SOUTH Fremantle has lost three stars
from its premiership side, but the rest of the group and coach John Dimmer want
to stick around for a crack at back-to-back flags in 2010.
Peter Bell, Jeff Farmer and Ray Smithers all retired after South Fremantle beat Subiaco by 18 points in Sunday's grand final to win the club's 13th WAFL premiership.
However, the rest of the talented playing group looks set to continue on after the Bulldogs broke Subiaco's run of three straight premierships.
It was the fourth premiership Dimmer has coached after two with West Perth and the 2005 success with South Fremantle, and it was a special day for the club with the reserves also beating West Perth in the grand final.
"I would think that they are the definite three and we'll just have to wait and see with the others. I would think that all the others are pretty keen to keep going," Dimmer said.
"Just to get both of them is amazing. I was involved at Claremont in 1987 when we won both and that was great, and then I was involved when we had premierships at the league side and the reserves just falling short, but this is a very special day."
Bell and Farmer both retired from terrific AFL careers last year, but wanted to return to the club they started with to achieve success. They got the ultimate reward with a premiership. Dimmer was particularly amazed at the experience of coaching Bell this year, and can't speak more highly of him.
"He got polaxed at one stage and then he got cramp when he was chasing the ball on the forward-line, but still helped set up Kyle Hams for his goal. He's just such a determined character, he's amazing. You don’t actually coach Peter Bell," he said.
"He just turns up, trains, prepares and then you tell him where he's starting and off he goes. When you get to that level with a player it's amazing and if you had 22 like that you would win premierships every single year. They just follow what is very limited instructions and go out and do it."
Smithers, 28, decided to make his second premiership triumph his 157th and final match with the Bulldogs after another superb season in the Bulldogs' midfield. Dimmer has loved coaching him the last six years.
"I know that he's keen to travel and I think he's got as much as he could out of his body. I've said a few times when he's won awards at the club that he's not the fastest, doesn’t jump high, kick the ball long or anything, but he still gets the ball," he said.
"He polled really well in the Sandover, has played his 150-plus games to be a life member of the club and whatever he decides, I say good on him. He's got a bright future in his teaching career and he's just a quality person."
Kyle and Ashton Hams were also premiership players with South Fremantle in 2005 and were terrific in the grand final. Kyle has had a superb season averaging over 21 possessions from defence, but twin brother Ashton saved his best game for the grand final.
He missed seven games mid-season through injury and only returned in Round 23, but on Sunday he collected 28 possessions, laid 14 tackles and did a good job on Subiaco leading goalkicker Trent Dennis-Lane.
"Ashton is certainly a capable footballer that's for sure. If we can ever get him fully fit he could be even better because he's had a lot of problems with injuries, but he showed here exactly what he's capable of," he said.
"We put Kyle up in the forward-line for a little patch and he kicked a goal, which was good, but when he came to the bench he asked to be back to the back-line again. He wanted to be with his brother again I think."
South Fremantle's defence was the main reason it finished on top of the ladder and won the premiership. Sam Hunt also had a superb grand final keeping Brad Smith quiet.
"Internally he gets the credit. I'm not sure he does on the outside, but we don't worry about that. We know what he's doing and how well he's going. We are very happy with his form," he said.
"This would have been one of the few games where Brad Smith hasn’t actually kicked a goal as well, so Sam has done a fantastic job on him and did not have a go on the interchange. He had a go on smaller players and ran out the game very well."
