I’ve never been one to run with the “let’s just stick to football” line. But every person has their breaking point. Mine came this week when Andrew Dillon – a man who’d spent the previous four days weighing and measuring a slur, and four days negotiating five weeks down to four – carved out a good chunk of his press conference reminding us that Snoop Dogg was “a grandfather and a philanthropist”. A few hours later, footage emerged of a less than grandfatherly and less than philanthropic headline act, accompanied by the headline “Snoop Dogg’s Dig at Gay Parents”. That was it for me. Within a few hours, the AFL had appointed one of the state’s preeminent spin doctors and crisis managers. She could deal with this sort of stuff. The rest of them could just step out of the way, take their learnings, close the roof and bounce the effing ball.
There’s always lots of talk about wildcard rounds and manipulating the fixture to create more games of interest. But it’s usually best to let these things unfold organically. The drama at the Adelaide Oval on Friday for Ken Hinkley’s final game couldn’t have been conjured up by some sizzle merchant. Nor could the sense of dread that enveloped the MCG when it looked for all money as though Collingwood had thrown away the double chance and their season.
Sunday’s Bulldogs v Fremantle clash had been circled many months before. It pitted two very different teams, and two very different coaches. Whatever happened, it was clear that the loser was going to be catastrophised. For Bulldogs in particular, to be the highest scoring team in the land and still miss would be an indictment on, well, something – the team, the coach, the backline, the fixture, something!
And that’s precisely what happened. They were so disappointing. It ended up being a season infuriatingly on-brand for Beveridge’s Bulldogs. They bucked a scarcely believable injury list early in the year, rolled out half a dozen of the best and most exciting players in the competition, and were competitive in nearly every game they played. And they still missed.
But this was Fremantle’s day and Fremantle’s story. When their midfield got cranking in the second term, they had the Bulldogs’ defence under extreme pressure. It’s a back six that’s wobbly at the best of times, let alone with Shai Bolton, Caleb Serong and friends charging at them. Fremantle’s seven goals was their best haul in a quarter this year. And when Josh Treacy put his side 32 points up early in the second half – double the Dogs’ score – Luke Beveridge had the pinched look of a man who’d spent the previous few hours podcasting with Snoop.
It was Fremantle’s backline that held firm during their streak of close wins, and they were resolute to a man again on Sunday. Alex Pearce was excellent on Sam Darcy and Brennan Cox likewise on Aaron Naughton. But their gamebreakers were further afield. Bolton hasn’t quite been the player they hoped he’d be this year. He has come close to tearing games to shreds but he’s been a bit cute at times, and a bit lost out on starvation corner. The stakes and stage suited him on Sunday. He attended more stoppages than usual and spent the afternoon whirring through the midfield, slicing through congestion and lurking forward to great effect. In a team that can sometimes be a bit cautious and plain, he gives them their zing. At no stage could the Dogs get an appropriate match-up for him.
Another to step up was Jye Amiss. He has been a bit of a peripheral player for months now. He’s done a lot of decoy and bullocking work, but has been spilling marks and spraying set shots that would normally be a breeze for him. When he kicked a long-range goal in the first quarter, his confidence was back. A preposterous dribbling goal on his left was followed by a bender from deep in the opposite pocket.
There was so much pressure on the Dockers heading into this match. Every game for the past few months has felt like an elimination final, a mini referendum on the future of the coach. History hasn’t been kind to them. Five times they’ve needed to win the last game of the home and away season and five times they’ve missed out. But they’ve been an excellent team on the road all year, beating Gold Coast, GWS, Collingwood and now the Bulldogs away. They met the moment yesterday, and fully deserved their September slot.
For the Bulldogs, it was the same old story. All their losses this year were narrow. But all highlighted their inability to defend. When they’re fully charged, they’re a wonderful team to watch. But they’re so flawed. In quarters, in games, in months, in seasons, hell for almost the entirety of the Beveridge era, they’ve been determined to make things as difficult as possible for themselves. And now their finals fate rests with Essendon, which is no way to live your footballing life.
