FD36a Docker JUL05-REV.indd - Fremantle Football Club

NewsOntheRoadIt is fascinating to everyone atthe club to hear the continualreference to the poor travel recordof Fremantle away from Subiaco.It seems that every second week,travel becomes an essential partof every game analysis yet thefacts do not support this attention.A DEEPER LOOK over the last three yearsshows that if any attention on travel recordsis warranted it should in fact be directed atMelbourne-based teams. And in this analysisit is important that apples are compared withapples when talking travel.Let’s start by stating the obvious. Teams fromWestern Australia, South Australia, New SouthWales and Queensland have to travel morethan the Melbourne-based teams. Not only dothese teams have to travel to Melbourne butalso to each other’s states, some presentingthe longest road trips in the competition.It is more than just looking at home and awayrecords. An away game for Richmond playingEssendon at the Telstra Dome rather than athome at the MCG is not quite the same asFremantle having to play Richmond away atKick a goal for your walletAre you set for the football season? Game day ticket $37,full complement of Dockers merchandise $250,beating the West Coast Eagles – priceless.That is until the bills come in.Showing our patriotism can sometimes hurtour credit cards. However, help is at hand, asthere are some banks out there that are nowproviding products that can help us get ourfinances back into the game. So if your walletis off the pace, it might be time to look atsome financial equipment that can help youreclaim your position on the ladder.There are now a number of financial tools tohelp get your finances back in winning order,and you may be surprised to find that one isa credit card.The card is the new BankWest ZeroMasterCard. A new but powerful player in thebanking world, the BankWest Zero MasterCardhas no annual fee, and more importantly,0% on balance transfers for a four monthperiod, so consolidating your debt now makesthe MCG. The away record for a non-Victorian team cannot compare withthe away record for Victorian teamwhere an away game could only be amatter of 20 minutes difference fromground to ground. For a non-Victorianteam it could be a minimum of twoand half hours on the road. This ofcourse does not take into accountthat non-Victorian teams have tolive out of a suitcase for one or twonights every second week.So let’s compare the apple with theapple. Over the 2002, 2003 and2004 seasons, non-Victorian teamshave a success record 43.7 per centof all home and away games playedoutside their state of residence. ForVictorian teams boarding a planethe success rate is only 20.4 percent. What does this mean? Everytime a Victorian team boards a plane thechances of winning are only 1 in 5 comparedwith a non-Victorian team where the chancesof winning are nearly 1 in 2.Brisbane has a winning ratio of 58.6 percent, Sydney 49 per cent and the two SouthAustralian teams 53.3 per cent. Fremantle’swinning percentage on the road is 26.7 percent and West Coast 25.8 per cent, bothbetter than Victorian-based teams.In those three seasons, non-Victorian teamsboarded a plane 183 times for an averagenumber of plane trips per team of 10.2 flightsper season. By comparison, Victorian teamswith a total of 152 flights averaged 5.1 flightsper team per season. Simply, non-Victorianteams board a plane twice as often asVictorian-based teams.Over that period, the Kangaroos totalled22 flights (7.3 flights per season), WesternBulldogs and St Kilda 17 (5.7), Hawthorn 16(4), Melbourne and Geelong 15 (5), Richmond14 (4.7), Essendon 13 (4.3), Carlton 12 (4)and Collingwood 11 (3.7). The Kangaroosboard a plane twice as often as Collingwood.The Kangaroos also have the better travelrecord with a winning percentage of40.9 joined only by Hawthorn (31.1) andCollingwood (27.3 per cent) as have bettertravelling records than Fremantle. Melbourneshares the same winning percentage withAdvertising Editorialperfect sense. The added bonus that sets theBankWest Zero MasterCard apart from thecompetition is that it offers 0% on purchasesfor a four month period. Which takes us nicelyto September…A PLAN TO FINANCIAL SUCCESSZone off your debtTo make paperwork easier, centralise yourdebt by transferring your outstanding creditfrom your existing cards to a no annual feecard. BankWest Zero MasterCard gives you achance to get your debt under control with itsfour-month interest-free period.Know your strategyApply the 10/20/70 rule to your income – save10 per cent, put 20 per cent of your income topaying off debts and live off the other 70 percent. After all, you don’t have to curb the funto be financially fit.Fremantle of 26.7 closely followed by St Kilda(23.5) while the others fall away dramatically– Essendon 15.4, Carlton 8, Richmond 7.1,Geelong 6.7 and Western Bulldogs 5.9 percent. These travel records include Hawthornand St Kilda flying to Tasmania for “home”games and similarly for the Kangaroostravelling to Canberra.In 2004, Fremantle won 5 games away fromWA. The 2005 Premiers Port Adelaide alsowon 5 away from Adelaide as did their grandfinal opponents Brisbane. Sydney won 6 awayfrom the Harbour City.And what of Fremantle’s record in Melbourne?Of the six games played in Melbourne in 2003,the results were evenly split with three winsand three losses (4 games at the MCG for 2wins and 2 losses; 2 games at Telstra Domefor 1 win and 1 loss) while in 2004 five gameswere played in Melbourne for three wins andtwo losses (one game at the MCG for one win;four games at Telstra Dome for 2 wins and 2losses). In the last two seasons, of 11 gamesplayed in Melbourne, Fremantle has won 6 –better than 50 per cent.So what of the reverse – Victorian-basedteams playing Fremantle at Subiaco Oval since2002. There have been 16 games played thathave resulted in four wins for Victorian-basedteams representing a winning percentage ofjust 25 per cent.At the mid-season break in 2005, Fremantle’srecord on the road stands at two wins from6 games – 30 per cent. There are four moreinterstate games remaining in the season forFremantle – Adelaide (AAMI), Carlton (MCG),Collingwood (MCG) and Port Adelaide (AAMI).In season 2005, Fremantle and West Coastwill play four games each at the MCG andone game each at Telstra Dome. Brisbane willplay only once at the MCG. On the other hand,Collingwood will play 18 games in Victoria,Richmond 19, Essendon and St Kilda 17,Carlton 16, Melbourne and Western Bulldogs15, and Hawthorn and the Kangaroos 13.Interestingly, St Kilda and Essendon both playGeelong twice during the season and bothgames are at Telstra Dome.As far as travel is concerned, comparing theapple with the apple, Fremantle’s travel recorddeserves no more attention than any other team.Be one of the teamOn the 24 July BankWest is the Match Daysponsor for the Fremantle v Melbourne game.Come along for a great day out and wave theflags for zero! There is also the chance to wina great prize at half time.After the initial four-month interest-free period, thecard returns to a competitive 12.99% p.a. (excludescash advances), with up to 55-days interest free.BankWest advises that Terms and Conditions applyand are available upon request. Rates are subject tochange. Lending criteria, fees and charges apply.To apply, visit your local branch, bankwest.com.auor call 13 17 20.8 Docker July 2005 fremantlefc.com.au