Sometimes they’re derbies, sometimes they’re simply leg stretching, workload management periods. Time to Restump Podcast what was arguably the most mundane Western Derby in history.

Inevitability is the thief of suspense. Has there been less excitement to the build up to a Western Derby? Unsurprisingly the lack of hype and interest for the game met expectations. There was no pulse, not a moment of angst as it all felt a bit soulless.

No Optus Stadium fire hydrants need replacing because there wasn’t a single spot fire on the day. Derby greats of yesteryear from both teams would be shaking their head in disappointment, bewildered about what the Derbies have become.

Is it a sign of the times, where the “It isn’t a good look” folk have too much influence? Are the finger wagging purists in charge, frowning upon anyone who colours outside the line? Are the players prioritising earning capacity over the love of the jumper?

Or is it simply the West Coast Eagles are so dreadfully uncompetitive, they’ve sucked all the derby fun out of existence? While the smart money is on the latter, it was still played in far too good a spirit.

I simply can’t recall ever having these thoughts regarding a derby ever and I have seen every single one.

From our purple perspective it was pleasing to see Jye Amiss get on the end of a handful of goals. A day out indeed, but he probably left a couple more out there. Is he back on track? His recent games have shown promise, but we reserve full judgment as you can’t assess accurately against that non-existent pressure.

Murphy Reid is going the right way to get himself a hard tag each week going forward. If Murph was playing for Freo in the early modern period in the 16th century and delivered the same sorcery he is today, he’d have been burned at the stake!

Josh Treacy and Andy Brayshaw both took the opportunity to let the foot off the pedal as their usual hundred miles an hour input just simply wasn’t necessary.

Jordan Clark was awarded the Rosco Allan medal but… really? We’re not talking about or taking any notice of accolades for anything against that abysmal Eagles outfit. To be fair, the West Coast fans should have all gotten medals for sitting through and watching that tripe their team served up!

All in all, it was a difficult watch in terms of enthusiasm. However, the overriding positive is we’re 5 and 1 after 6 rounds and sitting second behind the Swans on percentage. That’s something to get excited about.

Not much more we can say about western derby 62, but whatever can be said, we’ll save it and say it on the pod. So, if you’re ready to throw away another good hour of your life after the hours we all lost yesterday, bring your ears, rulers, marker pens and shovels as we finish up, rule a line through it, dig a hole, burry it and never speak of it again!

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The last thing a team with the word wood in its name wants to see, is a carpenter in the opposition working on defence! Time to Restump Podcast Lukey Ryan’s woodworking masterclass and the hard-fought win over the Woodsmen.

It was always only a matter of time, but Lukey Ryan is back to his brilliant best. He’s moving fluently, his timing precise, he mopped up everything and got us out of strife on more times than we can recall. His stabilising influence and confidence he provides others add to an already well functioning defence. Quite simply, the apprentice chippie was too good for the woodies!

Now that was a win! Don’t know about anyone else but we’re a bit bemused by the negative commentary surrounding the game from a spectacle standpoint. Despite the constant efforts of commentators to suggest we were struggling; the game was never, not even for a second, not in the balance. Every moment mattered, you were fully engaged and locked in and you couldn’t take your eyes of it.

Admittedly the conditions and consequent errors didn’t help, but there were so many majestic moments amid the madness. Have we become spoilt by dry weather footy? Are we unrealistically captured by the desire for perfection?

Yes, he may have won the game for the Pies had he taken his chances… but how many times did we crunch Lachie Schultz? What about the moments of Murphy Reid mesmerism? Luke Jackson’s 4 huge grabs in a 5-minute period, Dudley applying chase down pressure, the Johnson goal, the Amiss goal, the Brayshaw lunging tackle and of course the Josh Treacy game saving clunk!

I’ll be back in 20 minutes, I gotta go watch them all again!

Alex Pearce once again showed why the captain’s cap fits and it’s his for as long as he wants. You’d go as far as to suggest he’d be your first picked player if you were selecting the team. He and Josh Treacy have the ability to meaningfully impact the game without necessarily having ball in hand.

Izzy Dudley’s rise has been meteoric! He’s gone from the sub to the sublime in the blink of an eye. Do we win that game without his contribution? He takes his chances and creates opportunities for others.

Given where they have come from, their journeys to get here and that they’ve had to fight for everything, it is incredible to realise that the tough, combative and courageous Wagner and Worner workhorses are integral parts of the war plans.

Gary Lyon and co going after Murphy Reid, chipping him for the occasional mistake, while somehow simultaneously suggesting he is miraculous, was a strange take. He’s a kid who performs on-field sorcery, something he can’t do if he doesn’t attempt it. What is that quote about missing 100% of the shots you don’t take?

We can’t end this parochial Docker diatribe without stopping, folding the arms and nodding in acknowledgement of and appreciation for Luke Jackson. He got the JL message loud and clear at half time and went on a rampage! In the five to six minute period between the end of the 3rd quarter and the beginning of 4th, he managed four big clunking grabs. Add those to his absurd output and you realise he’s actually going up levels before our very eyes!

We have to get Paddy back up and about. The AFL suits have destroyed his spirit as he now plays well within himself, without the freeing exuberance. He’s regressed inward and that is not helping him, the team or us fans. Could the Derby timing be any better? What better way to get your mojo back than unleashing the Pony mayhem in a Western Derby!

Anyway, it was too big a win and there is too much more to say and not enough ink to say it all here! So, if you’re not ready to move on from the Gather Round, gather round and let’s contin

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You’re more than enough Vossy, but we need you to bring back the infectious, contagious exuberance the miserable, joyless folk belted out of you! Time to Restump Podcast the chaotic conquering of the Crows.

It’s time for Vossy to let go of the inconsequential opinions of him that are held by others and return to his naturally enthusiastic self. Bring back the organic energetic celebratory shenanigans that inspire teammates and resonate with fans. Remember, the Pony is fine; the spirit makes it shine!

We’ve discussed it often, we’ve had differing opinions and we’ve switched viewpoints. However, we’ve arrived back at a unified position that the Freo Docker captaincy is Alex Pearce’s until he says otherwise! We don’t win that game without him and I’m not even talking about the smother. It’s what he did repeatedly leading up to those last few astonishing acts that ensured we were even a chance to win, something he does all too often. The concern, though, is our prospects rely almost exclusively on his availability.

Whatever the case, its Moose’s world and he just lets us live in it.

The usual suspects performed in their usual manner but it’s the growth in the likes of Matty Johnson, Neil Erasmus and Karl Worner that has raised the team’s floor.

Are Jye Amiss and Sean Darcy taking positive strides? Jye showing some of his yesteryear energy and four goals and Darcy seemingly moving a lot more freely and looking substantially more confident and carefree.

While a wonderful win it was to secure, and one that may have slipped through our fingers in years gone by, are the dramatic heroics of the final moments covering up some issues? We had a run of 7 goals kicked against us and we kicked just 3 goals in the 2nd half. We’ve played 2 relevant or significant teams this year, Geelong and Adelaide, and we’ve kicked just 3 goals in each of the 2nd halves. Concerns or too small a sample size?

We move on quick to Gather Round but there is always time to stop and smell the purple victory roses. So, if you’re still coming down from Freo’s frenetic Friday fanfare, join us as we celebrate, anticipate, appreciate, advocate, deliberate and hopefully stop stealing INXS lyrics!

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