The scoreboard showed it was more a red than a Green Day yesterday. It’s the Restump Podcast review of the Freo’s loss to the roaring Lions.

From about six weeks ago it was always a going to be a struggle to make the finals. However the results kept falling our way which kept us with a flicker of hope. Yesterday our destiny was in our own hands but sadly we used Jack Darlings hands by mistake. We’ve now fallen into that prolonging the inevitable “mathematical chance” bracket.

The story of the day was seemingly the Lions returning to their red-hot form applying relentless pressure while we couldn’t have hit a car driving a semi-trailer the wrong way up a single lane one way street!

The effort and the intensity was there from the purple players but we couldn’t match the ferocious level of the Lions. But if you don’t use tackle you can’t catch a fish… a lion type fish! Freo’s 35 tackles to the Brisbane’s 71 was never going to get it done and our 6 to their 25 inside 50 tackles only made matters worse.

Jarrod Berry drove Andy Brayshaw bananas but Brayshaw still delivered a fruitful performance. However, comparing Cerra’s and Mundy’s skill game to their usual level is comparing apples and oranges.  

Uncharacteristically the defenders collectively had a poor day, beaten convincingly by Brisbane. But Hayden Young was the exception to the rule. 

The forward line was as dysfunctional as we have seen it so there is plenty of work to be done to become a cohesive unit. Disappointingly the forward pressure was non-existent! Again, though while there is always an exception to every rule, Josh Treacy’s performance was above serviceable and the longer the game went the better he got.

The nucleus of a serious team exists. Tough decisions need to be made at seasons end and we have to astutely build around it over the next two drafts. Sustainable finals success could well be the result if we get that right.

Finals in 2021 are now all but impossible but there is still plenty to play for. With the pressure and expectation off, the round 22 Derby is now a free hit… and we don’t mean on Andy Gaff…. or do we!    

It’s safe to say the purple pod isn’t plastered with positivity this week and going on the reaction of Jojo’s youngster, Jojo Junior, in the background, he wasn’t impressed with our work. There's 40 plus minutes of Docker dissection drivel though so click play and turn it up…. if only to drown out the thunder and rain!

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