Many are asking what is going on with the Dockers this season.
After a season where the team played some inspired footy, running hard, using their gifted young midfield’s supreme talents, and capitalising on their excellent defence’s wall-like rebounding, Freo have stagnated in 2023, playing the type of footy that makes supporters tear their hair out in frustration, and makes bald supporters want to pull others’ hair out in anger.
Everyone wants to know where they’re falling down and why they find it so difficult to get back up. How can this team that made such strides in 2022 have taken so many steps back this year?
Is it because Nat Fyfe is injured?
No, he was hurt or playing well below expectations for most of 2022. They played well without him involved at all for long stretches.
Is it because they lost excellent players in the off-season trade/free agency period?
No again – really, the only player they lost that was a genuine best-22 player and could not be replaced was Blake Acres. He is missed, but a running wingman should be able to be replaced by the growth in Nathan O’Driscoll, and with James Aish reverting to a wing role. Logue was surplus to needs and Lobb… well, he’d be handy now, depending on which version of him you get. Sadly, you seem to get the rubbish version a bit too often.
Is it the retirement of David Mundy causing the drop off? Has he left such a hole in the heart of this team that they simply cannot replace that which he provided this group?
Well, they brought in Jaeger O’Meara in an effort to fill that void, and I reckon it is fair to say that JOM has not succeeded in that capacity, as yet.
Still, these are not reasons for such a dramatic fall from grace. After one season of such promise, Freo are in the process of breaking their supporters’ hearts (again!).
How can this be happening?
Really, the answer is simple.
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