The Restump Podcast

Unfortunately, we subscribe to the adage “You always finish what you start.” So, with the Odd Bods done, we’ve got the Even Stevens to complete. Time to Restump Podcast part two of the Buy Sell Hold 2024 report.

Sometimes you can get caught up in and conflicted by your ideological values. Yes, we believe you should finish what you start, but having completed part one two weeks ago, devoid of reasoning, we’ve delayed until tomorrow what we could have done yesterday. However, if only our nonsense was worthy, we’d suggest all good things come to those who wait. But while time and tide wait for no one, it does little to stop the inevitable delivery of the mediocre. Thankfully, sewing confusion often serves as a pass generating act of distraction. So, enough of that later!

Now that you’re bamboozled and suffering a headache, hopefully you’ve forgotten we’re late with the completion of the 2024 Buy Hold Sell report. So, let’s get into it. 

With the list predominantly settled, we’ve got around twenty even Stevens, many of which write their own report. Is anyone in their right mind really not buying Andy Brayshaw, Hayden Young or Jordan Clark shares? 

Is Jye Amiss’ stock wrongfully depressed after his handy but wayward kicking year? What is Jaegar O’Meara’s current valuation? And, for that matter, are Sean Darcy’s injuries impacting the financial decisions? Some tricky investment strategies need to be undertaken.

There’s plenty of other Docker data dropping. The fixtures are out for 2025 containing plenty of purple positives and it must be said we’re not displeased the Roos are exiting Tasmania and entering WA.

The Bell has rung time on Peter’s purple career. In a literal sense Papa Smurf could fill his shoes, but metaphorically speaking and from a professional perspective, Aaron Sandilands’s size 18 feet would still leave plenty of room. An astute, often necessarily ruthless, asset at the club will be missed and extremely difficult to replace. 

All that and way too much more gibberish that no one asked for. So, feel free to join us as we purple up the airwaves and prattle on about our favourite Freo football faction.

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As the dust begins to settle on the purple player peddling period and the list starts to take shape, it’s time for the annual bank balance breaking, farm losing, homelessness generating Restump Podcast Buy, Sell, Hold investment strategy report.

Some say the annual Buy Sell Hold Restump Podcast report has become a much-anticipated piece of forward financial planning market analysis, not unlike Warren Buffett’s annual letter to shareholders at Berkshire Hathaway. Thankfully at the Restump we don’t value accountability whatsoever, so we don’t have to prove beyond fictional hearsay that some people said anything of a sort. 

To be brutally honest, if you’re not into consistently averaging down and if you’re not willing to be a patient bottom drawer investor, its debatable if this report is for you. As we always say at the Restump, there are many ways to the poor house, but our Buy Hold Sell report is probably the quickest route. 

This year we’re splitting the report into two jumper number parts, part one The Odd Bods and part two The Even Stevens. 

It is a loosely researched report in which we place an investment recommendation on individuals. We ponder questions such as, has Sammy Sturt’s persistence paid dividends and what value do we place on his potential upside? In what will surely be his final year, Fyfe is a difficult buy. But does he pull one out of the bag and create one final big value retrieving trade? Is Jimmy Aish at the financial report career crossroads, are buyers and holders going to get opportunity to grow Will Brodie stock and could Oscar McDonald be the bargain buy of the year? 

So many scenarios, so many unnecessary opinions, so many needless questions and so few right answers. But it is all fun and games until the administrators are appointed, your liabilities are sold like the tradeable commodity they are and the baseball bat wielding debt collectors knock at your door.

At the end of the day, it’s only money and you can’t take it with you when you leave this spinning space rock. So, join us as we throw around a bunch of Arthur Ash in a feeble attempt to compile something with some semblance of a capital growth and income generating Freo financial future fund. 

Truth be known its probably just an excuse to talk Fremantle Dockers.

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We had to pony up a bit more cheese than we had hoped, but Shai isn’t the only one smiling now. Time to Restump Podcast the momentous occasion of the second coming of Bolton.

It’s been too long between Bolton drinks at Freo. While he may have only managed two games for the purple in 1999, we can’t undervalue the work Shai’s Dad, Darren, did for Fremantle off the field in 1998!

We’ve struggled to land a true top line forward from many attempts over our thirty-year history, so this is a pretty pivotal moment for the club. It feels like we’ve taken a substantial step towards the promised land, and without playing a game. 

It really is starting to feel like we’re getting our ducks, or rather docks, in a row. Obviously one player doesn’t deliver you success, but at this particular time and in this particular team, Shai Bolton does seem a serious piece of the purple premiership puzzle.  

There has been the odd speed bump along the way, but the build has been rather methodical. The draft work has been impressive and, despite the abuse the club has copped at times from fans and media, the list management has been superb. 

There comes a time when you must pull the trigger, move the chips to middle of the table and go all in. With the window starting to open, landing the versatile Bolton, fulfilling a desperate area of need and, dare we say, putting the finishing touches on the long-term build, is our superbly timed pulling of the trigger. 

We all know there are no guarantees, there are only efforts. But we’ve done the hard yards, Lord knows we’ve done the hard yards, so it is time to release the Kraken, take a genuine run at it, hope for a bit of luck and maybe, just maybe, in the near future, we’ll finally get to experience the ultimate success. 

We all have our thoughts and opinions on Shai Bolton himself and what we coughed up to get him. It now matters not, because the deal is done, and you’re kidding yourself if you’re not at least even secretly excited about his arrival. 

We can agree, we can disagree and we can agree to disagree, but don’t bite off your nose to spite your face if you’re holding a negative position. Don’t do yourself a disservice and be that guy! We’re potentially entering unchartered waters, you only get to win a first premiership once, you want to live it, you want to be immersed in it, so you want to get on board the Bolton Bandwagon and enjoy every enthralling moment.

While not nearly as exciting or entertaining, meanwhile you’re free to join us on the pod as we annotate, celebrate and possibly over-exaggerate the often-balletic Bolton. 

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In terms of trades over the first five days of trade period... how’s the serenity? But we’re about to get to the nuts and Boltons of it. Time to Restump Podcast the purple appraisals, possibilities and prognostications.

While there has been little movement at the station, it is difficult to believe Shai Bolton won’t be lining up in purple in 2025. The very good, potentially over the odds, offer of pick 10 and 18 will suffice once the theatrical Mexican standoff subsides. 

Are two first rounders overs or tote odds? The overwhelming consensus, which Jojo is a part of, is “pay it and get the deal done.” But some of us, on some level the Chief, tend to lean towards a more play hardball, conservative number.

Yes, we’re at the pointy end of the build of which a Shai Bolton adds a shedload of upgrade. There isn’t a Freo fan in their right mind that can’t wait to get him in. 

But, from a different perspective, possibly a greedy one, I’m more a roll the dice on Bolton and hope he lands for less, go to the draft with one top end pick and trade the third into 2025 ensuring we’re in an un-out-biddable position for Chad Warner next year.

All we’ve heard all year and particularly post-season from fans and media is, “we’ve got more than enough talent to on the list to be challenging now”. While I agree in part, I think they were a year or two short on the now. Can you have it both ways? If you think we have we got enough talent on the list, but then say throw the two first rounders at Bolton, does your Bolton request cancel out your former claim? 

Personally, given we were probably a Josh Treacy and or Alex Pearce injury away from the top, or near the top four, I’d be willing to risk losing Bolton in favour of going to the draft with one high end pick this year and securing Warner next year. I’m a pick 10 and pick 30, take it or leave it Tiges! But that is just me.  

Then again what is too much? If Shai Bolton came in and we secured our maiden premiership in 2025, we’ve stolen him! If we have a similar season, make the finals, win one and get knocked out… how will we view it? It’s a gamble now that only hindsight will eventually tell us the answer. 

However, having a belief we’re potentially paying overs, not necessarily for the player, but for what it may restrict us doing elsewhere, and being super excited to get that same player in, can co-exist. 

Do we entertain taking on a Baker? And how much dough is that going to cost us? I’d suggest Baker is more your bread-and-butter type player that doesn’t add anywhere near enough of an upgrade for what it would cost to bring him in. To be honest, if Freo brought him in it would go against the grain and I doubt they’ll contemplate it. However, as West Coast, albeit momentarily, but ironically baked their deal, Baker suddenly became available so, we thought we butter talk about it. It’s the yeast we could do! Ok enough of that nonsense… wind it up, it’s almost past our bread time!

All beliefs and opinions aren’t wrong until they are, so we stake our claims, we share our sentiments and live in hope until our nonsense is inevitably disproven and it all comes crashing down. 

So, if only because too much purple prattle is never enough, while we wait for the imminent Bolton trade to formerly drop, feel free to join us on the podcast for the deep, often off the rails, Docker discussion.

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Watching finals from the side-lines, celebrating award winners and saying goodbye to purple soldiers. This emotional roller coaster can get knotted! Time to Restump Podcast the assortment of sentiment.

As Fremantle fans, you’d think we’d be acclimatised to watching September from the side-lines… I mean we’ve done it 22 times in the last 30 years! But watching the finals this year and knowing how close we were to being a part of it… we’ve developed an itch that needs a scratch! We need a fix; we need a September transfusion; we need a finals injection to get the purple bloodstream pumping! But we’ll bide our time, do the hard yards once again and hope this time next year outcomes will be different.

Meanwhile, again at this time of year, we have to undertake the unenviable task of waving goodbye to numerous Docker diehards that dug deep over the duration. We sadly say sayonara and send off soldiers some who never saw any action, all of them devoid of September success.

The often unjustly maligned Matty Taberner, the ever-ready Ethan Hughes, the always jovial Josh Corbett, the sky scraping Sebit Kuek and the couldn’t quite get there Conrad Williams. All five deserve gratitude, but especially Tabs and Hughesy. They got everything out of themselves, emptied their tanks, they were part of the journey and played vital roles at times. Thanks fellas and enjoy whatever comes next in life.

To move to a brighter note we celebrated the Doig medal awards last night. Now it is safe to say it wasn’t exactly a short a night and awards weren't rare. And not to diminish the attached prestige to any accolade, but it seemed if you attended the gala and went home without some sort of medal or acknowledgement, you were stiff! But there is a lot to be said for professionalism and attention to detail and it was truly a magnificent night. If only we could be as thorough on the field as we were off it!

There were no surprises, Caleb Serong and Andy Brayshaw were always going to deservedly quinella the Doig and it was just a matter of which order.

The only shock that could have occurred on the night was if Josh Corbett didn’t win the best good bloke award! Never going to happen.

Josh Draper won the “stood out like a Beacon for all the right reasons” award. It was great to see, it was thoroughly deserved and we’re all pretty excited for him and us going forward.

Lukey Ryan won the Mi Casa Property Boutique Award. He got the most wins for metres gained in a single quarter, more than any other player. Don’t quote me on it as it hasn’t been confirmed... but I think he wins a house, courtesy of the magnificent Mi Casa crew.

Awards, delistings, finals, trades… plenty of purple to prattle on about. So, if you’re in need of a dose of docker drivel, drag up a davenport, dial in and dwell on our dubious determinations. 

Enough of the nonsensical alphabet games… let’s get into it! Join us in the purple pod pool, the water is warm.

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The day started at 10.30am in WA and at 7pm Sunday evening when it finished, we were flat as tacks and emotionally exhausted. Time to Restump Podcast the season ending loss to Power from Port.

We were doing the finals hokey pokey all day! We had one foot in, we had one foot out! As Fremantle fans we’re well acclimatized to the seasonal emotional roller coaster, heck we even handle it for 80 consecutive minutes at times… but enduring eight hours on the mental anguish causing metaphoric carnival ride, well that was a new bag.

Quite frankly the game mirrored our season. We’re good, but we’re just not that good yet. We’re good, but we can’t be good enough for long enough yet. 

Unfortunately, we couldn’t handle the pressure Port consistently applied. The relentless pressure caused us to fumble and double grab everything and it led to perceived pressure which saw us unable to be clean in uncontested situations. We missed simple handballs, simple kicks, simple shots on goal. 

Three or four times we saw highly damaging two goal turnarounds. We saw no forward pressure. We went -4 in the first quarter and -5 in the 3rd quarter for tackles inside fifty. It ended up 17 to 9 in Port’s favour. 

We saw silly undisciplined acts from Jordan Clark and Liam Reidy that both led to simple Port Adelaide goals. When you’ve previously lost six games by 13 points or less, we should know better!

But all those factors are part of the make up of why we’re not that good yet. 

However, as disheartening as it was to let slip an opportunity that was there for the taking, there is a reluctant comfort there for the taking as well. We’re seriously close to challenging. For rounds 22, 23 and 24 there was no Alex Pearce, no Michael Walters, no Sean Darcy and probably most detrimentally no Josh Treacy. Yet in those games we pushed and had chances to beat Geelong, GWS and Port Adelaide, three of the top final four sides. I’m happy to repeat my belief, we’re very close!

But as we all know, being very close doesn’t feed the Bulldog. Getting it done does and we simply couldn’t. It hurts like a bugger right now and will do as we watch the September action from the sidelines. 

But we tidy up a few things, maybe go shopping for a gun or two, come back a year older, a year more experienced and with another pre-season under the collective belt and half those narrow losses might be top four propelling wins. 

While I’m sure he’d trade it for 8th place on the ladder, Marshy Skates got out of Sunday with the $50 spend at 2 Brothers Foods, taking out the season finale of the Mi Casa Property Boutique metres gained competition. 

We’ve only scratched the surface of our healing, so there is much more to work through on the pod. Let’s work collectively on our grief, our pain and our anguish. There are questions to be asked, tough calls to be made and break throughs to be had. So, let’s all pull up a purple couch, lay back and let the therapeutic conversational healing begin. 

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It was a legitimate honourable loss, ironically delivered partly by a dishonourable act. We’re going to have to hit ole Rosco Lyon and Rory up for favours! Time to Restump Podcast all the purple palaver.

Another lethargic start to a game has once again hurt us. We’re so close, but we are where we’re supposed to be because genuine really good sides don’t consistently have lapses or make certain mistakes. But the reality is, we’re good enough to challenge, if we simply tidy up a couple of areas.

The Giants are a hot side and, as the competition’s in form side, should arguably be premiership favourites. They were at full strength, revved up on their home deck and incentivised with a top four spot. Admittedly, we had finals to qualify and play for, but we were on the road and without our best key forward, our lead ruck and our best key defender. The performance was mostly admirable.

While few were a bit wide of thee mark, Andy Brayshaw again left no uncertainty surrounding how much of a priority his valuable signature is. Caleb Serong had a monster of a day especially under thee heavy tagging tactics of Toby Bedford and it was magnificent to see Sammy Sturt put in a ripper.

Bailey Banfield has copped some unfair criticism at times, but you can’t defend his brain snap. To be so undisciplined at such a pivotal moment with so much on the line, is unforgiveable. But Paddy Voss gave away a dumb 50m penalty which, directly or indirectly, however you assess it, resulted in a goal to the Giants. It wrongfully didn’t carry the same scrutiny because it wasn’t in the final minutes. Jye Amiss missed 2 absolute sodas in the 3rd quarter, put another one out of bounds on the full and also missed Luke Jackson with a simple kick. Brennan Cox was seemingly on another planet on occasions and Jordan Clark and Brandon Walker watched Brent Daniels run amok all day. There are many moments throughout a game that deserve the same frustrated response that Bailey Banfield is suffering. 

Beyond that, once again the game against Geelong last week and the game against the Giants on Saturday really should have determined whether we made the top four or not, not whether we made the eight. Six games we’ve lost by 13 points or less and in five of them we were leading at three quarter time. There is a bit more to blame than Bailey Banfield idiotically giving away a 50m penalty.

So, its all down to the final three games of the final round of the season for us. With the two games that can partly determine our fate on Sunday prior to our game, we’ll know if we can make the eight or not before the first bounce. 

We need our former coach, Rosco Lyon, to get his Sainters to repeat their effort and result against Carlton which they delivered against Geelong on the weekend. And/or if Rory Lobb can repay some of what he owes us by sandbagging his teammates, allowing the Giants to prevail, then we’re in with a live chance. 

Hawthorn aren’t losing to North Melbourne so we can rule a line through that. So, if Carlton and the Dogs both win, its goodbye 2024. If one or either of them lose, its all up to us to turn the Power out. 

One minute Shai Bolton has requested a trade, next minute, apparently, he hasn’t. For that to occur, it means he is surely going to. It is difficult to think he’s not going to be in purple next year, but we walk away if the price is overs.

Unfortunately, the Mi Casa Property Boutique metres gained competition didn’t get up on the weekend, but it will absolutely be running for our final home and away season game. It’ll be your final chance to snare a freebie spend at 2 Brothers Foods.

Plenty of goings on at the Cockburn club, so bring your opinions and rumours and make them heard. Join us in the purple conversational pool pod, the water is warm. 

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Are we Reidy for Saturday morning fever? Disco is back! Yes, I know… it couldn’t be lamer… but we’re trying cut the tension surrounding this game, of which there is virtually no tomorrow! Time to Restump Podcast the stress against GWS.

This isn’t the position we had envisioned! We had aspirations of a lengthy September; we had no intention of playing a game with potentially no tomorrow in August. Ok to the mathematical letter of the law, its not exactly a no tomorrow proposition, but its as close as we can get without it being one.

And now with our season teetering on the edge, to save it we must, without our best forward, our best defender and our lead ruck, come up against a rampaging, pretty much full-strength Giants outfit, spearheaded by the Coleman medal favorite and ex Fremantle full forward.

It is ‘backs to the wall’ stuff for us purple people! However, looking back at the eleventy squillion times in our history when we’ve been in similar ‘backs to the wall’ situations and seeing them result in a requirement of structural maintenance for the wall, I just can’t gather the confidence I was hoping to fill up on. Hope, desire and dreams we’ve got plenty of, but confidence is a little scarce.

But in a roundabout way, it could amount to a situation where the pressure is sort of off and expectations aren’t all encompassing, and that can, at times, lead to some favourably unexpected outcomes. Yeah, that sounds more comforting… let's run with that. Pressure is off and play with the freedom!

While it probably would have been preferable last week, it’s wonderful to see Liam Reidy get a debut. He’s deserved a gig and while we can’t saddle him with lofty expectations, we can only hope he goes well. We’ll even barrack for and celebrate a halving of the contest.

And is the insertion of the Disco and the enthusiasm he brings, the shot in the arm the team needs? He’s had a really tough year and while we probably thought we would see an O’Driscoll this year, we were thinking Emma rather than Nathan. Tear up the wing Disco, and if you get the opportunity, celebrate your hardest and get the boys on board!

Another day, another prospective coach escapes the West Coast Eagles’ clutches. It's tragically sad what that once proud, eternally pretentious and ever still arrogant club has become. We reach across the aisle, give them a consoling pat on the back, a “hang in there” whisper and wish them all the best in the Neighbourhood Watch segment. 

We’re nearing season’s end of the Mi Casa Property Boutique meters gained competition, so keep a look out for it on our social media pages sometime Friday, throw in an entry and you might find your way into a free $50 spend at 2 Brothers Foods. 

Let’s get into it on the pod and see if we can find a way in to somehow slaying these menacing Giants. 

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Three quarter time we’re sitting top four with a guaranteed finals campaign locked in. Half an hour later we’re clinging on to September for dear life! Time to Restump Podcast the Cat scratching.

That season jeopardising last quarter loss to Geelong on Saturday was soul destroying, but to be honest, it probably isn’t the game we should be mad about. Admittedly, for whatever reason, we didn’t show up for half the first quarter and we again worryingly ran out of legs late in the game, but under the circumstances, we performed pretty admirably against a very formidable outfit.

That result was always a chance of happening but we shouldn’t have been in the position that such a game carried so much importance. Our frustrations should apply to the early Derby, the Collingwood draw and the loss to Essendon last week. They’re the opportunities we let slip that puts us in the precarious position we now find ourselves in.

The fact is after quarter time on Saturday we outscored Geelong which was a pretty decent feat. Remove our current best key forward, our current best key defender, our lead ruck and our most experienced and senior small forward, and we’re vulnerable against anyone.

That isn’t giving a pass to the crew that was out there Saturday though, because there is no excuse for mindset. Knowing the unfortunate situation of what was on the line, its difficult to think you couldn’t be fired up and ready to unleash at the first bounce.

The selection of Matt Taberner seemed an odd one but there are obviously reasons we are unaware of. However, with the inclusion of Paddy Voss at the expense of Josh Treacy and the knowledge that Sean Darcy was doubtful, it’s puzzling why you’d go for Taberner in front of Liam Reidy, which was our known possible area of need.  

But selection issues and missing guns aside, we had our opportunities to win the match but we butchered several moments. We had no mid forward connection, which is somewhat understandable given the upheaval of our forward line. But frustratingly and most disappointingly, we applied little to no forward pressure as Geelong consistently walked the ball out of defence with the greatest of ease.   

As mentioned, it’s left us in a very precarious position. The fact we’ve virtually only beaten one genuine top eight side all year, it tragically feels more likely than not that we miss September, given we have to win one of our two remaining games against the Giants and Port Adelaide. 

Destiny is in our own hands, but it feels like she’s saying stop touching me up and put me down! But we’re resilient, glass half full, adversity enduring eternal optimists. We don’t know how to do things the easy way! We subscribe to the theory that if you’re not dead, you’re not done and that’s all the chance we need. 

Congrats to Josie Price on taking out the Mi Casa Property Boutique metres gained competition on the weekend. Jeremy Sharp, who did show up in the first quarter, got the business done for her and Josie now takes off the $100 jackpot from 2 Brothers Foods. 

Anyway, let’s get into the pod and see where the purple prattle goes. We’re all doing it tough, we’re all a little distraught at the horrible prospect of missing finals so we need to talk it through. Join us if you’re looking for a support network, because we do!

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It can’t have gotten far, it was just with us! Geez, you can’t take your eyes of opportunity for a second! It’s time to Restump Podcast Sunday’s demoralising top 4 departure.

Sunday at the MCG felt very historically Fremantle-ish. Destroying pivotal moments and golden opportunities! Just when we had the chance to almost lock down some valuable top four real estate, the Essendon Bomber Bank said, “sorry, we’re not financing that” and the deal fell over.

It really hurt because it was another game that we’ve let slip. The two games in South Australia were slightly different bags, but the early West Coast loss and the Collingwood draw had filled our allowable debacle quota. Letting Essendon run us down from four goals behind… is a step too far and could have horrifically dire consequences in relation to September participation.

The game was quite deceiving. Our rare accuracy and efficiency were clouding the reality. The fact is, we weren’t travelling that well early in the game. Just 10 inside fifties in the first quarter to Essendon’s 18 was disguised because we kicked 4 goals 1. We were scoring every second entry, but so were the Bombers who kicked 5 goals 4. Did the 9-point quarter time margin not set the alarm bells off?

Was there a sense of complacency? Were we out there thinking a mirrored performance from the previous week against the West Coast Eagles would unfold? At half time we’d gone inside 50 two less times than we did in the first quarter, but again we were accurate and efficient kicking 5 goals neat. Compounding our potential complacency was Essendon kicking 1 goal 2… but they went inside 50 fifteen times. If Essendon started scoring, we were in strife.

The penny seemed to drop in the third quarter as we got our game going and got it on our terms. Clearances, contested possession, inside fifties all turned in our favour. But for all our dominance we didn’t necessarily make the most of it.

The final quarter was a disaster. They steam rolled us and, disappointingly, we showed little to no fight. We reverted to the first half form, getting beaten in contested and uncontested possession and they took 16 more marks than us in the final term alone. We made just one centre clearance and that was where the game was lost. 

It was a game we should have won with the personnel we had but the experienced and steadying hands of Alex Pearce and Sonny Walters at either end of the ground, were noticeably missing. And if those ‘numbers on a page’ readers think we don’t miss Nat Fyfe… maybe now they’ll change their tune. 

It’s a devastating loss and one that may prove fatal in terms of September this year but, bigger picture-wise, let’s not forget where we are and where we were this time last year. (15th for those playing at home) We’re an exceptionally young side of substantial talent. As far as premiership windows go, ours is only just starting to open.   

We’ve got the Cats, Giants and Port to come in the run to the finals. Those three teams in their current form probably pose the toughest test any side has to endure in these final three weeks. We’re only a win and % out of 9th…. we probably need to win two of our last three.

Anyway, lets get into it on the pod and break it all down further. So, if you’re looking to make sense of it all…. point us in the right direction because so are we! Problems shared are problems halved and you can’t solve them without talking about them. Let’s start the chit chat. 

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