Fremantle supporters have travelled from across Western Australia to Melbourne for the club's second grand final in its history, according to a first-person account published by ABC News ahead of the match. In the account, two members — Ivo Da Silva, who flies in from Kalgoorlie-Boulder for every home game, and a co-author from the state's South West who says he has driven about 15,000 kilometres to and from games — set out to explain why they keep returning to a club that has gone decades without sustained success.
Fremantle supporters travel thousands of kilometres for club's second grand final
Fremantle supporters have travelled from across Western Australia to Melbourne for the club's second grand final in its history, according to a first-person account published by ABC News ahead of the match. In the account, two members — Ivo Da Silva, who flies in from Kalgoorlie-Boulder for every home game, and a co-author from the state's South West who says he has driven about 15,000 kilometres to and from games — set out to explain why they keep returning to a club that has gone decades without sustained success.
The two authors say the question they attempted to answer is one the club's supporters are often asked: why keep coming back each year. They write that thousands of Fremantle supporters crossed the state and country for the second grand final in the club's history, that they place their mental health and emotional wellbeing for six months each year in the hands of 40-50 players, and that some supporters have spent tens of thousands of dollars over the years for the privilege of following the club.
Dave Shea of Geraldton has driven a 900-kilometre round trip over 15 years to attend home games, the account says. He now watches more games at home and has turned parts of his house into a display of Dockers memorabilia. The authors write that he is apprehensive about the grand final but confident that a win would be the start of something special.
Annette and Steven Annandale of Collie are part of a group that routinely makes a 400-kilometre round trip by bus to home games, according to the account. They flew out of Busselton for Melbourne on Thursday.
Broome father and daughter Brian Saggers and Bianca Benioni are described as jokingly worried about wife and mother Angie, who they say has been banished from watching Fremantle games with them for a few years. The pair are contemplating matching Dockers tattoos if the club wins, the account says.
The authors trace their support to a match in 1996, when one of them sat in the outer at Subiaco with his brother, father and grandfather watching Fremantle beat Carlton. They also cite Fremantle's first final in 2003 against Essendon, Jeff Farmer's goal after the siren against Melbourne, a winless-risk 2001 season in which Justin Longmuir kicked five goals against Hawthorn, Nathan Fyfe's career, and former coach Gerard Neesham's address to supporters after his 1998 sacking. They write that Fremantle hosted Fitzroy's final game before its merger with Brisbane in September 1996, and that while some Fitzroy supporters walked away from the AFL, others stayed and have since had two eras of success.
- The source does not name Fremantle's opponent in the grand final.
- The source does not state the calendar date of the grand final, referring to the match only as taking place "tomorrow."
- The source does not state the venue of the grand final beyond supporters travelling to Melbourne.
- The source does not state the outcome of Fremantle's previous grand final appearance, described as the first in the club's history.
- The source refers to Brisbane's "bid for a second Brisbane three-peat" without explaining the phrase.
- The source does not give the names of the two authors of the account.
- The source does not state whether the Fremantle Football Club was asked to comment for the account.
Read the original at ABC News Australia