Fremantle actually won this equivalent fixture in round one of last year. But the chances of them repeating the dose looked slim indeed. The Bulldogs this year are one of the form teams of the year, while the Dockers, on their day, are without doubt the worst team in the league.
Following our experiences with seating at the Phone Box, we arrived at the game bright and early, and were able to get into the cheap seats. As we arrived we noticed huge numbers of school children arriving at the ground. These kids sat up in the reserved seating behind us, and were very vocal before the game. They set up what I assume was meant to be "Bulldogs" chant, but somehow it came out as sounding more like "Muad'hib", which just goes to show how quickly the young learn. Fortunately these kids were pretty much worn out by the time the game started, but they did provide a few highlights. A bit before teh game started, a lone Fremantle fan walked through their midst to get to his seat, holding his scarf up high and proud. Throughout the game this same guy was able to shout out what I was thinking as the Doggies supporters got less and less sane and more and more rabid, and so I labelled him The Voice of Reason.
The pre-game entertainment really was the highlight of this match. For some reason of other the Doggies were putting on a multi-cultural day. In fact, that was probably the reason the kids were at the ground, because a part of this was to get hundreds of kids dressed up in "national costumes" to wander around holding the sponsors signs. Much more importantly, they also had about a half dozen samba girls, with big feathers on their heads, a boa around their shoulders, high heels, and not much else. These girls did a little bit of a shuffle, which I think was supposed to be a samba, but realistically, who cares! They must have been cold though.
Oh yeah, and after all that, there was a game of football. Fremantle never really looked like winning the game, but on the other hand, they never really looked to be completely out of it either.
At half time, the girls came back. Probably the highlight of the game.
In the third quarter, the umpires decided to start paying Fremantle some free kicks. Jess Sinclair was in everything, and he was paid two or three free kicks for high tackles - all of which were justified. The Footscray fans weren't too impressed, so it was about that stage that they decided that young + blonde + can play = poof. Shame about their boy Scott West, but I guess that he can't play, so he must be straight.
The final scoreline was probably a little bit flattering to Fremantle, who didn't look all that great throughout the game. On the other hand, Footscray weren't that brilliant either. They certainly eased off in teh final few minutes, and they never really looked like burying Fremantle, which you woudl expect a top side, on their home ground, to be able to do.
Final Score : Western Bulldogs 18.14-122 defeated Fremantle 15.6-96
timnfromoz
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