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Any chance a few of the forwards might get on board the Moose caboose? Time to Restump Podcast the emotional roller-coaster Friday night ride, resulting in a loss to the powerful premiership favourite Pies. 

Collingwood are deservedly premiership favourites so there is some level of merit in Freo’s Friday night performance. However, we just can’t do honourable losses any more. While the 14-point margin suggests a closely fought contest, the reality is Freo should have handed out a six-goal belting. 

How are we so talented in finding unique ways of avoiding victory! What are we playing dodgeball with winning? I mean it is almost impossible to lose a game of football when you clock up near on 30 more inside 50s than your opponents. You hate to think it but… only our beloved Dockers could manage that. 

The issues aren’t exclusive to one area or positional group pf players but, while the forwards didn’t exactly help themselves, the delivery to them was atrocious. 

We strangely went in with a host of talls and it seemingly inspired the mids to sit the ball on their heads! If I didn’t know any better, I’d have thought we subbed Blake Acres back in for a game. It literally got to a point where you thought Uber could have delivered the ball more efficiently!

I mean we won the centre clearances 21 to 7 which is an absolute smashing! We tripled their centre clearances; we doubled their inside 50s and we yet somehow find just one more scoring shot and lose by a couple of goals. Don’t tell me that wouldn’t stump the Myth Busters crew!

Unable to get the balance right between fast and painfully frustratingly slow play was never going to end well and, again, while the forwards did little to help themselves out, often all going up for the same ball, imagine trying to lead when you don’t know what the mids and ball carriers are going to do. In fact, I don’t even know if the mids and ball carriers new what they were going to do.

It shouldn’t have to be applauded but it was comforting to see that, while not at levels we saw against the Crows, the energy and intent was there. However, the turnovers wiped us out and the inability at times to hit simple kicks and handballs when under little to no pressure, continued to destroy us.  

Some have suggested the performance was subpar given the Pies rested Pendlebury, De‘Goey, Maynard and Mihocek. But let’s not forget Jamie Elliot, Steele Sidebottom, Jack Crisp, Will Hoskin-Elliot and Jeremy Howe were all there. Add Dan Houston, Tim Membrey and Darcy Moore and they pretty much had eight 200 gamers. 

We’re not throwing the towel in because we’re only a game and % off the final eight pace. But at the moment, in our current form or lack thereof, a game and % feels like we’re a fair way back. 

AFL logic suggests JL needs a miracle from here to keep his gig going into 2026, but does laying the entirety of the blame on him give the players a free pass? Could a few do with an incentivizing stint back at Peel? Couldn’t hurt to send an actual message. 

We’ve prattled on here long enough and we’re getting nowhere! If you’re still a little baffled about Friday night’s performance, you’re not on your Pat Malone. So, in your Freo fog and your cloud of confusion, bang on your tumultuous togs and join us in the purple pod pool of perplexity. Together we’ll all battle through the bewilderment in search of some balance.

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