Despite the disappointment of missing the finals Fremantle can take some consolation from their impressive second half of the season where the club won six of their last eight games to finish just half a game outside of the eight.“To be at the midway point where we were 5 and 9 and to come back and be in a position to be in the hunt for the finals was a positive sign but it was a disappointing end to the season on Saturday night,” Pavlich said.“Because we had won six of eight games we thought we would be one of the form sides if we had made it into the finals. As it turned out we weren’t good enough to get there but we were playing some very good football and we thought we probably still deserved to be playing one or two more weeks.“This year we felt our form going into the last couple of weeks was a lot stronger… if we had made the finals we think we could have gone ok,” he said.The emergence of several young players was a silver lining for the club and Pavlich believes it continues to set Fremantle up for an exciting future.“You look at young guys like Steven Dodd, Ryan Crowley, Brett Peake, Michael Johnson, Scott Thornton and David Mundy have really been tremendous for us. You list those names and you can really see there is a lot of talent and a desire to play well and hopefully those guys continue to improve for us,” he said.Pavlich was outstanding after being handed the challenge of holding down centre half-forward which is arguably one of the hardest positions to play on the footy field. The big man booted a career high 61 goals and took 178 marks.“In terms of consistency it has been a good season. Spending the whole year at centre half-forward and having that challenge and expectation of standing up in that roll was always going to be a big year for me. From that point of view the consistency has been pleasing,” Pavlich said.While round 22 signalled the end of the season for Fremantle, players and coaches have been busily reviewing the year and starting preparations for a big 2006.September is a busy month for Pavlich who is tipped to feature prominently in the Brownlow Medal count although he has played down his chances of taking home the coveted award.“It’s always a good night, I honestly don’t actually think I’m a chance, it’s going to be a good time and I’m going to enjoy myself and I think the guy who is playing this week the blue and yellow (Ben Cousins) is going to have a very good shot at it.An All-Australian berth is also a strong possibility for Pavlich who has previously been selected in the team in 2002 and 2003. If chosen he will become the only Fremantle player to have represented the club three times as an All-Australian.“I remember growing up and looking at the players in the All-Australian team and thinking how special it is to be selected in the best 22 players for that year.“If it comes this season it will be a great honour,” he said.
Second half of season sets standard
Despite the disappointment of missing the finals Fremantle can take some consolation from their impressive second half of the season where the club won six of t
Despite the disappointment of missing the finals Fremantle can take some consolation from their impressive second half of the season where the club won six of their last eight games to finish just half a game outside of the eight.“To be at the midway point where we were 5 and 9 and to come back and be in a position to be in the hunt for the finals was a positive sign but it was a disappointing end to the season on Saturday night,” Pavlich said.“Because we had won six of eight games we thought we would be one of the form sides if we had made it into the finals. As it turned out we weren’t good enough to get there but we were playing some very good football and we thought we probably still deserved to be playing one or two more weeks.“This year we felt our form going into the last couple of weeks was a lot stronger… if we had made the finals we think we could have gone ok,” he said.The emergence of several young players was a silver lining for the club and Pavlich believes it continues to set Fremantle up for an exciting future.“You look at young guys like Steven Dodd, Ryan Crowley, Brett Peake, Michael Johnson, Scott Thornton and David Mundy have really been tremendous for us. You list those names and you can really see there is a lot of talent and a desire to play well and hopefully those guys continue to improve for us,” he said.Pavlich was outstanding after being handed the challenge of holding down centre half-forward which is arguably one of the hardest positions to play on the footy field. The big man booted a career high 61 goals and took 178 marks.“In terms of consistency it has been a good season. Spending the whole year at centre half-forward and having that challenge and expectation of standing up in that roll was always going to be a big year for me. From that point of view the consistency has been pleasing,” Pavlich said.While round 22 signalled the end of the season for Fremantle, players and coaches have been busily reviewing the year and starting preparations for a big 2006.September is a busy month for Pavlich who is tipped to feature prominently in the Brownlow Medal count although he has played down his chances of taking home the coveted award.“It’s always a good night, I honestly don’t actually think I’m a chance, it’s going to be a good time and I’m going to enjoy myself and I think the guy who is playing this week the blue and yellow (Ben Cousins) is going to have a very good shot at it.An All-Australian berth is also a strong possibility for Pavlich who has previously been selected in the team in 2002 and 2003. If chosen he will become the only Fremantle player to have represented the club three times as an All-Australian.“I remember growing up and looking at the players in the All-Australian team and thinking how special it is to be selected in the best 22 players for that year.“If it comes this season it will be a great honour,” he said.
