How heartfelt words and some metal ignited Freo’s rise

What do you get when you combine a wharfie, a boat and a single link of a chain?

For Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir, he hopes the answer is a piece of long-craved silverware.

In 2024, and with his team in the doldrums with just four wins from 11 games, Brisbane coach Chris Fagan famously told his players that if they’re walking on thin ice, they may as well dance.

The mantra resonated, and four months later the Lions were hoisting the first of their back-to-back flags.

Last year, Brisbane’s theme was “run towards the fire” in a bid to avoid them playing it safe.

Fagan even got a firefighter in to talk to the players about what it’s like to actually run towards a fire.

Brisbane haven’t revealed their theme for 2026 just yet, but don’t be surprised if it’s something Michael Jordan related.

The Lions’ hat-trick hopes looked shot when they conceded a whopping 14 goals in the third quarter of their 78-point loss to GWS in round 11.

The following month, NBA championship winner Luc Longley was invited in to speak to Lions players about keeping alive the deep desire to win despite already experiencing success.

Longley won three NBA rings while playing alongside Jordan at the Chicago Bulls, and Brisbane will be aiming to snare their own three-peat this Saturday.

Fremantle have also been big on themes in recent years.

Last season, Fremantle used Australia’s drought-breaking win in the 1983 America’s Cup as inspiration.

Players even visited the WA Maritime Museum in the lead-up to the finals to see the Australia II vessel with their own eyes.

Fremantle were sent packing at the first hurdle, losing to Gold Coast by a point in an emotion-charged elimination final in Perth.

During the club’s exit meetings a week later, Longmuir gave each player a piece of a chain.

His message was simple: we are only as strong as our weakest link.

Longmuir urged his players to realise the importance of connection, also asking them to come up with a word that is meaningful to them and then present it to the group upon their return.

It led to some wonderfully open and vulnerable moments.

“My word was resilience,” Dockers defender Karl Worner recalls.

“It was just a little bit of a story about my mum’s background and her coming from Sweden and the resilience she had to show.

“My mum came here when she was in her 20s with my dad, not really speaking much English.

“She came to Australia leaving a whole family behind. Unfortunately, her parents passed away quite young when it was her first day in Australia.

“So just the resilience she showed to put her family first is something I’m extremely proud of.”

Hayden Young described it as a “really powerful” exercise, revealing his word was “heart”.

“When we combine all those links together, we’re unstoppable,” Young says.

“I reflected on when I’m at my best, how does it look?

“Quite often, it’s leaning into my emotions, leaning into my vulnerability, leaning with my heart. Being really passionate, caring, and wearing my heart on my sleeve.

“I’m still on the journey of figuring out who I am.”

Fremantle forward Michael Frederick also loved the experience.

“The word is individualised to what your biggest strength is,” Frederick says.

“It’s the strength that you’re going to bring to the club every day and is going to help us get better.

“It’s been pretty special. Guys have gotten up in front of the group and spoken pretty vulnerably about why their word is that word.

“For guys to be able to do that, it opens up a deeper connection, a deeper understanding of them.”

Frederick’s words were “family and resilience”.

“Before getting drafted I lacked a lot of self-confidence, and always compared myself to people, especially my brother,” Frederick says.

“Knowing that it wasn’t an easy route to get to where we are today, but being able to sort of lean on family as well as building resilience over those years when I was younger as a teenager, is a lot of the reason why I play and a lot of the reason why I’m here today.”

Longmuir’s ‘1-0’ mantra has also played a key role in keeping players grounded after wins this season.

And as for fans, it’s all been about ‘Wharfie Time’, tapping into the port spirit of the city of Fremantle.

The ‘Wharfie Time’ phrase was first coined by club great Matthew Pavlich during a pre-game huddle speech in 2009.

“Put on your Superman capes boys, it’s Wharfie Time,” Pavlich said.

‘Wharfie Time’ has now become an enthralling Optus Stadium crowd activation shown on the big screen when games are close with just a few minutes remaining.

It features a boat tackling massive waves, accompanied by the iconic gong and intro from AC/DC song “Hells Bells” and a dramatic heartbeat sound.

The AFL has granted Fremantle permission to use Wharfie Time in the grand final, but with a twist - it can only be used once and only as a celebration song after a Dockers goal.

If used, it will send Fremantle’s fans into a spin.

But if Fremantle are to overcome the might of Brisbane on Saturday, it will be the links in the chain that ensure Dockers players remain connected even when things get tough at a heaving MCG.

That is evidenced by Fremantle’s club-record season that netted them 19 home-and-away wins and a sizzling 14-match winning run.

There’s one more game to go, one more win to grab.

And if it goes to plan this Saturday, Fremantle will possess a premiership cup to add to their full-length chain.