AFTER it lost 10 games by less than 15 points last season, Fremantle fans were experiencing strong deja vu at Subiaco Oval on Sunday night after the last-ditch defeat by Richmond.
It may only have been a NAB Cup game and Freo were fielding seven debutants, but the three-point loss would have forced fans to dredge up painful thoughts from a poor 2008 campaign when their side continually came up short in tight finishes.
It was a brave journalist who suggested such a parallel to giant ruckman Aaron Sandilands at Fremantle Oval on Monday, but instead of simply squashing the courageous scribe with an enormous fist, the tallest player in the AFL just maintained 2009 would not be littered with similar results.
"It would have been nice to get across the line, but we're a totally different playing group to last year," he said.
"I don't think you can put it in perspective to [our results from] last year.
"It was a close game, we went down by three points, but a lot of positives came out of it."
Plenty of positives indeed. High profile recruit Stephen Hill and rookies Matt De Boer, Greg Broughton and Clancee Pearce were all stand outs in their first game for Fremantle.
Hill, the No.3 pick overall in the 2008 NAB AFL Draft, led his side for tackles (eight) and inside 50s (five) and tied the scores late in the game with a superb super goal.
Sandilands said the senior players were not surprised to see their new teammates holding their own at AFL level against the highly-fancied Tigers.
"They look like they can play that intensity and showed some really good signs. The playing group and the coaches are really happy with how they're coming along," he said.
"They've definitely been training well and all the young boys have been stepping up. It's showing a bit, that's why they played last night."
The 211cm-ruckman said a third-quarter blitz from Richmond in Sunday's thriller when they went on to kick seven unanswered goals would also have taught the club's youngsters some valuable lessons.
"They made the most of the momentum at the start of the third quarter and showed the standard of AFL," Sandilands said.
"What the young boys learned is that's the intensity you've got to be at (for four quarters).
"The more games we play the better we're going to be and we're really looking forward to round one.
"A lot of positives have come out of it and I think the young guys are going to get confidence out of [the loss] anyway."
Sandilands added that Fremantle experimented with its midfield during Sunday's clash and continued to work on being more effective in the centre square.
The giant ruckman had 35 hit-outs to Richmond's combined 30, but his side didn't capitalise, notching just two more clearances than Richmond.
