Pav shattered after Dockers exit
Fremantle captain Matthew Pavlich has forecast plenty of sleepless nights over the next few weeks as the club attempts to come to terms with its shock semifinal defeat.
The Dockers became the second top-four side to suffer a straight-sets elimination from this year’s finals series when the Port Adelaide came back from 31 points down to claim an incredible 22-point victory at Patersons Stadium.
The result pitches the Power into a preliminary final against reigning premiers Hawthorn on Saturday, while the Dockers are left contemplating what might have been.
Speaking at Fremantle Oval this morning, Pavlich said the mood around the club was not pleasant.
“Extremely disappointed and quite numb,” he said.
“All the symptoms, I guess, of a game that we were expecting to win and really wanted to play well in.
“It’s really quite a hollow feeling right now.
“All the guys are shattered and, like our members and fans, are really disappointed.”
Pavlich said the feeling in the rooms at half-time was quite positive despite having only a 24-point lead to show for their early dominance.
History will show Port Adelaide won the game by taking control of the midfield battle after the break, with plenty of credit going to Robbie Gray’s four-goal performance in the third term.
Pavlich said Fremantle’s execution throughout the game would play on their minds for some time.
“You’re not an AFL player or athlete unless you stay awake at night and think about moments of the game, both individually and collectively,” he said.
“It’s a hard existence sometimes, you repeat them over in your head all the time. I’m no different.”
He said while the club did not achieve what they set out to, they would not be throwing in the towel anytime soon.
“One thing I can guarantee is we won’t be leaving any stone unturned, we’ll do everything we can to improve and get better because we need to,” he said.
