“And don’t come back until you’ve won the flag!”
Fremantle has chosen to base its team on the east coast until their finals series ends – whether with a premiership, or a loss – in a bid to improve their chances of glory.
The Dockers flew to Melbourne on Thursday ahead of their blockbuster semi final against Collingwood, where a win would book a preliminary final against Sydney at the SCG.
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But Justin Longmuir’s men won’t be heading back to Western Australia if they beat the Magpies on Saturday night.
Instead they will base themselves in Melbourne, avoiding the need for another onerous pair of cross-country flights before the prelim.
“In the event of a win over Collingwood on Saturday night, there are plans in place to be based in Melbourne until the completion of our finals campaign,” Fremantle CEO Simon Garlick said.
“The players and coaches have the challenge of taking on Collingwood in a semi final as their sole focus, while our operations team are working on arrangements should the team tick that box on Saturday night.
“We owe it to our players, staff, members and supporters to ensure we give ourselves the best chance to maximise performance.
“Given we have no more home games this finals series, we felt it appropriate to explore ways to optimise our chances of success.”
Fremantle will go into Saturday’s semi-final at the MCG without fear, having a better record interstate than in WA this year, including five wins, one draw and one loss in Victoria.
Their only game at the MCG this season was a 38-point win over Melbourne.
