Fremantle’s fourth straight win might have come down to grit and maturity, but it’s their pre-match preparation that’s sparked conversation across the AFL world.
During Saturday’s narrow six-point victory over North Melbourne, cameras captured what looked like mugshots of the four match umpires taped up on the walls of the Dockers’ dressing room.
While the Dockers edged the free kick count 25-23 and held off a five-goal final-term surge from the Roos, it was the unusual sight of umpires' faces on display that had pundits talking.
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‘Looks like mug shots’: Tactic splits opinion
St Kilda great Nick Riewoldt raised the issue on Channel 7’s Agenda Setters, saying, “They’re clearly trying to arm the players with the umpires’ names. They look like mug shots, those pics. But I reckon the players have got enough to worry about, don’t they? Without trying to memorise umpires’ names.”
Veteran broadcaster Craig Hutchison took the opposite view: “I think it’s smart. Trying to get an edge.”
Head coach Justin Longmuir, meanwhile, focused more on the response from his players, praising their poise after nearly letting slip a 28-point lead late in the third quarter. “To be able to stay connected to what the game needs... I think that maturity is coming,” he said.
With four wins on the trot, Fremantle have moved into eighth on the ladder and could create a three-game buffer over 10th-placed Essendon with a win on Thursday night. They’ll be coming in off a short turnaround, and likely without skipper Alex Pearce, but could welcome back Michael Walters, who’s pushing for his first appearance since pre-season.