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Nowhere to dock: Freo has a training ground crisis

DOES ANYONE have a spare oval for Fremantle?

The Dockers’ AFLW team is coming over to Melbourne for an extended 10-day trip, with games on Friday and next Thursday.

Access to grounds for captain’s runs are guaranteed in the AFLW – unlike in the men’s, where Fremantle struggled to find suitable ovals this year – with women’s teams having a run on the surface they will be playing on the next day.

The issue lies in the team’s main training session next Monday, with not a ground to be found for its two-hour run.

Fremantle has been on the hunt for a whopping seven weeks and has been knocked back by clubs and top private schools alike.

When it comes to school and council grounds, the major issue lies with the time of the year.

School holidays means groundskeepers are taking the opportunity to transform ovals from football grounds to cricket fields, and goalposts are dropping like flies in council grounds as drop-in pitches are placed in centre squares.

Securing grounds is usually the responsibility of clubs, but the AFL’s footy operations team has been asked for assistance, given the desperate stakes.

The AFL has bought Hawthorn’s Waverley headquarters – with the Hawks scheduled to move out in the next 4-6 weeks – and that ground could be an option in the future for stuck AFL/W teams.

Dockers players after the AFLW Round six match between Fremantle and Essendon, September 20, 2025. Picture: AFL Photos

The Dockers are bringing a sizeable contingent over east, including six children, with coach Lisa Webb, full-back Ash Brazill and midfield bull Kiara Bowers having two kids each.

They’ve previously done extended stints in Melbourne over the men’s Grand Final weekend, but this will be the longest one yet and provides a great opportunity for bonding and to focus solely on football, given some players have work and study commitments away from the game.

Fremantle has even arranged for a comedian to swing past after dinner one night, to break up the monotony of hotel living.

Some players are planning on attending the men’s Grand Final on Saturday, given the women play on Friday, but others will choose to relax away from the spotlight.

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