Thirteen and Counting: Freo’s Run Is the Real Deal, Mate

Look, I’ll be straight with you — as a Eagles man, I have a complicated relationship with our neighbours down the freeway. But even I can’t sit here and pretend what the Fremantle Dockers are doing right now isn’t something genuinely special, because thirteen straight wins is the sort of run that demands respect from anyone who calls themselves a footy fan.

And just to top it all off, Shai Bolton went and took a mark that had the whole of Perth Stadium absolutely losing their minds. Over here in the west, we don’t always get the credit we deserve for producing elite football — more on that in a minute — but nights like Saturday remind you exactly why this part of the country bleeds purple and blue (or in my case, blue and gold, but you get the drift).

Coming From Behind Makes It Sweeter

There’s a big difference between a team that rolls over opponents from the first bounce and a team that can dig deep when the heat is on. Geelong, for all the talk about their dynasty winding down, are still a Cats side that knows how to make life uncomfortable. They’re seasoned, they’re physical, and they don’t just lie down for anyone.

Fremantle had to work for this one. They found themselves behind at stages and had to find another gear — and they did. That’s the hallmark of a side with genuine belief in itself, not just a lucky streak riding the back of an easy draw. You don’t reel off thirteen consecutive wins against varied opposition by accident. At some point, the football just starts speaking for itself.

Shai Bolton and the Mark of the Year

Right, let’s talk about the moment everyone over here in the west is going to be rewatching for the next fortnight. Shai Bolton — and what a recruitment story that is in itself, plucked from Richmond where he was always threatening to become something more — climbed over the top of his opponent and took a screamer that honestly had no right to be held. The hands, the timing, the sheer audacity of going for it in the first place.

If that doesn’t end up on the Mark of the Year shortlist, then the AFL is doing something wrong. Which, knowing the AFL and their well-documented love affair with anything happening east of the Nullarbor, is not entirely out of the question — but I digress. It was a magnificent mark, full stop, and Bolton’s evolution as a player since crossing west has been one of the genuine feelgood stories of the season.

The bloke plays with pure joy. You can see it. He’s not grinding through the motions — he’s loving it, and that energy spreads through a team. When your outside runners are taking screamers and kicking goals with that kind of flair, the whole group lifts. Justin Longmuir would’ve been watching that from the coaches’ box with a smile wider than the Swan River.

What Thirteen in a Row Actually Means

Let’s put this in context, because I think sometimes we throw around winning streaks without appreciating what they really involve. Thirteen consecutive wins in the AFL means thirteen rounds where you’ve dealt with travel (oh, don’t get me started on the travel burden WA clubs cop — we’ll get there), injury disruptions, form slumps from key players, tactical adjustments from opposition coaches who’ve had a week to study your patterns, and the sheer psychological weight of expectation building week after week.

The 2024 Fremantle side has navigated all of that. They’ve done it with a cohesive game plan, a midfield brigade that works its backside off, and forwards who are finding the ball in dangerous positions with real consistency. This isn’t a fluke. This is a football club that has done the hard yards in the offseason and is now reaping the rewards. Credit where it’s due.

The East Coast Will Notice — Eventually

Here’s my annual gripe, and long-time FootyTalk readers will know I can’t help myself. Over here in the west, we produce brilliant football week in and week out, but the amount of column inches, TV panel time, and general breathless coverage that gets dedicated to what’s happening in Melbourne is, frankly, embarrassing for a national competition.

If Collingwood or Hawthorn were on a thirteen-game winning streak, you’d have think-pieces about dynasty-building, historical comparisons, prime-time specials — the works. Fremantle does it and we’ll get a polite acknowledgement somewhere in the second half of AFL 360 while they spend twenty minutes arguing about whether some Demons midfielder looked at a opponent funny.

I’m not bitter. I’m just saying. The Dockers desevre the full spotlight right now, and hopefully the wider footy public is taking notice of what Justin Longmuir has built over in this corner of the country.

Geelong’s Slide and What It Means for September

Spare a thought for the Cats, too. This isn’t the Geelong of the Selwood-Ablett era, and they’ve had to reinvent themselves through a transitional period that’s been more drawn out and messier than the club would’ve hoped. Losing to an in-form Fremantle side on the road — and make no mistake, any time an east coast club travels to Perth it’s a genuine mountain to climb, ask any of them — isn’t a disaster for Chris Scott’s side, but it does raise questions about where they sit heading into the pointy end of the season.

The Cats will still likely push for finals. They’ve got enough experience in that group to squeeze into September, but their premiership prospects look shakier than they did twelve months ago. Meanwhile, Fremantle is building the kind of momentum that makes opposition coaches lose sleep.

Eagles Fan’s Honest Assessment

Look, it’s no secret that the rivalry between Eagles and Dockers fans is one of the fiercest in the country. Derby games at Optus Stadium are electric in a way that even the MCG faithful have to acknowledge, grudgingly, is something special. Over here in the west, footy runs deep, and the divide between purple and blue versus royal blue and gold is real.

But I’ve been around long enough to appreciate good football when I see it, regardless of the jumper. And right now, the Fremantle Football Club is playing some of the best football in the competition. Bolton is a genuine superstar in the making. Their defensive structure is tight. Their transition game is quick and precise. Their supporters — and there are a lot more of them than there used to be — are absolutely buzzing.

If my Eagles can’t be the ones lighting up Perth Stadium this year, then at least someone over here in the west is flying the flag for WA football on the national stage. Thirteen straight wins. A potential Mark of the Year. A team that came from behind to beat a quality opponent.

\p>Not bad for a Friday night’s work, Freo. Not bad at all.