TOPIC:

It’s happening again isn’t it - 2016/17 all over again.  The crabs have sleazed into the 5 and it’s hard to see anyone knocking them out.  Freo head to the finals and it’s highly unlikely that they’ll be there long, so unless the crabs are eliminated early, they’ll load up Peelmantle with afl players.  They should never be allowed to play finals as long as they are aligned to the dockers.
May I congratulate the WAFC for bastardisation of West Australian football.  Subi supporters will be sitting back and thinking that now another one of the traditional clubs is going to get shafted….and that’s fucked!!!!!

the moment they are eliminated from AFL finals is the moment all of their high value or recent draftee players are withdrawn from any potential harm (especially at Leederville Oval where they've got history)
the only ones who'll play from then are the ones that are either going to be delisted or traded

Two contrasting predictions then. Will be interesting to see which one comes true. 

If we went back to a final 4, Peel would rarely make it because of all their choping and changing. Plus we could play wafl gf on preliminary final week. Maybe at Optus on the Sunday leading into school holidays? 

Freo have next weekend off for the pre-finals bye and will play the Doggies at Optus on the following weekend which is the WAFL final H & A game. If they get rolled by the doggies which is unlikely unless it rains, they are out of the finals before the WAFL finals so Peelmantle will be limited to I think 12 listed players. If Freo win then Peel will have unlimited access for the Elim final which at this stage looks like being v Souths. Freo would then have an away game v one of the top 4 losers in Vicco or Sydney which they are unlikely to win so will be out, but if Peel win the elim final they will still have unlimited listed players for the first semi, and on it goes. let me know if I have any of this wrong.

Freo did not hesitate to allow anyone who was fit and qualified to play for Peel in the 16 and 17 finals so dont think for a minute that they will hold too many back, thats what WC would do, not Freo as Pellmantle are the only way they will get any semblance of grand final "glory"

And yes Subi supporters will feel for whoever cops a loaded Peelmantle in the finals but may have a slight smirk for those who enjoyed seeing us lose two flags to an near full AFL outfit.

Yes SS. In the 2016 GF, Freo parachuted in 17 AFL listed players including that crab Zac Dawson for his farewell game and dumped teenager Aaron Naughton in doing so.

The rest is history but I'll sit back and watch the finals unfold without a whole lot of sympathy for the other clubs if Peel do pull it off which isn't beyond the realms of possibility given Freo's short injury list and the fact it's full time professional footballers with everything that goes with it against part timers.

I think we are being unnecessarily alarmist about Peel. In 2016 and 2017 the rules were much more lax and because the Dockers were nowhere near finals contention in those years, Ross Lyon was regularly dropping A graders to Peel for no apparent reason so that they would qualify for their finals campaign. He also pulled stunts like sitting returning injured players on the bench in the reserves even though they werent fully fit. Reserves games were included in qualification in those days, not any more.

The rules have been tightened significantly and the outcome will be that the Peel team that fronts up for the elimination final will be not a lot different to the one they have been turning out all year. IMO I reckon whoever plays them will pretty much have them covered.

Must admit I had a chuckle at BCs recollection. I had forgotten that Peel had dropped Aaron Naughton for a grand final in favour of Spud Dawson. I'm sure that would not have endeared the Dockers to Naughton.  The Karma for that action may be about to hit with Naughton coming home to play for the Doggies in a few weeks in the final

I hear what you say Mike, but Peel accounted for Souths recently so they are right up there with the top 4 teams, but wont have home ground advantage.

I'm hoping Naughton tears Freo a new one in the elim final, he and his family were furious he missed the GF with Peel. Freo then lost any hope of getting one of the better CHF's in the comp.

He went pick 9 in 2017. Freo had already used picks 2 and 5 to get Brayshaw and Cerra and didn't have another one until 44. Maybe in hindsight they could have taken Naughton instead of Cerra but who knew back then.  

But yes, I agree the optics of dropping Naughton for Dawson wasn't great especially when the prick shirt-fronted Liam Baker and knocked him out in the 2nd semi and was reported but got off. 

Senior Seagull wrote:

Freo have next weekend off for the pre-finals bye and will play the Doggies at Optus on the following weekend which is the WAFL final H & A game. If they get rolled by the doggies which is unlikely unless it rains, they are out of the finals before the WAFL finals so Peelmantle will be limited to I think 12 listed players. If Freo win then Peel will have unlimited access for the Elim final which at this stage looks like being v Souths. Freo would then have an away game v one of the top 4 losers in Vicco or Sydney which they are unlikely to win so will be out, but if Peel win the elim final they will still have unlimited listed players for the first semi, and on it goes. let me know if I have any of this wrong.

Freo did not hesitate to allow anyone who was fit and qualified to play for Peel in the 16 and 17 finals so dont think for a minute that they will hold too many back, thats what WC would do, not Freo as Pellmantle are the only way they will get any semblance of grand final "glory"

And yes Subi supporters will feel for whoever cops a loaded Peelmantle in the finals but may have a slight smirk for those who enjoyed seeing us lose two flags to an near full AFL outfit.

I can only remember reading one dickhead comment saying they enjoyed 2 ‘ersatz’ GF’s and that was stt I think.  I thought that generally, most were pretty peeved that they were allowed to legally cheat.  Well that’s my memory, so I could be a mile out.

Senior Seagull wrote:

Freo have next weekend off for the pre-finals bye and will play the Doggies at Optus on the following weekend which is the WAFL final H & A game. If they get rolled by the doggies which is unlikely unless it rains, they are out of the finals before the WAFL finals so Peelmantle will be limited to I think 12 listed players. If Freo win then Peel will have unlimited access for the Elim final which at this stage looks like being v Souths. Freo would then have an away game v one of the top 4 losers in Vicco or Sydney which they are unlikely to win so will be out, but if Peel win the elim final they will still have unlimited listed players for the first semi, and on it goes. let me know if I have any of this wrong.

Freo did not hesitate to allow anyone who was fit and qualified to play for Peel in the 16 and 17 finals so dont think for a minute that they will hold too many back, thats what WC would do, not Freo as Pellmantle are the only way they will get any semblance of grand final "glory"

And yes Subi supporters will feel for whoever cops a loaded Peelmantle in the finals but may have a slight smirk for those who enjoyed seeing us lose two flags to an near full AFL outfit.

 Absolutley spot on.