.
Fremantle has now contracted all of its senior listed players for 2012 and beyond.
Blockbusters to mark Purple Haze and Len Hall games
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by DockerNow.com
in News
The Fremantle Dockers kick off their 2012 season with three blockbuster games in the first five rounds, including a round one twilight clash at Patersons Stadium against reigning premiers Geelong that will celebrate the club’s 10th annual Starlight Purple Haze Game.
The other games – both under lights – include a prime time Friday night fixture, the annual Len Hall Game on 27 April at Patersons Stadium against Carlton in round five. That game is preceded by another prime time Friday night game – a round four clash with St Kilda at Etihad Stadium.
The only top eight team from 2011 that Fremantle plays twice in 2012 is West Coast – in round nine plus a round 19 home derby on Saturday 4 August. The other teams Freo plays twice in 2012 include Port Adelaide, who finished 16th, Adelaide (14th), Melbourne (13th) and Richmond (12th).
Fremantle’s two trips in the qualifying rounds to the home of football – the MCG – include games against Richmond (Rd 11) and Collingwood (Rd 14), with the club’s two other Victorian encounters for the season being at Etihad Stadium against Melbourne (Rd 16) and North Melbourne (Rd 22).
Freo club song poll now open
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by DockerNow.com
in Miscellaneous
The poll on the Fremantle Dockers’ club song opened at 9.00am (WST), Tuesday 25 October, 2011.
The background to the club song poll is that last October when Fremantle launched its new logo and new jumper for the 2011season, it was announced that as part of the review of the club’s brand elements eligible voting club members would be provided with the opportunity to participate in a poll on whether to keep the current song or choose a preferred alternate song.
The club has put forward four options for eligible members to nominate their preferences. The song poll is being overseen by Computershare, an independent and internationally recognised company that has run the club’s member-elected polls since 2007.
On the ballot, all songs must be ranked from one through to four, with a one representing an eligible voting member’s 1st preference or most favoured option, two as their 2nd preference, three as their 3rd preference and four as their 4th preference or least favoured option.
The winner will be determined by ranking system that takes into account all preferences after they have been tallied. The song that polls the lowest number is the winner.
Fremantle delists three players
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The Fremantle Dockers have delisted three more players ahead of the AFL’s first list lodgement deadline on Monday 31 October.
Justin Bollenhagen and Casey Sibosado were delisted, while Clancee Pearce, who was also delisted, will train on with the club during the 2012 pre-season.
They join five other players who were delisted last month, including senior listed players Clayton Hinkley and Joel Houghton, and rookie listed players Tim Ruffles, Ben Bucovaz and Hamish Shepheard.
Veteran defender Roger Hayden and midfielder Byron Schammer have retired, while Rhys Palmer departed Fremantle for Greater Western Sydney.
Meanwhile, 201 game veteran Antoni Grover will enter his 14th season in 2012 after securing a one-year contract extension.
2012 NAB Cup fixture
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by DockerNow.com
in News
Fremantle will kick off the 2012 season with a NAB Cup triangular fixture at Patersons Stadium against West Coast and Essendon on Sunday 19 February.
Each club will play two shortened matches in their week one pool against the other two sides, comprising two 20-minute halves (approximately) across a three-hour window for the three matches.
In a new development for the 2012 NAB Cup, clubs will then play full-scale matches in weeks two and three of the NAB Cup.
Fremantle will face Richmond at Patersons Stadium on Sunday 4 March in round 2, and then travel to Victor Harbour in South Australia to play Port Adelaide on Saturday 10 March in round 3.
All matches across the three rounds (two shortened games and two full games) will count equally for four points and percentage, with the two best-performed teams over the opening three rounds to compete in the NAB Cup Grand Final on Saturday 17 March.
Mora’s Long Road Back
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by DockerNow.com
in Miscellaneous
It’s been a long road back for Anthony Morabito since the day he heard the three dreaded letters: A.C.L. After an intense recovery period, he’s now ready to become a second-year player, again. Story: Costa Kastanis
Anthony Morabito was driving home at about 2pm on Friday 10 December, 2010, when he got the call from Fremantle Dockers club doctor Ken Withers.
“Kenny said I’d better come into the office and have a chat,” Morabito says. “I drew my conclusions from there.”
Earlier that day, Morabito had been out on the track for a pre-season training session. Taking part in a regulation handball drill, one simple change of direction changed everything.
“I felt something in my knee that I hadn’t felt before and I didn’t know what it was,” he says.
“I thought I may have just jarred it and it was going to be a two week injury at the most.
“I was pretty confident that I hadn’t done anything too major.”
Ben Allan wins fourth term as member-elected director
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Ben Allan will serve a fourth term on the board of the Fremantle Dockers after his was the only nomination received when nominations for the club’s member-elected director poll closed at 12 noon today.
The club’s inaugural captain who played 47 games for Fremantle between 1995 and 1997, Allan has served as a member-elected director since December 2005.
His fourth two-year term commences on 1 December, 2011.
Kate Grieve is the second of the two member-elected representatives.
Her term expires on 30 November, 2012.
Three picks under 30 in draft for Freo
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by DockerNow.com
in News
The Fremantle Dockers will have three picks under 30, including two first round selections, in next month’s NAB AFL National Draft after securing pick 29 on the final day of the trade period, which concluded today.
It will be the first time since the 2008 national draft – when the club secured Stephen Hill, Hayden Ballantyne and Nick Suban with its first three selections – that Fremantle will have three picks under 30 in the draft.
Fremantle acquired pick 29 in the final hours of the trade period today when the club traded its second round selection (38), third round selection (56) with Hawthorn for the Hawks’ second round selection (29), third round selection (58) and fourth round selection (71).
The club secured pick 20 last week in a three-way exchange involving Great Western Sydney and St Kilda.
General manager of football operations Chris Bond said the club was excited by the prospect of heading to the 2011 national draft with three picks under 30.
Bond explains draft strategy
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by DockerNow.com
in News
Fremantle football manager Chris Bond has defended his club’s handling of the Mitch Clark trade.
After repeatedly insisting he wanted to return home to Western Australia and play with Freo, Clark dropped a bombshell on Saturday night when he chose to accept a lucrative offer from Melbourne.
Although disappointed to have missed out on Clark, Bond is adamant that Fremantle could not match the amount of money the 23-year-old big man will be paid by the Demons over the next four years.
“On Saturday night, he advised us that he would take the Melbourne offer,” Bond said at Etihad Stadium.
“I spoke to him at length on Saturday night … From our point of view we had an opportunity to revisit our offer … and I’m really comfortable that if we had done that he would be with Fremantle.
“We had an opportunity to match that, but we made a conscious decision to walk away. That was important.
