On this trip to our Australian home away from home, Fremantle (or Freo as it’s always called by the locals), we arrived in early September to celebrate a family birthday. It just so happened that we were in town for a huge surge of fan excitement as the local Australian Football League team, the Fremantle Dockers, made their run for the championship. It was hard not to get caught up in the spirit!
Fremantle’s path to the “footy” finals was a dramatic journey:
- Qualifying Final: Suffered a shocking upset loss to Hawthorn (40–72) at Optus Stadium.
- Semi-Final: Bounced back in a high-scoring thriller against Geelong, winning 120–106.
- Preliminary Final: Staged a spectacular come-from-behind victory against the Sydney Swans. Trailing by 28 points in the third quarter, they booted six straight goals to win 83–71 and lock in their first Grand Final appearance since 2013.
- Grand Final Heartbreak: On September 26, 2026, Fremantle faced the reigning back-to-back premiers, the Brisbane Lions, at the MCG in front of 100,023 fans. The Dockers controlled much of the game and looked poised to claim their first-ever AFL premiership when forward Patrick Voss kicked a crucial goal to put them 17 points ahead with less than five minutes remaining. The club even activated its famous “Wharfie Time” stadium celebration. However, Brisbane launched a miraculous late counter-attack, booting four goals in the final four minutes to steal a 96–89 victory and secure a premiership three-peat.
The letdown was huge. The streets of Fremantle that had literally been painted purple in anticipation were quickly deserted by heartbroken fans They’ll just have to wait another year; it’s now been 32 years since the club entered the league without having ever won the big prize.
All the Freo Dockers gear will have to be put away until next season….
Feature image at top of post of members of the “Purple Army” looking extremely happy before the Grand Final is copyright The Australian.