Longmuir’s MCG Non-Event: Cool Heads Beat Big Stages
So Freo are off to the big house this weekend, the MCG, the ground every kid in a purple guernsey dreams about running out on come the last Saturday in September, and Justin Longmuir’s response is basically ‘yeah, whatever, it’s just a footy ground.’ Fair play to him, but over here in the west we know that’s not quite the full story, is it.
The Dockers are flag favourites, they’re chasing the minor premiership, and now they’re getting the full MCG experience weeks out from finals – the runway, the giant scoreboard, the away change rooms that always feel about three sizes too big for a WA side that’s used to Optus Stadium’s tighter, punchier atmosphere. Longmuir’s playing it dead straight in the press conference, calling it just another away game, no big deal, don’t read into it. Classic coach-speak, and I don’t blame him one bit for saying it. But let’s be honest about what’s actually going on here.
The ‘it’s just a ground’ line is a bit rich
Look, I get why Longmuir’s downplaying it. You never want your players walking out there wide-eyed, thinking about September when there’s a minor premiership and eight-plus rounds of contest still up for grabs. Good coaches kill that talk stone dead. But let’s not pretend the MCG doesn’t matter. It’s the biggest surface in the country, the ball sits up different, the crowd noise rolls around that bowl in a way that no other venue replicates, and if you’re a West Australian side that plays the bulk of your footy on a tighter deck, walking into that stadium for the first time in a big year is genuinely different footy.
We’ve seen it before. WA sides get to the pointy end of the year and suddenly they’re being asked to adjust to grounds they’ve maybe visited once or twice all season, while the Victorian clubs are getting reps on the MCG most years without even trying. It’s not a conspiracy, it’s just geography and scheduling, but it’s real, and pretending otherwise doesn’t do anyone favours.
Fremantle’s flag credentials are legit, even if it hurts to say it
I’m an Eagles man through and through, so writing nice things about the Dockers physically pains me a little bit, but I call it how I see it. This Freo side is genuinely scary. The way they’re winning contested footy, the way Longmuir’s got them structured behind the ball, it’s the real deal. Minor premiership isn’t just a nice trophy for the club museum, it means a home qualifying final, it means the double chance, it means everything lines up nicely if they can hold the position.
So there’s actually a lot on the line this weekend even if it’s dressed up as ‘just an away game.’ Every side chasing the top spot needs these wins, and the Dockers know full well that a performance on the big MCG stage does wonders for confidence heading into the business end. You can call it a dress rehearsal or you can call it round whatever-it-is, but the players know what it means, even if the coach won’t say it out loud.
Why coaches always play this down
Every coach in the comp does this dance. You never hear a coach say ‘yeah mate, this is basically a trial run for the granny, get pumped.’ It’s always ‘one game at a time,’ ‘focused on our processes,’ ‘not looking that far ahead.’ It’s coaching 101, and Longmuir’s ticking every box. He knows if his players start dreaming about grand finals in round 20-odd, they’ll cop a touch-up from a mid-table side the very next week. So brushing it off is the smart move, even if half the footy media pack (myself included, guilty as charged) wants to make a big song and dance about the symbolism.
But here’s my honest take: symbolism does matter a little bit for travelling sides. Confidence at the MCG is currency come finals time, because if Freo do end up hosting a home final, there’s still a very real chance their run to a flag takes them back to Victoria at some stage, MCG included, if the draw falls that way. Getting a good look at the ground now, nailing the travel routine, getting the players comfortable in that away dressing shed – all of that banks credit for later, whether Longmuir admits it publically or not.
The travel gripe, because someone has to say it
I’ll say what plenty of West Coast and Freo fans are thinking even if it’s not popular in certain corners of the footy media: the travel burden on WA clubs remains a genuine issue, and it doesn’t get talked about enough during broadcasts that are, let’s face it, produced mostly by people sitting comfortably in Melbourne. Flying east, adjusting the body clock, playing in front of what’s effectively a home crowd for the opposition even when Freo’s the higher side on the ladder – it’s a lot to ask, and it happens to WA sides more often than it happens the other way round.
Now, I’m not saying it’s some grand conspiracy against the west, footy scheduling is genuinly just complicated with fixturing and travel logisitcs and all that, but it is a factor, and it’s one more reason why what Longmuir’s side does this weekend actually carries a bit more weight than ‘just another game.’
What actually matters this weekend
Strip away all the dress rehearsal talk and the minor premiership chatter, and this game is a proper test. Can Freo take their home form onto the biggest ground in the country against a genuine contender, away from home, with all eyes on them as favourites? That’s the real question, not whether the MCG feels like September.
If they get the job done, expect the finals talk to ramp up tenfold regardless of what Longmuir says publicly. If they slip up, you can bet the same commentators will suddenly remember all the travel and venue excuses that get conveniently forgotten when a WA side is winning.
The Bluey verdict
Longmuir’s right to play it down, that’s smart coaching, but let’s not kid ourselves that the MCG doesn’t mean something extra for a side that calls the west home. Best of luck to the Dockers this weekend, genuinely, because a strong WA showing on the big stage is good for footy everywhere, even if it’s not the result I’d be barracking for personally. Just don’t expect me to enjoy writing that sentence too much.
