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Crunch Time

Round 15 - Can anyone stop Freo? Thursday Night Breakdown (20.06.26)

20 Jun 2026

Transcription

Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.

Chapter 1: What insights do the hosts share about Fremantle's recent performance?

0.031 - 15.053 Gerard Whateley

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15.033 - 38.065 Justin Longmuir

Yeah, same thing I've been saying all year. It's a maturing group. They're able to not get caught up in outcomes or disappointment around outcomes. I think the language around how we were playing and the game was how we wanted it to look was really pleasing rather than sometimes you get caught up in the... Jeez, we're not kicking straight.

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38.105 - 50.423 Justin Longmuir

And that frustration turns into us trying to chase a game. But I thought that the players thought the method was okay and they knew it would turn if we just kept at it. And they did. And eventually it did turn.

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50.824 - 61.901 Gerard Whateley

Coming together beautifully. Fremantle 13 in a row. So we'll do the big picture shortly. Crunch time for the all-new Ford Ranger Wolf Track V6 and Azzito Brushless Power Tools. Built to work, Azito, do you.

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62.001 - 77.849 Gerard Whateley

The hottest seat in footy right now for Razorback 4x4, Australia's best four-wheel drive seat covers with unbeatable protection and comfort is every strategy coach who's got to come up with a plan to curb Luke Jackson. By preliminary final day.

78.349 - 100.544 Adam Simpson

Yeah, and don't copy Geelong's plan. Because there's got to be something else there that he's going to bring, Chris. And I'm sure they'll learn from it. And Edwards is a young ruck. But if there was any type of accountability, I didn't see it. And, you know, he's had – Jackson had 17 possessions, seven score involvements. and kick two goals from the corridor, just from the corridor.

100.825 - 106.53 Adam Simpson

And you can start by defending him when he's in the corridor. So I think there's some great learnings.

107.491 - 127.21 Adam Simpson

My theory on Kane how to probably beat a Jackson if you're Geelong is get Edwards to do the ruck and get Blitzavs to go to him after the ruck contest because I don't think Blitzavs has got the legs to go with him everywhere like he used to, but I reckon he can just be accountable for him around the grounds and take away half... his impact in general play.

127.631 - 148.146 David King

Well, that's what I thought they were going to do, but it didn't look that way. What he's so smart at now, and he's becoming more clever with the more footy he plays, so after the initial ruck contest is gone, his opponent sort of gets sucked into the ball, and he just holds his width and then gets you out the back as well. So he's often that second receiver from...

Chapter 2: How is Luke Jackson impacting Fremantle's strategy?

252.841 - 264.177 David King

So his vote count, I don't know if he can win it, But his vote count and where he finishes in the Brownlow is going to be really interesting and a test for the new system. He polled 17 votes last year and he's having twice as good a season.

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264.577 - 285.205 Gerard Whateley

So, yeah, we'll go deeper on Fremantle in a moment's time. The hot seat. Everyone's got to be studying Luke Jackson. What a player he is. Razorback 4x4 premium seat covers. So deep into the events of Thursday night, Fremantle's 13th straight win. Will Day is going to join us, plus all the news of the week. Signet is the travel partner of Crunch Time. Stay powered 24-7 with Signet AF.

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285.185 - 324.642 Gerard Whateley

Phil Club Powerbanks. It's the Round 15 edition of Crunch Time, the recap of the first hour. You can grab on the podcast the full dissection of the Hawks' win over the Suns last night. And now we're into the Bunnings build-up on Crunch Time. Bunnings trade, get tax time sorted with big deals. Adam Simpson and Kane Corns with Gerard Whateley and Tom Morris.

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325.223 - 334.311 Gerard Whateley

Just incidentally, if you just convert the coaches' votes to Brownlow votes, I can have Luke Jackson on 20 votes at the end of this round.

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334.291 - 354.923 Adam Simpson

He's sort of a midfielder there, isn't he, Simo? Well, he's getting 28 touches and kicking three. So he's not far off the conversation around the Bontempelli-Dawson day, but he's a ruck. Tell us what we need to know out of Thursday night, Adam Simpson and Cain Corns. Well, Cain, you were there and you would have seen the crowd and the connection that they've got now with the crowd.

354.963 - 370.884 Adam Simpson

It's unbelievable. And that stadium has been such a good acquisition for the state. Unfortunately, not for West Coast in recent times, but... They're pretty... They've got everything covered, Gerard. From a Fremantle point of view, they'll beat you from the back half, they'll beat you with their hands, they'll beat you with their tools.

371.444 - 392.648 Adam Simpson

I did notice Chris talk about the weakness around if they don't mark it inside their forward 50, but they had 20 marks. So, you know, it's a problem until it's... It's not a problem until it is. And their ability to be good at most things, Cain, along with the talent profile and no injuries, and I think their on-field leadership is probably the best in the competition as well. So...

392.628 - 397.175 Adam Simpson

yeah, a pretty complete package and then they've won 13 in a row.

398.497 - 419.248 David King

It's hard to find a weakness and I just think it's really difficult to discover that full buy-in from everyone and it just feels like that for me at the moment and I think that starts from Alex Pearce and his leadership. When you do games like this, you're lucky enough to head into the change rooms and you just pick up little bits and pieces but they just rave about him.

Chapter 3: What challenges do teams face when playing against Fremantle?

515.436 - 534.404 Adam Simpson

It's based on the triangle offense with your forward line. Get the separation. You lead. I'll slide. It's based on a back line where they're really deliberate with their positioning based on what stoppage is and what's in front of the play. They train it at Peel and they just insert the next player up into that role and they'll take away one thing from the opposition.

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534.464 - 550.108 Adam Simpson

That's the traditional, I reckon four or five years ago, that's how every coach lived. Now there's a little bit more, we'll tag him, we'll do this, we'll control the ball here. I don't think they live in that world. I think they live in their own world of we play our way and good luck at beating us, which is a great spot to be in.

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551.523 - 571.135 Gerard Whateley

Yep, and those referenced at the top of the show, the 13 wins. So this puts you into the rarefied company from the turn of the century. Essendon won 20 in a row in 2020 Premieres. They lost one on the way to the final series. As we know, St Kilda won 19 in a row. They ended up runners-up in 2009. Ports, sort of the exception here. They were playing for Kenny and for...

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571.115 - 581.716 Gerard Whateley

For his contract, they won the 13 in a row in 2023, but they were gassed by the time they got to the finals and Fremantle. So they're now in the company of two pretty great teams of the era.

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581.816 - 602.607 Adam Simpson

The only group of people that don't like this are West Coast supporters. And it's just, don't be in the state. During the finals, just book your holidays. Book your holidays. Do your Europe thing in September, all West Coast supporters out there. And it was a long couple of years for Fremantle supporters, I'm sure, but now it's Fremantle's time.

603.413 - 616.905 David King

They've got some things to look forward to, I think, West Coast now with a couple of their young stars coming through. And what it could look like at that venue when they get going. I mean, they're turning up as it is. Even, Simo, when you were going through your struggles, the crowd was still turning up.

617.465 - 632.779 Adam Simpson

Yeah, we can talk about it. They're amazing. They're the sleeping giants at the moment. You just don't want to have too many sleeping giants in the competition. But from a Fremantle point of view, they're tremendously well supported. I think they've really captured the younger generation in WA. And it's just through the...

632.759 - 651.846 Adam Simpson

And when they came into the competition and West Coast were full books, I was like, well, I can't go to those games. I'll go to Fremantle. And they've captured the younger generation. It's only going to pay them back in spades as the years go on. The Geelong side of things? I just thought that they were lucky. And I know Chris sort of said, well, we're in that game.

652.246 - 677.018 Adam Simpson

And, you know, there's five minutes to go. And we thought, hang on a second, they could jag this. But... Their pressure factor was 150. Their inside 50s was... They had 44 inside 50s. So I just think, you know, they had 16 fourth-half turnovers, Gerard. They normally averaged 28. And they live in the front half. So the way they play at their local ground... is a front half game.

Chapter 4: How do Fremantle's players contribute to their winning streak?

715.932 - 732.544 David King

I was thinking they looked incredibly vulnerable from centre bounce when Dangerfield wasn't there. And I don't think that's what you're expecting from Dangerfield. We saw what he did against Adelaide when he was more full-time mid, but when he was out of the centre bounce, I go, gee, they look a bit weak with Atkins and Bruin and...

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732.524 - 753.737 David King

You know, Holmes is a nice, clearly, addition, but he's not going to be the bull that's in a bounce that you need. And then you go, well, how long are they on Stewart? Stewart, 33 years of age. Blickstaff's still relying on him. Cameron. So Cameron, sore as well. Like, really... He looks really sore, Gerrard. So he desperately needs the break.

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753.757 - 767.627 David King

But at stages, he was refusing to tackle and players were just running around him. So... So that's the concern. It has been for a while. Four or five players that are into their mid-30s that you're still really reliant on when they're either not playing well or not there.

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