Whenever the Dockers make a finals appearance, the ramshackle, salty seaside port city of Fremantle becomes awash in a sea of relentless optimism.
The city’s famed Cappuccino Strip and nearby streets are painted purple; Dockers-themed sausages that eerily resemble the entrails of Frankenstein are on the menu at cafes and restaurants, and landmarks like the World Heritage-listed Fremantle prison light up with a peculiar, pale plum colour.
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The only thing missing is Prince & The Revolution’s 1984 banger Purple Rain bellowing out of loudspeakers in the heart of the CBD.
The Fremantle frenzy naturally attracts politicians from across the political spectrum. Local MP’s dust off their beanies and scarves and rattle off footballing tales to the media, boastfully declaring their undying love for the “home team”.
Businesses show their loyalty by covering shop fronts with cheap purple paint, papier-mache and balloon anchors. When Fremantle made the preliminary final in 2013, the local council painted the main thoroughfare that runs through the city with chalk-based paint that washed away a few days later with the first downpour.
If the Dockers reach this year’s grand final, the city of Fremantle is planning a New Orleans-style shindig by closing off the streets and erecting massive LED screens, which is expected to attract more than 30,000 people.
There is an unsettling, excitable energy in the city fuelled by hard-bitten, unfailing fans who are convinced this is there year. The Dockers may have packed up and moved south to Cockburn, but for the supporters, Fremantle will always be the club’s spiritual home.
While the expanded AFL national competition has created a diaspora fanbase that is the envy of Australia’s biggest sporting codes, few teams can claim to have a whole town united behind them, like the Dockers. Being a “footy city” might have unified locals, but the sense of belonging that permeates the everyday lives of Dockers devotees has also created burdensome expectations and blind hope from fans due to the lack of success.
Longsuffering supporters have had to adopt a Walrus-type hide to cope with the Western Australian club not winning a premiership in their 31-year history. The Fremantle faithful have even created their own mythologies, like Flagmantle and Wharfie Time, to survive the endless footy blues.
This year was meant to be different. The Dockers finished the season as minor premiers and went into the qualifying final against the Hawks, unbeaten at home and with the healthiest list in the AFL.
By quarter time, Fremantle’s much-lauded gameplan was completely dismantled by Hawthorn, as the Dockers failed to deal with the Hawks’ ferocious pressure.
In the end, the 32-point margin flattered the Dockers, who were outgunned, outplayed and out-coached in every facet of the game.
Brisbane have shown that losing in a qualifying final need not be fatal, but Fremantle would have to be feeling wobbly on their feet after the Hawks’ mauling.
There’s also the looming prospect of creating a bit of unwanted history: If Fremantle lose to Geelong on Friday night, they will be only the second club since 1983 to bow out in straight sets after claiming the minor premiership.
That’s more of an uncomfortable burden to carry around than you might think. Just ask Adelaide. If you believe the media influencers, the Crows were contemplating sacking Matthew Nicks if they didn’t beat the Bulldogs last week, after losing both finals in 2025, after finishing on top of the ladder.
Justin Longmuir has had a brilliant year, but the Dockers have lost their last two finals at home. And Fremantle now faces a Geelong side that revels in the pulsating heat of finals.
But with the Lions getting thumped in their qualifying final against Swans, the Dockers will feel their road to the grand final is still wide open. The club will have to create a bit of history to do it. Not since West Coast in 2006 has a team lost the qualifying final after finishing on top of the ladder and gone on to win the flag.
Fremantle supporters believe it can happen. The semi-final at Optus Stadium sold out in 27 minutes. Even as an Eagles fan, I admire the unwavering loyalty of the purple army.
And let’s not forget that a month ago, the Dockers were raging hot flag favourites after only dropping two games to that point of the season. For most of the year, Fremantle has played with flair and flamboyance, built around dynamic rebounding defenders, magnetic midfielders, and the competition’s most potent forward line.
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All the ingredients are there to win a flag. It’s just whether the Dockers can deal with a September-hardened Cats team that has won seven games on the trot.
But Geelong must combat 60,000 rabid fans and one Fremantle staffer with an itchy trigger finger on the Wharfie Time switch. If the Dockers do beat the Cats, they’ll fancy themselves against a Sydney team still grappling with one of the darkest periods in the club’s history.
Then there’s the matter of the grand final. If Fremantle win their maiden premiership, the port city will throw one almighty party.
But if the Dockers fall short, the town will pack away the purple paint, hide their sausage recipes and recite the mantra chanted by optimistic fans in local pubs and cafes for the last three decades.
There is always next year.
