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Fremantle's football boss Joe Brierty defended the club’s use of “Wharfie Time” despite it coinciding with their loss to Brisbane Lions in the AFL grand final. The activation, which involves ringing bells to boost player morale, was used for just 4 minutes and 18 seconds near the end of the match when Fremantle led by 17 points. However, Brisbane rallied to score the last four goals and win the game, with Brisbane player Will Ashcroft crediting “Wharfie Time” for inspiring his team’s comeback. Brierty maintained that while they will review aspects of their strategy, fan activations do not affect the outcome of the game from a football perspective.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-27,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
From the articles provided, several key themes and events leading up to the AFL Grand Final between Fremantle (Dockers) and Brisbane (Lions) stand out. Here's a summary focusing on these aspects:
- Preparation and Spirit:
- Both teams have unique approaches to motivating their players.
- Justin Longmuir, Fremantle’s coach, uses symbols like the "wharfie, boat, and chain" metaphor to convey resilience and teamwork.
- Chris Fagan, Brisbane's coach, employed powerful mantras over seasons, such as “walking on thin ice” in 2024 to encourage taking risks despite uncertainty.
- Community Support:
- Fremantle fans are expected to fill the streets of their city, with up to 40,000 supporters anticipated.
- Local events like a licensed gathering at Fremantle Oval and pub gatherings will host thousands more.
- Brisbane fans in Melbourne have established meeting points, such as a suburban pub for Dockers fans and historical venues in Fitzroy.
- Historical Context:
- The Lions aim to secure their third consecutive premiership title.
- In 2024, despite struggling with only four wins from eleven games early on, they rallied under Fagan’s guidance to win two back-to-back flags.
- The theme “run towards the fire” was adopted last year to avoid complacency and keep striving for success.
- Inspiring Speakers:
- Teams have benefited from motivational talks by high-profile individuals.
- Luc Longley, an NBA champion who won three rings alongside Michael Jordan with the Chicago Bulls, spoke about maintaining drive despite past achievements.
- Fagan’s inspirational messages like "walking on thin ice" and subsequent themes have significantly influenced players’ mindset.
- Fan Engagement in Melbourne:
- Fremantle and Brisbane fans are setting up “homes away from home” in Melbourne to welcome their fellow supporters for the grand final.
- These gatherings provide a sense of community and camaraderie among distant but passionate fan bases.
- Logistical Preparations:
- WA Police have extensive plans to ensure safety during Fremantle’s celebration events, deploying various units including motorbikes, horses, dogs, and riot gear.
In essence, the build-up to this grand final highlights a blend of strategic preparation by coaches, community engagement from fans, and motivational support through significant speakers. This combination sets the stage for an emotionally charged event for both Fremantle and Brisbane, aiming to achieve their respective goals with strong backing from supporters and inspired leadership.
Written for “AFL Grand Final” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 45 other(s) covering the same event.
Fremantle’s football boss has backed the club using “Wharfie Time” in the future despite the capitulation that followed its activation with just four minutes and 18 seconds remaining in the grand final.
asserted
minutes → back → final
At that point, the Dockers had established a game high 17-point lead and had one hand on their first premiership cup.
asserted
Dockers → establish → cup
But the Lions kicked the final four goals of the match to snatch an incredible victory to become just the second premier this century to win after being behind at three-quarter time.
asserted
Lions → kick → time
Speaking at Melbourne Airport before the team returned to Fremantle, football boss Joe Brierty backed the fan activation, which Lions players said spurred them on to an unlikely victory.
asserted
players → speak → victory
“I’m sure it will [live on],” Brierty said.
asserted
Brierty → ’m → ?
“It’s a fan activation for our club.
asserted
It → ’ → club
Obviously, Brisbane have their songs.
asserted
Brisbane → have → songs
There’s obviously a lot of theatre behind it, but whatever’s talked about it doesn’t impact the result of the game from a football perspective.
asserted
it → ’ → perspective
“That’s my role to oversee our footy program.
asserted
That → ’ → program
We reflect on the things that we control in game and the way that we can review those things.”
asserted
we → reflect → things
It was only the third occasion Wharfie Time has been activated this season and the first time outside of Perth.
asserted
Time → activate → Perth
Dockers’ supporters went crazy as the bells rang around the ground and the atmosphere inside the MCG lifted.
asserted
atmosphere → go → MCG
Unfortunately, it lifted the Lions players rather than its intended target with Lions’ star Will Ashcroft reflecting post-game after his heroic performance during that final period.
asserted
Ashcroft → lift → period
“I think ‘Wharfie Time’ spurred us on a bit there,” Ashcroft said.
asserted
Ashcroft → think → us
“We knew it was coming at some point.
asserted
it → know → point
We just wanted to harness it and turn it into energy for us.”
asserted
We → want → us
The Dockers were without skipper Alex Pearce in the final quarter after he injured his Achilles and his opponent Logan Morris bobbed up to kick three goals to win the game for the Lions.
asserted
opponent → injure → Lions
“We reflect on what we control as a footy program,” Brierty said.
asserted
Brierty → reflect → program
“There were aspects of the game that we didn’t get quite right, and a quality side in Brisbane took their moments, and that’s why they’ve just done a three-peat.
asserted
they → be → peat
“That’s what we want to get to.
asserted
we → ’ → what
That’s what we reflect on.
asserted
we → ’ → what
They lost four years ago in a grand final.
asserted
They → lose → final
We take some solace out of that.
asserted
We → take → that
That we’re a young group and we know that we’ve got plenty of improvement left in us and we’ll make sure that we’re reflecting at the right time to take all the learnings, and we get better going into next year.”
asserted
we → ’re → year
Get around our AFL finals coverage
- How the Lions celebrated: Follow our live coverage of the grand final washup
- Wharfie Time chimes Freo’s doom:
asserted
Time → get → doom
Jake Niall sums up one of the greatest games we’ve seen
- Norm Smith medallist: Bolton surprised at honour
- Four minutes that turned the grand final: Analysis by Andrew Wu
-
asserted
that → sum → Wu
Player ratings: Who starred and who shrunk in the spotlight
asserted
who → star → spotlight
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