Hey it worked for Marnus Labuschagne! And it did look like Alex Pearce was getting reverse swing on the odd kick. Time to Restump Podcast Saturday’s 12 minute loss to the Swans.

We got off to a flyer but we stopped as fast as we started and it was the first quarter curse yet again that destroyed us… or rather it was what we did or didn’t do in it that destroyed us

What if we start internally applying our games in 5ths? Say five 16-minute periods. That way we would avoid first quarters. Has it really come to that type of preposterous thinking? 

After getting 18 disposals, 2 inside 50’s and kicking one goal one before the Swans had a single possession, the game was pretty much over at 16 minutes later, as mental as those sounds.

It was as if centre clearances and spreading from the contest were foreign terms. We largely leveled up the numbers by the end of the night but, like has been the case all year, the damage was done. 

Luke Jackson and Josh Treacy combined admirably in the ruck but there is no substitute for Sean Darcy. That said, he was there for the first quarter last week.

Thank goodness for Luke Ryan. He was exceptional as he nearly always is and the margin would have blown out with out his performance. 

With his 23 touches, 9 contested and 8 ground ball get (second most on the ground behind Caleb Serong) Liam Henry continues to dismiss his critics. He’s made the wing his own and if anyone else wants it they’re going to have to fight to take it off him.

We raised the prospect last week that Alex Pearce may not be the captain that is required, or more so that he doesn’t play in a position to make an influential difference when needed. Is the captaincy question rearing it head again? 

As disappointing as the post-bye season has been, we still believe we’re not far off the pack. It looks like a lack of cohesion and connection and an absence of a bit of grunt and agro in the middle rather than talent. And if that is the case, it is rectifiable with offseason focus.

We’d all love to be chatting about a victory but win lose or draw we soldier on. The monotony is biting us all but we bind together, hunker down and weather the storm like only Freo fans know how. 

So, friends. Romans, countrymen… lend us your ears, pack your mental strength and come along for our interpretation of the current deep purple situation.

Send us a text

Support the show

What a great story Ethan “Snipper” Stanley is. There is always something to get out of, I’d say a fruitless season… but it’s a season that has gone pear shaped! Time to Restump Podcast Snipper’s debut against the Swans. 

Our finals chances may resemble a flatlining Chaddy Fletcher on the Las Vegas strip but there is still life in the season when you get to see your recruits make their debuts. We’re putting these remaining games of 2023 to good use.

At this point of the year, its not now so much about wins and losses but rather, structure, game style disciplines and the Ronnie Corbetts and Snipper Stanleys. We brought these players into the club for a reason so let’s get them opportunity and see what unfolds.

That said, we’re not dismissing the importance of putting wins on the board as you don’t want to end the season spiralling downwards into a sea of losses. We need to get something solid and beneficial out of these games to build on for 2024.

The Swans are in a similar boat to us. Their drawn game against Geelong a few weeks back has provided them possibly with a fraction of a chance to make it the eight. 

We beat them earlier in the year on their home Milo tin lid of a deck but they’re probably in better form now and they bring pretty much a full-strength list to Optus Saturday night. It will be a big ask for us Freo folk in what will surely be Buddy’s finale in WA.

When the Swans win the marks inside 50 battle, they genuinely win the game. Only once this year have they won the inside 50 mark count and lost the game. So, our undermanned defence is going to need a chop out from the mids. 

Just six games left for us in 2023 so its time for us and the club to make the most of them. 

While opinions on Buddy Franklin vary greatly, the reality is for football fans first, we’ve all been privileged to be part of his era. It’ll be a while, if ever, we get to see another player come close to what he was able to do. Post match, win lose or draw, Buddy Franklin deserves a respectful nod of appreciation and acknowledgement from us Freo folk.

Plenty more to cover so let’s leave the niceties there and start the pluck of the red and white ducks! So, if you’ve nothing better to do, and I find that very hard to believe, bung this 45 minutes in your ears and come along for the conversation. 

Send us a text

Support the show

Where did that quarter go? You can’t serve up three quarters of Pie and think you won’t go hungry! There are no leftovers! We’re on the Restump Podcasting case of the missing quarter!  

At the risk of being accused of accepting mediocrity and borderline honorable losses, we probably got a pretty decent performance on Saturday against an incredibly well experienced, aged, drilled, and trained Collingwood outfit. The Pies are the full package. They have no weaknesses, they cover injury outs and they function as a well-oiled cohesive unit… and in an obviously very happy environment. 

Pre-game and at half time it threatened to be a 80 – 100 point hiding. And given there almost three years difference in age on average across the two teams and nearly 60 games per player in experience difference out there, that sort of result probably was expected.

In both a pleasing and disappointing outcome, the result really on paper was one quarter of footy. However, it was one of the most dominant quarters against us we’ve seen for some time and we couldn’t stem the flow. 

To put that second quarter on paper….  we went -39 possessions, -15 Inside 50 which meant Collingwood had a monstrous 19 for the quarter. We went -6 in clearances after being +10 in first quarter and -5 centre clearances after being +5 in first quarter. We went -12 in contested possession, -18 in uncontested possession, -16 marks and -7 marks inside 50. They took a whopping 10 marks inside 50 in that single second quarter! That’s a rare level of dominance!

It begs the question did Collingwood go up and down gears when they needed to? Did they simply manage us? Or were we as competitive as the scorecard suggests in the other three quarters. 

The negatives are obviously the carnage we suffered in the way of injuries. The severity of Sean Darcy’s ankle is yet to be determined as is Brandon Walker’s knee. With the season over as far as finals are concerned, and while we feel for the individuals, Darcy and Walker’s absence won’t be quite as detrimental to the team as it may well have been.  

The positive, Neil Erasmus. With just 12 games under his belt prior to Saturday he was still understandably adapting to the speed of the game. But he took a giant step forward and showed why he’s a big reason the future is bright. 

As mentioned, the season is done and dusted in regards to September, but there is still plenty to get out of it. On top of that if we can’t find something purple to bang on about, are we even Freo fans?

Let’s get into Saturday’s chop up, dissect it, mull over it, theorise it and hopefully come to some concrete conclusions. So, if too much purple is never enough, bring those things on the side of your head and get involved. 

Send us a text

Support the show

It's fraught with danger engaging mercenaries! But as they either had to sign with Russia, move to Belarus or retire, the suit up for Freo option was a no brainer! Time to Restump Podcast Saturday’s ominous task against the Pies. 

It is a pretty scary assignment Saturday against the premiership favourites and all conquering Pies. We’ve had to make a host of changes but, result aside, it will be good experience for the young list, if not much else.

Corey Wagner had a mare in his debut earlier this year. Apparently, they were calling him Construction site Corey after that game. Every time he kicked the ball a clang sound was heard! Oh that’s too harsh! He did knock up a bit.. but he’ll make amends Saturday.

It's good to see that the great premiership defender, the forgotten man, Joel Hamling, has gotten an opportunity. He’s had a really rough trot of it but he’ll no doubt give us all a reminder of his capabilities at this level. 

Is this last chance saloon for Sturty? He’s been given numerous opportunities this year and, while it must be difficult trying to get some certainty, he hasn’t exactly grabbed them. 

And poor old Bailey Banfield probably drew the short straw and was made the scapegoat last time he was dropped. C’mon Bailey give us one of those games that were earning you a regular first twenty two spot.

Speaking of poor efforts, the Chief has been omitted from the Restump Podcast line-up for the same reason… unacceptable performances in recent weeks. He’s been replaced by the former ABC Sport News reader, the great Clint “the Tank Engine” Thomas. 

A big step down for Clint and a big professional step up for the Restump. Safe to say given the professionalism and profile, the Chief is in a bit of strife.

But its not about us, it is about the footy…. or whatever it is our Freo boys are trying to play at the moment! So, let’s get straight into this 45 minute Freo V Collingwood preview with Jojo and Clint. 

Send us a text

Support the show

If finals weren’t already out of reach, they are now. Carlton used the pressure application blueprint for beating Freo and shattered us all. Time to clean up the purple shards of broken glass and Restump Podcast yesterday’s damage. 

You want to believe and you want to have hope. But we’re one and a half wins and percentage out of the eight, we’ve got five teams between us and that position and we’ve got three teams in the top four and a further one in the top eight in our remaining seven games. 

Again, we don’t want to be glass half empty folk but we were just taken to the cleaners by a team that was three rungs below us on the ladder. Even in our wildest overly-optimistic dreams, we’re not Lazarus.

Where did it all go wrong yesterday? You could spin the wheel of reasons and you’d be on the money whatever it landed on. 

The Blues simply applied relentless overwhelming pressure on us from the very first bounce and it has seemingly become the blueprint for teams playing us. Carlton’s midfield was too big, too strong, too experienced and we were unable to deal with their pressure, or go with them, despite our ruck dominance. 

Every possession was under pressure or perceive pressure and was rushed and, while our skills aren’t exactly dynamite at the best of times, we struggle further under duress.

We got beaten up by two former teammates in Blake Acres and Adam Cerra. The former was electric in all facets and he’s become the player we all knew we were losing. Whether we want to acknowledge it or not, we’re feeling the impacts of his departure. 

Compare the two main forwards each team was kicking to. Curnow and McKay – average age 25.5, a total of 202 games and just under 400 goals. Jye Amiss and Josh Treacy – average age 19.5, a total of 48 games and 56 goals. 

We’ve been suggesting it all year that we’re not the finished product and that we’re two years and 40 to 50 games per player away from seriously challenging. The individual contests yesterday only emboldened those beliefs. 

That isn’t to say we didn’t expect a better performance than what we received and it isn’t to say we expected to be below 6th to 10th at this point of the season, but sometimes the reality is stark and isn’t determined by our impatience or expectations. 

It’s more of a ‘how did this happen’ and a ‘where do we go from here’ review podcast than the usual therapeutic hour-long post-traumatic loss pod, but we need to talk it out none the less. 

So, if you can stomach revisiting or talking about yesterday’s dreadful display then by all means come along and hopefully somewhat rid the frustrations and heal with us. 

Send us a text

Support the show

When a footy gets picked up on airspace radar there is a fair chance The Sheriff is in town.  Time to Restump Podcast Freo’s battle against the Blake Acres Blues. 

The finals are suddenly a disappearing dot on the horizon but they’re still a mathematical glimmer of hope. However, all we can control is the effort we bring against the Blues.

The major focus obviously has to be on the Blue’s two big paths to goals, Curnow and McKay. With Carlton getting 41% of their goals through those two, quelling their scoreboard influence goes a long way to beating them.

And stopping them both isn’t just the job of the defensive unit, it starts with the midfield restricting ease of supply. Speaking of midfields… our former Freo man Adam Cerra is having a cracking season and will need some close treatment. 

The captain plays his 100th, a game no doubt he and most fans thought at different stages over the last eight or nine years, may never eventuate. Its been a battle and we take our hats off to Alex Pearce.

Albeit as the sub, Karl Worner pulls on the purple for a much-deserved debut. His body of work at Peel couldn’t be denied any further.

Off field we got the great news of Jye’s signature to 2029 as well as Matt Johnson and Birdman Treacy to 2026. 

Back from his golfing trip and upon hearing the news of the AFL player’s data breach, Jojo has taken extra cyber security precautions to protect his nude photos. And this is despite there being no signs they were under threat. 

Finally the Chief is asking the question about the unwritten code or where the imaginary line is in regards to sledging and are their circumstances where it can be relaxed. 

We’re a bit late with the preview and when it comes to the Restump Podcast, popular opinion suggests its better never than late! However, we’ve ignored that and done it anyway.

So if you’re looking for something to bung in your ears on the way to Optus Stadium Sunday, surely you could find something more insightful and entertaining than our 40 minutes of nonsense?

Send us a text

Support the show

Don’t hate us Skip, we still love you. We can’t all be great at everything. Time to Restump Podcast the seemingly season crushing loss to the Western Lobradors.  

Well that one hurt. We’re still a mathematical chance of making the eight but the percentages are diminishing at a rapid rate. We probably can’t afford another loss, or maybe one at the most, but even that doesn’t guarantee us a spot, given the logjam. 

For two and a half quarters the game looked ours as we matched and surpassed the dog’s pressure. But in the blink of an eye, they got a lucky decision, they took the ascendency and literally piled on 3 goals in a minute. We were left Memphis Raines like – Gone in sixty seconds. 

Our subdued start to the game hurt us again and while we had switched on and closed the gap by the end of the first quarter, it was energy sapping damage that had been done. 

Poor execution of skills, an inability to deal with frenetic pressure and at times horrendous decision making could account for the loss. 

Does the Chief’s “Alex Pearce Kick Deterrent System” need to be implemented? $5,000 fine every time he kicks the ball. That’s a little too harsh but…. it’s difficult to have confidence when he has ball in hand and doesn’t take a handball option. 

Did Bevo and his coaching crew out coach us at pivotal points in the game? Could Jackson have come into the ruck in that last quarter when things got dizzy quickly? Were there pivotal times in the game when we had Erasmus and Johnson in the middle? 

Caleb Serong was again off the scale and while finals might not be coming his way in September, his fair share of Browlow votes will be. 

He might not be amongst the votes but Sonny Walters is in goal galore territory. With 25 goals on the board and another eight games to go, at 32 years of age Evergreen Sonny is in career best form range. 

Liam Henry made it two on the bounce. Sure, he butchered a couple but he wasn’t on his Pat Malone and his productive performance far outweighed his errors. His growth is a 2023 positive, especially as we know, or we should know, he’s just 21 years of age and far from the finished product.  

And you can’t speak about 2023 positives without the great Jye Amiss. You have to continue to remind yourself…. he’s a teenager. He’s on track to kick 40+ goals and he’s a teenager! 

We’re not going to dwell too much on wouldas, shouldas and couldas. We got provided another presentation explaining exactly where we are as a club and a list. The upside is that the window is only just starting to open.

So, join us for these 50 minutes as we pull apart the purple performance. There’s blame, there’re regret, there is sorrow, acceptance and then rejuvenation. Have the bright lights of season 2023 been turned off or have they just been dimmed? 

Send us a text

Support the show

The build-up has been conspicuously subdued this time around against the Dogs, almost an eerie silence. It’s a tricky assignment to work out and we’re feeling a bit restrained but we’ll Restump Podcast it and see what comes up.

The name Rory Lobb has barely been whispered this week. Is it a case of once bitten, twice shy? Have we all made the error of being overly cautious? If we subscribe to the ‘offense is the best defence’ theory, then shouldn’t we have doubled down?

The reality is there is so much on the line on Saturday. We probably need 13 wins at a minimum, probably 14 given our inferior percentage, to make the finals. So if we need to win 6 or 7 of our remaining 9 games and then we see we have got Collingwood, Port Adelaide, Brisbane and Geelong at Kardinia Park to come…. we can’t afford to drop the ball Saturday. 

James Aish makes his much-welcomed return to add his solid and calming influence. Might he get the tap on the shoulder at some point in the game with the “Mr Aish, please make your way to Mr Bontempelli” request? Let’s hope he’s not required in that manner, but its handy to know the option is there.

The Dogs lost a couple of tall backs which plays into our favour as Jackson, Jye and Josh will look to exploit the advantage.

But it starts and probably ends in the middle. We can’t allow the ease of possession and movement we presented the Dogs in that earlier clash this season. If we do, it could well be curtains for the year.

We’re going in with some nervousness and a little bit of trepidation, but we’re looking forward to some retribution and loading the season up for the run home. 

It’s a tough game to work out because it is difficult to really know where the Dogs are at. But that doesn’t stop us foolishly having a go at it! Just a tick over 30 minutes is a more manageable bite size of nonsense this week. 

Send us a text

Support the show

If Saturday night was the result of ‘cautionary tales’ and ‘liabilities’… then throw caution to the wind and buy up all the debt laden liabilities we can. Time to Restump Podcast Saturday’s Henry Jackson show. 

Isn’t it amazing what a little patience, a little support and persistence can do. 

A few weeks ago a certain King called Jackson a cautionary tale and Liam was cruelly being referred to by so-called Freo supporters as a liability. We reached out for comment but all we got were rolling tumbleweeds and the sounds of crickets!

Enough of that nose-rubbing-it-in rubbish, the reality is whether you were an emotional knocker or a supporter of Liam Henry and or Luke Jackson, let's hope we all just enjoyed the show Saturday night. And to be honest, we probably didn’t get the win without their output. 

But while we rightfully sing their praises, it was a commitment of the collective across the board, a commitment that was absent a week earlier against the Giants. 

While best on ground honours went to Liam Henry or Luke Jackson, you could easily throw Caleb Serong into that equation. His game was off the scale and the reality is Liam and Luke largely couldn’t have done what they did if Caleb didn’t do what he did. 

The win wasn’t necessarily our best but we did what we needed to do against a team in a similar boat, to keep our season alive and kicking. However, after the last two weeks, it certainly was a warm and welcomed performance and coinciding result.

Looking forward to talking about this one so let’s get into it on the pod. It may never be as good or as bad as it seems but its important to celebrate the joys along the journey. Plug in and join in this 50 minute recap. 

Send us a text

Support the show

The self-professed Prince of Perth is back and with him comes the feeling that all is well again. Time to Restump preview podcast Freo’s good-natured battle against the team with the flying machine logo!

Essendon is travelling at around 90 points a match but they’ve just upped their offensive game. Sure, its in regards to their logo but apparently its offensive none the less! 

Are we, as Freo fans, drinking at the last chance Saloon Saturday night? Our post-bye form has been horrid and if we’re going to turn it around it has to be now or never. 

The reality is when you look at both teams, Essendon and Freo are almost identical as far as form lines go. Essendon have beaten just one top eight side and have beaten 3 of the four bottom teams. Freo have beaten just one top eight side, we’ve beaten three of the four bottom teams and been beaten by one of them. Are we really in the 2023 conversation? 

Having said that, the form of pretty much the entire league, apart from Collingwood, and Port Adelaide, is topsy turvy and rarely predictable. So almost everyone can get a September hypothetical mention. 

Our defences are comparable and we generate the same number of scoring shots per game, from the same number of inside 50s. The difference is Essendon has slotted 16 goals more than us. They take their chances and its something we have to start doing.

We’ll cop the Richmond loss, rule a line through the Giants debacle and restart our season right now… or rather tomorrow night… in the wet… and the cold. But a warm dry 4 points will fix all that.

Jojo, is recording from the Tuscany bird Avery for hopefully the final time so everything should return to normal programming next week. 

But for now, there’s a tick over 40 minutes of discussion on the chances of the purple people against the red sash wearing inoffensive Essendon Hot Air Balloons tomorrow night. So, feel free to immerse yourself in our nonsense, providing you accept that we offer no guarantees or time refunds.   

Send us a text

Support the show