Fremantle’s beloved ‘Wharfie Time’ ritual has spectacularly backfired, with fans declaring it ‘cooked’ after Brisbane used the stadium spectacle as motivation for an extraordinary grand final escape.
The Dockers were 17 points clear with less than five minutes remaining when Patrick Voss’s goal prompted them to unleash the bells, lights and big-screen show at the MCG.
What followed was a purple nightmare.
Brisbane kicked four unanswered goals to snatch a 14.12 (96) to 12.17 (89) victory, complete an epic premiership threepeat and leave Fremantle supporters wondering whether someone had pressed the button too soon.
Lions star Lachie Neale revealed Brisbane had prepared for that exact moment.
‘Yeah, we spoke about it quite early in the week,’ Neale said.
Fremantle’s beloved ‘Wharfie Time’ ritual backfired as Brisbane stormed home to steal grand final glory
Lachie Neale revealed the Lions had planned to use ‘Wharfie Time’ as motivation if Fremantle triggered it
Brisbane kicked four goals in the final five minutes to turn Fremantle’s celebrations into heartbreak
‘It meant go time for us as well. I’m sure Fremantle will try and get a lift out of that, but we spoke about making sure it gives us a lift.’
Neale also praised Josh Dunkley for rallying his teammates in the middle, raising his arms to encourage the Lions as the spectacle unfolded.
‘Great leadership,’ he said.
Wharfie Time is designed to energise Fremantle’s players and supporters during tense finishes, drawing on the club’s working-class port heritage.
It combines the tolling bells from AC/DC’s Hells Bells with dramatic footage of a boat crashing through waves.
For the grand final, the AFL allowed Fremantle to deploy it once, immediately after a Dockers goal.
Voss appeared to have provided the perfect opportunity.
With Fremantle holding a commanding late advantage, the spectacle offered supporters another reason to believe their premiership dream was about to become reality.
Josh Dunkley (right) rallied his Brisbane teammates as the stadium spectacle signalled ‘go time’ for the Lions
Logan Morris kicked Brisbane into the lead with a minute remaining before adding the sealer
Fremantle supporters watched a potential maiden premiership slip away in a frantic finish at the MCG
Instead, Brisbane launched a devastating final charge.
Charlie Cameron and Zac Bailey kicked two goals within a minute, turning the match on its head and putting the Dockers under enormous pressure.
Logan Morris then delivered the decisive blows, kicking twice as Brisbane stormed home.
His crucial contested mark came in a forward line no longer patrolled by Fremantle captain Alex Pearce, who had been forced out with an Achilles injury.
Dunkley confirmed the Lions had deliberately turned their opponents’ ritual into a source of inspiration.
‘We talked about Wharfie Time and making that our energy,’ he said.
For the Brisbane midfielder, the comeback reflected lessons the team had absorbed throughout the season about responding when opponents seized momentum.
‘Seventeen points down, it’s hard to probably feel that momentum when you’re that far down deep into the last quarter, but you could feel it still,’ Dunkley said.
‘There’s only one choice, to go at the game. They challenged us, they’re an unbelievable side.’
Online, fans wasted little time connecting Fremantle’s collapse with the timing of their stadium show.
‘Wharfie Time jinxed it,’ one wrote.
‘You just witnessed the death of Wharfie Time,’ another posted.
‘Whoever pressed the button for Wharfie Time is cooked,’ added a third.
Another imagined the triumphant scene organisers might have expected.
‘And you just KNOW whoever told the hapless Freo intern to press the Wharfie Time button was envisioning a fairytale finish, with everyone chanting a mighty ‘HEAVE HO!’ and purple and white confetti floating across the ground.’
One viewer posed the question Dockers supporters will have little appetite to revisit: ‘Did Wharfie Time backfire for Freo?’
