Since Justin Longmuir took the reigns at Fremantle ahead of the 2020 AFL season, the Dockers have only played at the MCG 12 times.
On Saturday afternoon they face Melbourne at the venue, in what presents as the perfect preparation for the grand final in late September. Unless you’re Longmuir, that is.
“I just don’t get caught up in dress rehearsals,” he said.
“We feel like we’ve played there enough, had good experiences, had some average experiences there, but beaten teams that have been on top of the ladder.
“We feel like it’s not a burden going to the MCG now. [We] go to Melbourne every second week, nearly, so we feel like that’s not a burden either.”
Justin Longmuir has overseen a record-breaking season for Fremantle, but the ultimate prize is still up for grabs. (AAP: Joel Carrett)
The game is at 1:15pm on Saturday, comparable to the grand final start time of 2:30pm, but Longmuir won’t look that far ahead.
“We’re going over there to give our best and all we’ve got, to play and improve our footy against Melbourne, who we know have played some really good footy there,” he said.
“[It would] be disrespectful to this game if we got ahead of ourselves.
“It’s not the be-all and end-all either. We’ve had plenty of experiences at MCG and it shouldn’t hold any fears for us.”
Graham’s future no distraction
As the Dockers prepare for the finals, Jaymie Graham will balance his role of assistant coach with the lure of being a potential head coach of a different AFL side.
Graham has reportedly advanced to the final round of interviews for both the vacant Essendon and Carlton jobs, but Longmuir is confident he won’t be distracted by that as Fremantle enter the season’s home stretch.
Jaymie Graham is fielding considerable interest in his skills from clubs on the east coast. (AAP: Richard Wainwright)
“I’ve spoken to him regularly about it … we’re colleagues, we’re pretty good mates away from work, so yeah, of course I’ve spoken about it,” Longmuir said.
“I haven’t had to speak to him about getting the balance right. He’s professional, he understands his responsibilities at the club, and he’s done a great job of managing that.
“The way he’s around the club, you wouldn’t even know that he’s occupied with anything else outside of it.”
Should Graham be offered either the Blues or Bombers job, Longmuir said a decision on whether he would remain at Fremantle until the end of its campaign would be made in due course.
“We’ll cross that bridge when it comes,” he said.
“[I’ve] got a lot of faith in Jaymie to be able to walk and chew at the same time. I’ve also got a big understanding that he wants to see this through, and he’s enjoyed his time here, he’s enjoyed his work here and he loves working for the club.
“If he got a job elsewhere and they announced it and he wanted to see it through, I’d be happy for him to do that.”
Longmuir confirmed he had no plans to rest large numbers of players in the run into finals, following a warning from the AFL, although he did say he was slightly surprised by the memo.
Fremantle won’t rest large numbers of players in the run to finals, but some may still be managed. (Getty Images: Janelle St Pierre)
“I understand that they want to make sure the integrity of every game is there and I get that,” he said.
“I also think that it’s the club’s responsibility to make sure that we’re as best prepared to go as long in the season as we can.
“The teams in the top six get a week off. So it’s probably not directed at us as much.”
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