Source :- PERTH NOW NEWS
Should the Fremantle Dockers be known as Walyalup permanently?
That’s the suggestion by some in the Purple Army after the club remained unbeaten under their Sir Doug Nicholls Round moniker.
The Dockers have now won four games and drawn one as Walyalup after defeating Greater Western Sydney on Saturday.
The 34-point victory also marked the first time the side has beaten the Giants at ENGIE Stadium in five appearances.
The remarkable 4-1-0 run has prompted some fans to urge the club to adopt the Indigenous name full-time.
“Can we permanently keep our name to Walyalup?” one fan asked, while another said: “At this point, we do a permanent change right?”
“Petition to be Walyalup every round,” another fan added, while another said: “Let’s change the name then”.
“I vote for a permanent name change,” another said, while one supporter demanded the club “keep the name”.
“I’ve seen enough, change the club’s name permanently to Walyalup,” another said.
“That’s the curse breaker. Rename Fremantle to Walyalup permanently,” another added of the win in Sydney.
“I’m all for us changing the name to Walyalup,” another fan added.
Walyalup are one of six clubs to go by an Indigenous name for Sir Doug Nicholls Round in 2025, alongside Narrm (Melbourne), Waalitj Marawar (West Coast), Euro-Yroke (St Kilda), Yartapuulti (Port Adelaide) and Kuwarna (Adelaide).
The Dockers first introduced the name change in 2023, following the lead of the Demons, who became the first club in the league to adopt an Indigenous name the year prior.
Walyalup refers to the Noongar country in and around Fremantle.
Walayalup and Narrm’s meeting in 2023 marked the first time two clubs with Indigenous names played each other in the AFL, with the Dockers prevailing by seven points at the MCG.
The Dockers also defeated Geelong by 29 points the week prior in their first game as Walyalup.
A victory over Euro-Yroke (St Kilda) in 2024 was followed by a draw against Collingwood, in the only game they didn’t walk away with all four points.
Walyalup will hope to keep their unbeaten run alive with a crunch clash against Yartapuulti, who have lost their past three games.
The club will host the struggling Power at Optus Stadium on Saturday night and will continue to use the name Walyalup until the conclusion of Sir Doug Nicholls Round.
