On a Saturday in late September, two football clubs will meet at the Melbourne Cricket Ground carrying very different kinds of weight — one the quiet confidence of a dynasty, the other the long-accumulated longing of a city that has never quite reached the summit. Fremantle, born into the competition in 1995 and still without a premiership, brings Perth's purple-draped hope into a Grand Final against Brisbane, a club that has won five titles and now seeks a third in succession. It is, in the oldest sense, a contest between hunger and poise — and the outcome will say something about which force
Fremantle seeks first premiership as Brisbane chases three-peat in AFL Grand Final
Perth has dressed itself in purple.
Mark
So Fremantle hasn't won a premiership in thirty-one years. That's a long time for a city to wait. What makes this year different?
Mimi
They finished on top of the ladder this season, which means they've been the most consistent team all year. And they've shown they can win when it matters—they came from behind against Sydney in the finals.
Luke
But here's the thing: in their last twelve quarters, they won only three. That's a pretty shaky foundation to build a premiership on. They got lucky against Sydney.
Mimi
True, but Brisbane also needed a miracle in their last game. They were down by seven goals to Hawthorn in the final quarter. Both teams have shown they can respond.
Mark
What about Brisbane's experience? They've won five premierships. Does that actually matter on the day?
Luke
It matters, but it's not everything. Experience helps you stay calm, but it doesn't guarantee you'll execute when the pressure is on. And Fremantle has a really dynamic forward line.
Mimi
Brisbane's attack is stronger on paper—Logan Morris has 69 goals, and they have multiple goal kickers. But Fremantle's three tall forwards plus Luke Jackson give them a different kind of threat.
Mark
There's also this question of Lachie Neale for Brisbane. He's appealing a ban. How much does that matter?
Luke
He's described as talismanic, which usually means he's important. But Brisbane says they have coverage. We don't know if he'll play or not, so it's hard to say how much it changes things.
Mimi
What we do know is that Perth has transformed itself into this purple sea. The city is invested in a way it hasn't been in thirteen years. That collective energy is real, even if it doesn't show up in the stats.
Mark
So it comes down to whether hunger beats experience?
Luke
It comes down to execution. Whoever plays cleaner football and makes fewer mistakes will win. The narrative is nice, but the game is decided by who kicks more goals.
O Pulso
- Perth has turned itself purple, with shopfronts, homes, and skyscrapers all declaring 'Wharfie Time' as a city's thirty-one-year wait reaches its most urgent hour.
- Fremantle's recent form carries a tremor of doubt — winning only three of their last twelve quarters — yet a stunning five-goal comeback against Sydney revealed a team capable of finding itself under pressure.
- Brisbane's own path here was harrowing, clawing back from seven goals down in the final quarter against Hawthorn, a reminder that the Lions know how to survive when survival is the only option.
- The Lions' attack is a loaded weapon — 69 goals from Logan Morris, twin small forwards each past 50, and Will Ashcroft as a two-time Grand Final best-on-ground — while a striking ban on Lachie Neale introduces the one variable Brisbane cannot fully control.
- Fremantle counter with three tall forward targets, a dominant ruckman, and the electric Shai Bolton, a combination designed to move the ball fast and punish any lapse in Brisbane's defensive concentration.
- The match now sits on a single question: whether the hunger of a city that has never won can outlast the composed authority of a club that already knows what winning feels like.
On a Saturday in late September, two football clubs will meet at the Melbourne Cricket Ground carrying very different kinds of weight — one the quiet confidence of a dynasty, the other the long-accumulated longing of a city that has never quite reached the summit. Fremantle, born into the competition in 1995 and still without a premiership, brings Perth's purple-draped hope into a Grand Final against Brisbane, a club that has won five titles and now seeks a third in succession. It is, in the oldest sense, a contest between hunger and poise — and the outcome will say something about which force, in the end, proves more powerful.
Perth has dressed itself in purple. Shopfronts, homes, and skyscrapers across the city carry the colours and the rallying cry — 'Wharfie Time' — as Fremantle prepares to meet Brisbane in Saturday's AFL Grand Final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. One hundred thousand spectators are expected to witness a contest between a club chasing its first premiership in thirty-one years and a team hunting a third consecutive title.
Fremantle has never won the championship. Their closest moment came in 2013, when they fell to Hawthorn, and that wound has quietly shaped the club's identity ever since. Coach Justin Longmuir has spoken of the responsibility he feels, and thousands of supporters turned out to the team's final training session — a city leaning in. The path here, though, has not been smooth. Fremantle won only three of their last twelve quarters of football, yet against Sydney last week they trailed late before kicking five unanswered goals to advance. That capacity to respond is what they will need most.
Brisbane bring their own scars and their own pedigree. The Lions trailed Hawthorn by seven goals in the final quarter of their knockout match before storming back to survive — a reminder of what five-time champions are capable of when cornered. Their attack is formidable: Logan Morris with 69 goals for the season, small forwards Kai Lohmann and Charlie Cameron each past 50, and Will Ashcroft — a dual Grand Final best-on-ground medallist — driving their midfield. The one uncertainty is Lachie Neale, who is appealing a striking ban; his absence would be felt, though Brisbane's depth offers some cover.
Fremantle's answer is a different kind of danger — three tall forward targets in Jye Amiss, Patrick Voss, and Josh Treacy, ruckman Luke Jackson in the middle, and Shai Bolton as a goal-sneak who finds space and converts. It is a forward structure built for speed and transition.
Veteran Lions defender Ryan Lester captured the contrast plainly: Brisbane knows how to carry expectation, how to find enjoyment in the occasion while still doing the job. Fremantle carries something else — the accumulated longing of a port city that has waited three decades. Saturday will settle which of those forces, in the end, proves the stronger.
Perth has dressed itself in purple. From the shopfronts along the main streets to the windows of residential homes, the city has wrapped itself in the colours of the Fremantle Dockers ahead of Saturday's AFL Grand Final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The ladder-topping Dockers will face the Brisbane Lions in a match expected to draw 100,000 spectators—a collision between a franchise chasing its first premiership in thirty-one years and a team hunting a third consecutive title.
Fremantle joined the competition in 1995 and has never won the championship. The closest they came was 2013, when they lost to Hawthorn in the Grand Final. That thirteen-year drought has shaped the club's identity and the patience of its supporters. Now, under coach Justin Longmuir, they have built something that has brought the entire city to attention. "I feel a great responsibility to be able to deliver the ultimate success, and we've given ourselves a great chance," Longmuir said. Thousands of Fremantle fans attended the team's final training session, and Perth's skyscrapers have begun displaying the message 'Wharfie Time'—a rallying cry that has taken hold across the port city.
The path to this moment has not been without turbulence. In their last twelve quarters of football, Fremantle won only three. Yet in last week's knockout against Sydney, they found something crucial: they trailed late in the match, then kicked five unanswered goals to advance. That capacity to respond under pressure will be tested against Brisbane, a team that has won five AFL premierships and knows how to perform when it matters most. The Lions faced their own crisis in their most recent knockout, trailing Hawthorn by seven goals in the final quarter before storming back with five goals of their own to survive.
Brisbane's attack is formidable. Logan Morris has kicked 69 goals this season, second-best in the league. Small forwards Kai Lohmann and Charlie Cameron have each booted over 50. The Lions' midfield engine is built around Will Ashcroft, a dual Grand Final best-on-ground medallist, and captain Harris Andrews, who plays full-back. There is one uncertainty: midfielder Lachie Neale, a talismanic player, is appealing a one-week striking ban. Brisbane's depth suggests they have coverage if he is unavailable, but his presence would strengthen their hand considerably.
Fremantle's offensive arsenal is different but no less dangerous. They have built their forward line around three tall targets: Jye Amiss, Patrick Voss, and Josh Treacy. Ruckman Luke Jackson provides presence in the middle, while Shai Bolton operates as a goal-sneak—a player who finds space and converts opportunities. This combination has given the Dockers a dynamic forward transition that can move the ball quickly from defence into scoring range.
The contrast between the two teams is stark. Brisbane arrives as the experienced operator, a franchise that has won before and knows the weight of expectation. Ryan Lester, a veteran Lions defender, acknowledged this: "We're obviously in the lucky position that we've done it before. We can sort of appreciate the fun that you can have, as well as knowing that the ultimate job is to perform on Saturday." Fremantle, by contrast, carries the hunger of a city that has waited three decades for this moment. The question Saturday will answer is whether that hunger can overcome the poise that comes from having won it all before.
Citações Notáveis
I feel a great responsibility to be able to deliver the ultimate success, and we've given ourselves a great chance.— Justin Longmuir, Fremantle coach
We're obviously in the lucky position that we've done it before. We can sort of appreciate the fun that you can have, as well as knowing that the ultimate job is to perform on Saturday.— Ryan Lester, Brisbane Lions defender
Quer a matéria completa?
Leia o original em The Star ↗
Sports