It's amazing but somewhere over the last ten days I picked up an enormous sense of enthusiasm and a real confidence that we, meaning the Dockers, are on the verge of a massive run of top line form and subsequent victories. Despite that disgraceful and inexplicable performance against the Dees I have this genuine feeling that we're going to surprise a lot of people and a lot of teams in the very near future.
Now I'm not sure if it's the fact I got my back up about the way Walls, Caro and Hutchy treated Mark Harvey over the last three weeks that has contributed to this confidence but I can feel the form reversal happening.
Maybe it's purely and simply just being a Fremantle fan is what causes it. We know we have been ordinary in sections of games and we're critical of it. But when outsiders want to have a go at us, that's overstepping the line and you then immediately go from ridiculing to defending. I think it's like when your sister or brother does something wrong and you bag the hell out of them. A mate or some else joins in and has a go about that same family member and then, despite the fact they're only showing support for you, you turn on them and let them have it.
But while all that occurs, it doesn't explain the renewed sense of optimism. It doesn't explain why two weeks back I was counting the season as gornskis but now have us giving the finals a big shake even though we remain 1 and 6, third last on the ladder and facing the rampaging unbeaten Bulldogs this week.
The fact is something made me look at the season so far in a bit more depth and the remainder of the season to come in greater detail. As I am one who is partial to a small wager or two on various sporting events I was perusing the "Make the top eight" betting markets. Fremantle are at $6.00 to finish in the top eight.
We should have won our last two games but you don't get to where we were in those games if you're completely legless. Now I know you're saying right now, "Yes, but we didn't win them and we're 1 and 6 and there is just fifteen games to go of which we need a minimum of ten wins."
But let's look at it this way.
Right at this point in time we're just two wins and 22% out of the eight. Despite being plenty up during the game, we pushed Geelong to within a kick and you had to expect the Cats were going to charge at us at some stage during the match. We pushed Adelaide on their home ground to within three kicks and that's with the well documented interesting umpiring. We got done by virtually two kicks by the unbeaten Hawks and Collingwood got us in round one on the MCG.
We have got Collingwood, St Kilda, Port Adelaide, Melbourne and West Coast to come at Subiaco. We've got Essendon twice to play, obviously once at Subiaco, Carlton at Telstra and Richmond at the MCG.
The real tough, but not impossible, games are Geelong at Kardinya Park, Sydney at that disgraceful SCG, Brisbane at the Gabba and Port Adelaide at AAMI.
Take out the second half of football against Melbourne two weeks back and we're right in all those games up to our necks. Put that half of football back in and, given the fallout and the reaction from it, you'd imagine we'd give all those remaining games a real shake.
We have shown that we are easily good enough. The break in the season come at the absolute perfect time for us because if ever you're going to put in your worst performance which humiliates and embarrasses all involved you want it on the week leading into a break. There has been enough time to let the dust settle and then look into, work out and sort out whatever certain immediate problems were apparent. You get the impression that, possibly unlike certain people before him, Mark Harvey isn't the type of bloke who would cop what was served up by his team in that Melbourne game. I would have hated to have been on the end of what he would have dished up in private to the players and something tells me he will do what is necessary.
Harvey made the comment during the last two weeks that Fremantle were on the verge of a big form reversal. After looking into it, I tend to agree with him and I think I can see what he's talking about. It's not too often mid-season we have seen the Fremantle players be put through several pre-season type grueling and punishing training sessions like they have been made perform this week and it appears Harvey is rolling out the step up or step out policy with all players.
The facts are yes we're one and six and that is a problem and yes seemingly history is repeating, but apart from that half of horrid and baffling football on the MCG against Melbourne and the poor performance against a fast running Richmond, we have been right there and a bounce of the ball and a rough or poor decision by both umpire and player has virtually decided many of the games.
The positives are that we are only two games from the eight and in all honesty we don't need to do too much more to start winning. I believe this is what Harvey was alluding to when he made the comment about being on the verge of form reversal and he's no doubt attempted to implement whatever was or is needed during the past ten days. This upcoming game against the Bulldogs is enormous. Win that and, as silly as it sounds, the season is back on track.
If you were backed into a corner and had to fight your way out, Mark Harvey would be the bloke you would want running the brawl. He'd orchestrate it and inform you of the best way to go about it. If you didn't listen he'd probably win the fight himself and then give you one to go on with. I'm backing him in to the point where I'm loading up on the $6.00 to make the top eight. Beat the Bulldogs and Freo shorten into around $3.50 through a combination of mathematics and perception. Lose to the Bulldogs and we're out to $8+.
One of the things that does worry me though is that TABSportsBet has Fremantle at the best price available. That's troubling because they usually don't take the slightest of risks.
Betting Markets - Finish in the Top Eight
TABsportsbet - $6.00
Betfair - $5.50
Centrebet - $5.00
Dial A Bet - $6.00
Vic Bet - $5.00
Portland Bet - $6.00
The media has overdone and oversold the Fremantle doom and gloom and with overselling comes opportunity. I'm grabbing a fair slice of that $6 top eight bet. If we beat the Bulldogs then the Milky Bars are on me!