Firstly an apology to those who enjoy the articles. I do admit it has been a while. Rounds 6 to 13 have given fans some joy, and more than a little frustration:

Round 6 v. Melbourne: Given no chance to win, the Dockers pull out of their proverbial bottoms a ballburster of a performance, easily the best of the season, and out scored the Dees in classic Shootout. McPharlin had 4 by quarter time, the Wiz kicked 7 and Pavlich starred throughout. The game had me crowing, "Hah! Stick it up your arse non-believers!!" on more than one occasion.

Round 7 v. Collingwood: It was a strange, luxuriating experience watching this one form the outer. Dockers had a monster first quarter and continued on from there, winning each quarter and finishing over 100 pts in front, the biggest win in our history. Pavlich, Josh Carr and Headland were outstanding. Collingwood were so terrible I almost felt sorry for them.

Round 8 v. Essendon: We had these guys on toast and we blew it. After a terrible first half, in which some shocking umpiring was on display as well as sub par skill, the Bombers bullocked their way to a handy lead. McPhee did as he liked all day and not a thing was done to prevent this. Anyway, the Dockers played half a quarter of good footy inthe third and found themselves 1 pt up against a Bombers side notorious for running out of puff inthe last quarter. However, a bit of fire in the belly and spirit from the Bombers was enough to make the Dockers wilt, and the game went to the home team.Note: the Telstra Dome is a farce - the service is so bad that it is impossible to naturally play the game of football. Changes need to be made.

Round 9 v. Hawthorn: This one came out of nowhere. Perfect sunshine, Subiaco Oval, ordinary Hawthorn side, and yet the Dockers were pantsed by over 50pts. The players were deplorable, plaid with no urgency, teamwork and no spirit as the young Hawks did as they liked all day. This was the one which really started to raise concerns.

Round 10 v Geelong: With our back against the wall, and with no one giving us any chance in hell of beating the form side of the comp at their feared fortress, Kardinya Park, the Dockers pulled out a stirring, gritty performance to topple the highly fancied Cats. It was bizarre to see this given the insipid effort of the previous week, but I've come to expect this of the Dockers. Unfortunately, the bit is only chewed when their egos are bruised enough to care. In blustery conditions and with eh Cats a little flat, we stole an 8 pt victory at a venue few other visiting teams will match.

Round 11 v Brisbane: This was built up as the game that the Dockers would show their grit and spirit, and prove to the football world that they were a tough team, a team capable of beating fierce man on man pressure. Unfortunately, I was a little late for the game and missed 4 of our 10 goals. Brisbane controlled the game throughout and were primed to take it up to the Dockers. Aware of their desire, the Dockers were not prepared to match it and again wilted. Brisbane by 36. Many felt the ground convinced that was the end of our season right there.

Round 12 v Sydney: A scrappy, defensive game but the Dockers never looked like winning. Sydney turned on the class for 10 minutes in the 3rd and it was all over. Farmer was again wonderful, whic ironically is sort of a shame because his great form is wasted when the rest of the team plays like crap. If only Farmer was in this form in 2004, it migh have meant another finals berth for this Dockers team with only one game in September to date.

Round 13 v Kangaroos: This was the must win, a home game against a middle ladder side, wit our backs against the wall and needing to win to stay in the finals hunt. It turned out to be in my opinion the worst game of AFL football I have ever seen in my file. The game was slow, lacking in spirit excitement, skill, passion, precision, and completely devoid of any qualities which normally make the AFL such a great competition to watch. The Dockers produced an absolutely disgraceful performance, and the game left our season in tatters. The Kangaroos should have won by more, and even opposition supporters were commenting on how awful a spectacle the game was. My fears for the Dockers season were realised, and it sparked grave fears from me about the game itself.

So that is the rounds 6 to 13 in a nutshell. More regular updates will be coming from now on, it is only because I have moved house that getting this thing going again has taken so long. Apologies to the faithful. And don't forget to debate the issues on the Bark Discussion board!

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