Battered Pav

The Age

Wednesday August 13, 2008

Nick Sheridan, with Steve Butler

Matthew Pavlich consistently takes Fremantle to the brink of victory but is heavily criticised when he fails to close the deal. Is this fair? Nick Sheridan reports.

IT SEEMS it will forever be the lot of great players in struggling teams that the fortunes of their side will hinge on them. That the way they play from one week to the next or - perhaps more tellingly - how they perform in that one defining moment of a match, will determine whether their club's fans will hail them as the all-conquering hero or deride them as a hack who just cannot deliver.

Matthew Pavlich is that man for Fremantle. And last Saturday was just one of those occasions when Pavlich's early brilliance was eclipsed by the shame of a missed shot late in the game that could have guaranteed his side an unlikely win against Sydney away from home.

With 22 minutes gone in the final term and the Dockers leading the Swans by 13 points, Pavlich marked 20 metres out, straight in front. He sprayed to the left, leaving the door open for the Swans to get a run-on, which they did, kicking the next three goals and stealing a four-point win.

But does such a moment undermine the fact that it was Pavlich's Herculean efforts leading up to that point - he finished the game with 27 disposals and 1.1 - that had put his side in a winning position in the first place?

"He should have kicked the one against Sydney," West Coast premiership player Glen Jakovich said yesterday. "And you can see the expression on his face, he knows it himself . . . he was pretty animated over that."

Sydney coach Paul Roos, who was emphatic that Pavlich was a champion, conceded after the match that he would rather Pavlich rack up those numbers in the midfield than boot match-winning bags of goals. But, he said: "People are going to say he missed another goal, but that's unfair because he was the reason they were in front for a start and it shouldn't detract from his performance.

"He was just outstanding and we didn't really have anyone to go with him."

It is not the first time such a moment has soured the legacy of some of Pavlich's finer performances.

There have been three particular occasions this year when Pavlich missed goals in the final term that could have won the game for his team.

The first was probably the toughest. Round six against Geelong and the Dockers were trailing by two points with minutes to go when Pavlich marked 45 metres out, metres inside the boundary. His kick hit the post, and the Cats hung on for a one-point win. But it would be tough to judge the Dockers skipper on what really was a very difficult kick, according to Jakovich.

"He was right on the boundary and he hit the post, and they're critical over that one! The criticism was not warranted there," he said.

Three weeks later, Fremantle was rallying against Carlton in the final term when Pavlich had the chance to put his side in front with a set shot from 25 metres.

Again he hit the post, and the Dockers went down by nine points. It is at times like these that commentators and fans have lamented Pavlich's ability to convert, despite the fact that he has kicked with 65% accuracy this year.

His coach, Mark Harvey, considers the scrutiny unfair, agreeing with the idea that Pavlich has so many chances to win matches because he has put the team in that position in the first place. "Yep, there's a big reason why he's in that situation all the time and don't ever lose sight of that," Harvey said.

But according to former St Kilda player Danny Frawley, who was commentating at the Fremantle game on the weekend, the Dockers' problem is not Pavlich, rather they need more players like him.

"He's a star," Frawley said of Pavlich, who is fifth in the Coleman race with 64 goals, ahead of Brisbane captain Jonathan Brown, despite spending significant chunks of game time playing in the midfield.

"He'd be the first to say, yes, he should have kicked it, but I reckon there was another 70 or 80 incidents where his team could have done something better in that game to give them a bigger lead, but it's left to him to not only get them in front, but also to seal the deal, so until they get more players like Pavlich, they're going to be where they are."

It is a scenario Frawley has seen numerous times.

"Richo (Matthew Richardson) went through that for years, (Tony) Lockett at St Kilda, (Gary) Ablett at Geelong, they're a victim of their own brilliance," he said.

Jakovich concurred.

"He's lacked manpower around him, support," he said. "I think when you've got good players around you, it wouldn't ever be spoken about because they'll win the games of footy."

But, Jakovich added, such experience will sit Pavlich in good stead if, or when, he finds himself in a team capable of playing in September.

"I think this year, as much as people might be critical, that'll train him up for when the side should be in a better position on the ladder, challenging for a finals' berth and then watch this space, because he's using this year as practice."

Harvey, too, has no doubt that Pavlich is the man for Fremantle's future.

"He's going to be a sensational leader and he's growing and growing all the time. The fabric of the person is that you can build a club around this guy, and there will be a team that will follow and do whatever he asks or demands of them." -- With STEVE BUTLER

© 2008 The Age

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