Fremantle skipper Matthew Pavlich rues wasted opportunities in front of goal

FOR Matthew Pavlich, the missed chances will haunt him all summer.

Fremantle skipper Matthew Pavlich says the Dockers wasted their chances. Picture: Alex Coppel

FOR Matthew Pavlich, the missed chances will haunt him all summer.

The Fremantle skipper described his side’s Grand Final loss as a “bitter pill” after the Dockers sprayed their way out of flag contention with a miserable 8.14.

Pavlich’s wound was further salted by the fact his direct opponent for much of the game — Brian Lake — won the Norm Smith Medal.

“We certainly wasted some opportunities, not only straight in front of goal, but also our execution going into our forward line and our forward structure certainly wasn’t where it should have been,” Pavlich said.

Hawks down Dockers

“It felt like we fought back strongly after half-time and arrested a lot of momentum and again had some opportunities as the game wore on to capitalise, but we fell short and we lick our wounds.

“It’s hard to describe the feeling. I’m really numb, annoyed, frustrated — all the emotions that are associated with a loss, but when it’s the ultimate prize at the end it’s heightened even further.

“I’m really proud of the group also ... we’ve done so much, matured so much and grown so much, so I’m really proud of the efforts of a lot of people at the football club, my teammates particularly.”

It was a Grand Final 14 seasons in the making for the 31-year-old, who had the look of a man who knew he may not get back to the biggest day of all.

“It’s a really bitter pill to swallow after all the hard work and sacrifice and effort it takes just to get to this point, but the reality is we weren’t good enough,” Pavlich said.

Parting Shots: Hawks v Dockers

“We need to refresh and rejuvenate and reload again because they haven’t been easy to get to. It’s taken a long time and it’s going to take a huge amount of effort and hard work again to get back.”

Pavlich kicked 3.2, but watched as his teammates squandered a glut of chances.

“I was one in the second quarter, I missed a set shot. The wind was tricky, absolutely, but it comes down to being able to take the moment, seize the day and execute,” he said.

“Clearly we’ve got some really hard lessons to learn on that front.”

Asked about Lake, he said: “I played on him at times and I had (Josh) Gibson for quite some time as well. He’s a good player, congratulations to him for moving across to Hawthorn and getting the result both individually and as a team.

“But I think they hand over quite well. In the end (Lake) played as their seventh defender for most of that second half when Gibson came to me."