Fremantle Dockers captain Matthew Pavlich slams players’ poor attitude in NAB Challenge loss

FREMANTLE captain Matthew Pavlich has slammed a poor attitude from the Dockers for an embarrassing NAB Challenge thumping from arch rival West Coast.

FREMANTLE captain Matthew Pavlich has slammed a poor attitude from the Dockers for an embarrassing NAB Challenge thumping from arch rival West Coast this week.

The champion forward and Fremantle’s finest-ever player revealed that it was lack of desire in the 84-point trouncing and that senior players had addressed the unacceptable performance immediately after the loss on Tuesday night.

The big skipper declared that he had not detected any poor mental approach in training or overall preparation leading into the NAB thrashing, but conceded the Dockers have been in heavy fitness base loading over recent weeks.

“We are in a really big training load, so there is that physical aspect to it,” Pavlich said.

“But this was clearly a mental choice on Tuesday and if you’re not switched on, you’re not ready to go and you’re going to get found out pretty quickly.”

Pavlich spoke at Fremantle’s season launch at Crown in Perth when Dockers chairman Steve Harris revealed that his “only expectation for the season” was for last season’s runners-up to “improve” on and off the field.

Pavlich declared the belting - when Fremantle had started firm favourites against a remodelled West Coast under new coach Adam Simpson - as a “wake-up” call in the unforgiving nature of the AFL.

“If you don’t turn up with the right attitude and intensity this competition will find you out very quickly,” said the brilliant forward.

“Our effort was way off the mark on Tuesday and a team who had a new coach and wanted to impress absolutely smashed us.

“It’s a really sharp reminder of how even the competition is and that always there is a couple of teams that bob up from in the bottom eight the following year.”

Pavlich tips West Coast to be among significant improvers in 2014 after the Eagles finished 13th with just nine wins last season.

The Dockers were beaten grand finalists last year and start the new season as premiership favourites in some betting markets, along with reigning champions Hawthorn.

“We’re expecting West Coast to go really well this year and it’s a good reminder of how far we’ve got to go,” Pavlich said.

The decorated Docker, who is nine games short of an historic 300-game milestone into the new season, confirmed that a heart-to-heart assessment of Tuesday’s belting had taken place at the initiation of his leadership group with coach Ross Lyon.

“We addressed straight after the game as a leadership group,” Pavlich said.

“A couple of players spoke and certainly the coaches deal with that as well.

“We will watch the tape and make sure we address that really quickly.

“We know we are an effort-based sport and in particular the way we play.

“It is very much about our attitude and bringing that to life on a weekly basis.

“Clearly we didn’t do that Tuesday.”

Pavlich revealed that he had wanted to play close to a full match but was held back to just playing the second half, along with gun key defender Luke McPharlin when scientific analysis had indicated possible injury if they were released for the entire game.

The veterans appear likely to play more extended game-time in Dockers NAB appointments against the Western Bulldogs in Melbourne next Wednesday and in a repeat showdown with West Coast on March 6.