We might be ‘hypocritical hippies’, but us Dockers fans are people too

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“Wilson, like a cork in the ocean over his head. Oh my word! What a goal!”

Dennis Cometti’s legendary call of Peter Wilson’s goal from the West Coast Eagles’ first Grand Final win in 1992 is one I’ll remember forever. I loved that team, and have always wondered why I jumped ship to the new purple squad from Fremantle just three seasons later.

Earlier this year I met Fremantle Dockers chief executive Simon Garlick, and his first question was just that: “What’s your Freo origin story?”

A deep corner of my brain spat out: “I was a pie boy at Subiaco Oval in 1995, so I went to every home game in the Dockers’ first season.”

Suddenly, it all came back. Fremantle was a place I loved, and all things maritime resonated with 14-year-old, surfing-addicted me. I probably thought purple was cool too.

In my final year at school I studied Cloudstreet, which quickly became my favourite book. Seeing Tim Winton read excerpts at a literary breakfast hosted by my favourite journalist, Freo tragic Matt Price, and hearing my literary heroes joke about their beloved Dockers confirmed that these wharfies were my........

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