Thousands of supporters turned out for Fremantle’s final home training session before Saturday’s grand final, with captain Alex Pearce’s late appearance providing relief after he was initially absent from the main group.
The Dockers’ open session at the Cockburn ARC became a major event for fans, who lined the sidelines and erupted when the players arrived. Media attention, meanwhile, focused on whether any of Fremantle’s key players were carrying injuries or soreness before the match against Brisbane at the MCG.
Pearce, known to supporters as “Moose”, was not among the first group to run out. He later appeared to a loud chorus from the crowd, but took part in light kicking duties rather than several of the early running drills.
The captain trained alongside Sam Switkowski, who has announced he will retire from Australian rules football after the grand final.
Fremantle fans travel for final home training session
Supporters travelled from across Western Australia to watch the Dockers prepare for the club’s chance to win its first premiership. Jacob, who had followed Fremantle for 30 years, made the journey from Collie in the South West for his first visit to the Cockburn facility.
“I’ve been a Dockers supporter for 30 years, they’ve got to do it,” he said.
Friends Olivia and Jenna arrived at 7.30am to secure a position at the front of the queue before travelling to Melbourne for the match.
“I love all the boys, but Pearce has got a special place in my heart, he’s going to captain us to victory I believe,” Jenna said.
“I really hope we can win, I’ve got tickets so I’m going to be in Melbourne at the final.”
Another supporter said they had attended mainly to see star ruckman Luke Jackson and believed Fremantle were now “a solid chance to win”.
“Hawthorn’s out, Brisbane is in and Freo is coming for it,” they said. “It’s 31 years in the making! This is it, we want the cup.”
Several players who helped Peel Thunder win the WAFL grand final against Claremont on Sunday also trained without visible problems. Sean Darcy, Bailey Banfield and Jeremy Sharp were among those to take part.
Jaeger O’Meara and Brandon Walker, who have been considered as emergencies for Saturday’s match, also appeared to have recovered well from their WAFL efforts.
Brennan Cox, held out of Peel’s victory to preserve his freshness for a possible recall, trained strongly. He showed little sign of the injury that had seen him lose his place to Oscar McDonald during the finals series.
Fremantle’s key forwards Jye Amiss, Patrick Voss and Josh Treacy also showed no visible injury concerns. The club currently has three players on its injury list.
Coach Justin Longmuir appeared calm throughout the session, two days after being named the Australian Football League Coaches Association’s Senior Coach of the Year.
Longmuir said receiving the Allan Jeans award was a significant honour and credited Fremantle’s wider coaching group for the achievement.
“The moment I started coaching, I fell in love with the profession – I get to go to work every day and help players to achieve their goals. That inspires and drives me to be the best coach I can be,” he said.
“I see this award as a reflection of the entire coaching group at Fremantle. I couldn’t ask for a more driven, selfless team of coaches to work with and I thank them for their dedication and support.”
Fremantle claimed the minor premiership after a club-record 19-win home-and-away season, including a 14-match winning run and a 12-0 record at Optus Stadium during the regular season.
The Dockers are now preparing for a Brisbane side seeking a third consecutive grand-final victory after appearing in the previous three deciding matches. Saturday’s contest will be Brisbane’s fourth grand final at the MCG.
