Source :- PERTH NOW NEWS
One of the biggest weeks in Fremantle’s history began with a loss – despite a ‘Wharfie Time’ cameo – but it didn’t stop an army of fans putting their purple pride on show.
The Dockers’ women’s side came up agonisingly short in their clash with Carlton, suffering a six-point loss after a brave late push at their Cockburn base.
The thrilling final minutes included a rare AFLW use of the much-hyped ‘Wharfie Time’ initiative, but the while the sound of the bells hyped the packed-out crowd of 2752, it wasn’t enough to get Freo over the line.
However, vibes remained high among the sea of purple, with the entire men’s squad supporting their female counterparts and lapping up the support of punters ahead of a defining stretch.
Players posed for selfies and signed autographs both before the game and at half-time, with the likes of Alex Pearce, Luke Jackson and Pat Voss among the most popular.
There were smiles all round among the playing group, but the focus will quickly be narrowed to Thursday night’s home clash against Hawthorn as the Dockers eye a dream start to their finals campaign.
It’s just the second time in the club’s history that Fremantle enter September with a home qualifying final, with the chance to book a spot in a preliminary final by beating a travelling side.
The previous occasion was in 2015, where the Dockers beat Sydney in their finals opener before a prelim loss to a Hawks side featuring current coach Sam Mitchell as a star midfielder.
Speaking on Sunday, Freo defender Karl Worner said players had embraced the all-of-club mentality across both the men’s and women’s programs as they look to lift each other to new heights.
“We like to call it one club, because we are one football club,” Worner said on Fox.
“The support out here (on Sunday)… the crowd is phenomenal. It’s great for us boys to sit and watch as well.”
It came as Hawthorn’s All-Australian backman Jarman Impey said the visitors would be on high alert for a hostile environment in front of a capacity crowd at Optus Stadium.
“They haven’t been beaten over there so they’re very hard and it’s always been a hard trip,” Impey said.
“We know what the atmosphere is like. To be honest with you, we actually look forward to it, and it’s pretty cool – the ‘Wharfie Time’ as well.
“I think there’s a live guitarist. We look forward to it.”
