Now, with its season almost over, Collingwood midfielder Shane O'Bree says Freo are still dangerous – even though their win-loss record has not improved greatly in the interim.
The Pies are in action against the team from the port on Friday night, and O'Bree warned that his side couldn't take the match lightly.
"Freo's been very unlucky all year, with the amount of games they've lost by under 10 points," he said.
"It's a big game for us. It's in our control – if we win we're in the top four for the weekend, until the Kangaroos play, at least."
The 29-year-old said he remembered what it was like to have no prospects of finals, but still being able to influence them.
"It's pretty obvious we can finish top four, and Freo's got a lot of blokes who are retiring, so they're going to be out to beat us.
"I've been in that position before, when Collingwood was down the bottom of the ladder, where you're playing to knock a team off and sort of wreck their finals chances. They'll be fired up, so it's a matter of us taking them on early."
A trip to Perth in round 22 isn't the ideal preparation for finals, but O'Bree said the team enjoyed the chance to get away together.
"As a team, we look forward to travelling. We've got a pretty good record travelling, so it's no fear for us whatever time of the year it is.
"It's a good opportunity for all us guys to get away, and just get away from Melbourne, I suppose, and play footy.
"We've got the same schedule we do every week, really – we'll get back early on Saturday morning, and straightaway start our recovery and look forward to the finals next week."
