FREMANTLE HERALD Grand Freo! At the G after years of tears gave the club a $950,000 self-supporting loan over A FREO 21 years—the biggest ever HHISTORY granted by the council at BRENDANBR FOSTER the time. Fast-forward 18 years and it was a relative HE Dockers’ plans pittance compared to the to move south to $100 million the council a proposed $113 was prepared to spend to Tmillion training HQ at convince the club not to Cockburn Central saw move to Cockburn. an angry tide of purple Ralph Hoare, head of the Fremantle Society when turn against the club’s the Dockers fi rst arrived in hierarchy. town, says the 12-month But what many die-hard battle to save the oval’s fans scrambling to get to the heritage often turned nasty. MCG for the club’s historic “It was bitter at times,” grand fi nal don’t realise is he recalls. “Basically the Freo almost never made it council were like ‘this to the port city in the fi rst is our oval so let’s get place. the Dockers’. It’s not Before a player even too dissimilar to what’s kicked a ball an old- happening now with the fashioned melee erupted Dockers. between Fremantle council and local heritage buff s People about where the club should house its HQ. “Cockburn is trying to • Thousands turned out for the Dockers’ fi nal training session ahead of their grand fi nal appearance this weekend. Many The Fremantle Society get the Dockers but the will be taking the trip by car, plane or bus to cheer the team on at the MCG. Photo by Carmelo Amalfi didn’t want the clubrooms people of Fremantle feel it is built between the turnstiles their team and town. and the Moreton Bay fi g on “The people of Fremantle Parry Street, saying it would feel you can’t take our What’s your superstition? damage oval heritage and name and expand it out to sightlines to the prison. Cockburn. Whether it’s not washing are in front at the fourth Resident Greg Sweetman Tired of being tangled “But we’ll have to wait by BROOKE KOVANDA clothes after a win or quarter. If they’re losing, I wears a full-body “morph in heritage-tape the and see whether Mr Abbott leaving the room after each keep on watching.” suit” of the Australian fl ag club contemplated gives them the money to “IT’S only weird if it quarter, the methods fans It seems the most every time he watches the headquartering itself at move out to the sticks.” doesn’t work.” will undertake to help the popular forms of behaviour Dockers play. East Fremantle Oval and Mr Hoare believes the Such is the slogan behind team win can span from for Dockers’ fans rely on “Every game I’ve even toyed with the idea— Dockers would have stuck a popular American beer eccentric to neurotic. lucky actions and habits watched wearing this, shudder—of Joondalup in by Freo in 1994 even if commercial, featuring sports “I have a mild rather than lucky objects. they’ve won,” he says. the far northern suburbs. they’d not got their way, but fans and their favourite superstition, and that is While behaviours are not The council did end up the council fl inched. superstitions when I never like watching the always rational, to true “I’ve been in this country approving an HQ at Parry “There was a a lot of watching their team. fi rst ten minutes of the last fans of the game, they are for two months, and both Street but it never got off the furphies going on and a The success of the quarter,” says George Kailis. necessary for success. times I’ve worn this and ground and, in the end, it lot of frustrations, but no, Fremantle Dockers “I basically get too Fremantle resident Tracy watched the Dockers play, was decided to extend the the Dockers weren’t going last weekend and their nervous the Dockers might, Turner: “I walk up and they’ve blown out their WAFL’s South Fremantle anywhere else.” subsequent trip to the um, do something wrong if down and up and down, opponent.” clubrooms to accommodate A long-time Dockers’ fan, grand fi nal can mean only they are in front. and when they take a goal, I “Don’t worry Fremantle the new AFL team. Mr Hoare fl ew out to one thing: Docker fans are “I usually like to go and turn around because I think faithful, I will be wearing it Then, Fremantle council • continued wrap 2 getting superstitious. do something else if they they’ll score if I don’t look!” on Saturday.” excellence in showroom 3 years running... 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It took home the INTO wooden spoon in 2001. Port Adelaide—admittedly a powerhouse in the SAFL— joined the competition in 1997, WOOLSTORES won a premiership in 2004 and played a second grand fi nal in 2007. And while last week FREE inaugural coach Gerard Neesham said the AFL hierarchy * didn’t help the club in the early PARKING days with draft concessions, the Dockers made some monumental stuff -ups trading 2 hours FREE Parking, with any players. $10 spend in-centre One that got away fi rst:st DDamian i DDrum replaced e l ced pooroo year e and d inability i bilit to make ke Neesham in 1999, lasting till consistent gains sealed Harvey’s Spend $10 or more in one of the stores in Every club has their “one that round 10 in 2001 (Drum, now a fate. got away story” and Fremantle Nationals MP in Victoria, led the His removal, and particularly Woolstores Shopping Centre, and the store let a skinny kid called Andrew club to 15th and 12th in his two the manner of it, divided the will give you a $2 refund on your parking. McLeod go home to Adelaide. seasons and oversaw the club’s Fremantle fan base but it served In return it got Chris Groom, worst losing streak of 17 games to illustrate a break with the past who played seven games for the in 2001). (as did the new livery, ditching Simply leave the top part of your Dockers while McLeod won two Inaugural captain Ben Allan the much-derided green, white parking ticket on your car Norm Smith medals in back-to- took the reins to the end of and purple uniform with back fl ags with the Crows. the season, replaced by Chris the beanie-wearing Docker). dashboard and take the bottom And while Neesham tried to Connolly who took the club to a Fremantle was tired of being part with you to redeem when beef up his player stocks with preliminary fi nal in 2006. After almost good enough. No more experienced players the club 129 games he’d had enough Mr Nice Guy: Shit was about to shopping at Woolstores. sacrifi ced pick 4 (Scott Lucas to and quit in round 16, 2007, get serious. Essendon) and pick 15 (Scott with Freo 13th. Connolly was Fremantle’s snaring of Ross Camporeale to Carlton) for replaced by Mark Harvey who Lyon—unhappy with the way Scott Watters (26 games for the was surgically, spectacularly St Kilda was treating him, with Dockers) from Sydney and Tony and ruthlessly given the boot in a year to go on his contract— Delaney from Essendon, who September 2011. surprised everyone. FREMANTLE played 28 games for Freo. Upon his arrival Harvey Within two short years Lyon GO Things have improved: cleaned out the player list and has transformed the club into DOCKERS! In recent years it has picked was responsible for bringing in a powerhouse, moulding a up Chris Mayne, Zac Clarke, a host of young players like Hill talented but undiscplined and Hayden Ballantyne, Nic Suban, and Walters. unfocused group of players into Stephen Hill, Michael Walters, In 2009 the club fi nished a team that is the talk of the WOOLSTORES SUPPORTS THE Michael Barlow, Nathan Fyfe 14th but was back in the fi nals competition. LOCAL COMMUNITY – and Tendai Mzunga, who will in 2010, winning an elimination Four years ago the Dockers all run out onto the ground this fi nal against the Hawks, before kicked just one goal against WISHING THE DOCKERS A Saturday. getting thumped by the Cats in Adelaide in a 117-point SUCCESSFUL AFL GRAND FINAL! The club may now have the semi-fi nal.