Anything and Everything Fremantle
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‘Groves’ goes grassroots
Apr 11th
Antoni Grover and his teammates always enjoy the opportunity to contribute to the community.
But today, the Fremantle players got to give a little something back to their grassroots as they ventured to their old districts to help the WAFL clubs conduct footy clinics for aspiring young players.
Grover, who famously walked in off the streets to a Subiaco Colts training session in 1998 and asked for a chance to prove himself, joined fellow Freo Dockers from the Lions and East Perth at Kingsway Reserve.
The Freo defender said it was an excellent initiative that the 150-odd children present thoroughly enjoyed.
“It’s good to see Subiaco and the other WAFL clubs putting back into the community and giving the kids something to do during the holidays,” he said.
Grover played Colts in his first year at Subiaco before being drafted to Freo. He has played for the Lions’ League side in the past two weeks as he tries to work his way back into the Freo team.
Hell and Black
Apr 11th
Heath Black has documented his tortuous battle with alcohol abuse, Bipolar II and ADHD. After hitting rock bottom, the former Fremantle and St Kilda footballer, has found new purpose — helping others.
Football biographies can be pretty formulaic. They often begin with the subject’s junior days, replete with some cheesy old photographs, and chart a seemingly inevitable rise through the ranks to the big league.
To say Heath Black’s new autobiography is in stark contrast would be some sort of understatement. The aptly named Black starts with the former Fremantle and St Kilda player, having recently retired from the AFL, seemingly on a quest for total self-destruction. Far from hero, the subject, by his own admission, is closer to a monster.
Freo must be switched on: De Boer
Apr 11th
Matt de Boer says Fremantle must be switched on from the very first bounce of every game or face falling behind like the team did in Saturday’s game against Sydney at the SCG.
The Swans started brilliantly and worked to a 40-point lead at the main break before Freo stormed back with a withering third-quarter burst.
The visitors fell 13 points short, regaining some respect for the gallant fight back.
But de Boer said the damage had already been done early on and that left him and his teammates bitterly disappointed with their efforts.
“We jumped out a bit slow and that’s not what we want to be known for,” he said.
“I’m nearly there” says Sandi
Apr 11th
In bad news for the rest of the competition, champion Fremantle ruckman Aaron Sandilands says he’s getting closer to reaching peak fitness after two solid games under his belt to start the season.
Sandilands had 54 hitouts and 19 disposals against Sydney on Saturday, and that followed his dominant performance against Geelong that was instrumental in Freo’s round 1 upset of the defending AFL Premiers.
But after an interrupted pre-season, he said he was still not quite at his best – yet.
“I’ve got a couple of games under my belt now, and hopefully I’ll get a bit more match fitness,” he said.
“I’m not far off the mark and I’m starting to feel good.
“I’m nearly there.”
Sandilands didn’t get to lock horns with star Sydney ruckman Shane Mumford after the Swans’ withdrawal before the start of Saturday’s game.
Numbers add up to footy heartbreak for dumped Docker Casey Sibosado
Apr 9th
Twelve disposals, six marks, one tackle and a goal: those are the statistics that look to have cost former Docker Casey Sibosado his football career after being dropped by Perth.
“To be honest with you, the last couple of months have been a nightmare,” Sibosado said.
“Footy was pretty much my life and I don’t have it at the moment, and when you get something so significant taken away from you it’s pretty hard to soak up.”
Lyon cool on Harvey clash
Apr 7th
Saturday’s 13-point loss to the Sydney Swans had barely finished and Fremantle coach Ross Lyon was already being asked about next week’s first meeting with the Brisbane Lions and their assistant coach Mark Harvey.
Harvey’s sacking from Fremantle last season, and Lyon’s subsequent departure from St Kilda to take over at Freo, generated almost unprecedented media coverage.
That is likely to re-occur this week when the two men come face-to-face in Perth for the first time.
Asked if he would shake hands with Harvey at the start of the match in some sort of symbolic gesture to bury the hatchet, Lyon said: “I hadn’t really thought about that.
“I tell you what, I’ll think about it and get back to you. To be honest, I’m really here to talk about the Swans.”
Pushed further on the matter, Lyon gave a respectful appraisal of Harvey, but said he wouldn’t be going out of his way to extend any olive branches.
“It’s a question without notice and I haven’t really thought about it,” he said.
Fightback falls short
Apr 7th
Sydney Swans 4.4 9.7 11.9 14.10 (94)
Fremantle 2.2 3.3 9.4 12.9 (81)
BEST
Sydney Swans: Kennedy, McVeigh, Johnson, Roberts-Thomson, Reid, Bird
Fremantle: Sandilands, Mayne, De Boer, Pearce, Crowley
GOALS
Sydney Swans: Reid (3), Jetta (3), Goodes (2), McVeigh, O’Keefe, Rohan, Malceski, Roberts-Thomson, McGlynn
Fremantle: Mayne (4), Crowley (2), Anthony, Sandilands, Pearce, Mzungu, Bradley, Johnson,
INJURIES
Sydney Swans: Mumford (back) replaced in selected side by Seaby
Fremantle: Duffield (rib), Mellington (corked leg)
Reports: Nil
Umpires: Nicholls, Jennings, Mollison
Official crowd: 22,242 at the SCG
WAFL Watch: Quantity and quality
Apr 6th
Fremantle’s WAFL Player of the Week, Jonathon Griffin, showed he was ready for an AFL call-up with an outstanding effort for East Fremantle at WAFL level in round 3 of action in the state competition.
Griffin just pipped the in-form Dylan Roberton, who had another strong performance for East Perth.
Assistant coach Simon Lloyd said a number of Freo Dockers were in good form in the WAFL, including Jay van Berlo (West Perth), Tom Sheridan (Peel), Peter Faulks (Peel) and rookie Sam Menegola (East Freo).
Adding to those, Anthony Morabito made his eagerly anticipated return with a solid effort for Peel’s reserves, while defenders Alex Silvagni (Claremont) and Antoni Grover (Subiaco) also had solid performances.
Lloyd said picking a team for AFL action has become increasingly difficult, thanks to the Freo Dockers’ WAFL efforts, but he added that it was a pleasing problem to have every week.
Ballantyne the man to lead Dockers
Apr 5th
For a bloke who stands 174cm tall, Hayden Ballantyne prowls Patersons Stadium with as much pomp as a prime Wayne Carey – and he should be Fremantle’s next captain.
Ballantyne, who turns 25 in July, was elevated to the Dockers’ six-man leadership group in February, and it is obvious the club loves the way he goes about his business. And why wouldn’t they?
Aside from catching renowned wall flower Paul Chapman in the breadbasket with an errant elbow off the ball, Ballantyne did little wrong in Freo’s pulsating win over Geelong at Patersons Stadium on Saturday night.
He was aggressive, niggly, busy (20 disposals, two goals, four tackles) and very, very good – not that you’d know it by the backlash his performance provoked from the Cats, the media and a couple of his fellow players.
Hayden Ballantyne says he won’t change niggling tactics
Apr 5th
Fremantle’s serial niggler Hayden Ballantyne has vowed to keep “sticking it” to opposition players, especially those from Melbourne sides.
And coach Ross Lyon has backed the midfielder, admitting he used to send St Kilda players out to rough him up.
The hard-nosed small man came under intense scrutiny after a fiery Round 1 clash against Geelong.
Ballantyne copped a two-game suspension from the AFL’s match review panel for a behind-the-play hit on Paul Chapman.
He was on the receiving end later in the same match, copping a left jab from Matthew Scarlett that cost the Cats champion three games.
“I cross the line to win footy and whatever I have to do to win footy games I’m going to do,” Ballantyne said.
“I guess you could call it white-line fever.”
