‘I want to talk to you about my contact. I am really respectful of the fact that I have a year to serve but I want to let you know that if a trade can be negotiated with one of the Adelaide clubs, I would be more than happy to go.’ Is what Matthew Pavlich said to Fremantle Chief Executive Cameron Schwab at the conclusion of the 2001 Home and Away season after Fremantle. Finished last with only two wins, sacked their coach, had a two-million-dollar loss and had crowed and membership decrees.

 

When you think of loyal players you think of Matthew Pavlich someone who went through the hard times at Fremantle and got so close to that cup but failed at the final hurdle, and if you read Matthew Pavlich book Purple Heart you would know about his 2001 trade request to Adelaide, with Port Adelaide being the likely destination. As we all know he didn’t go and he ended up being Fremantle’s greatest player but this is one of them times where the past is better than the present.

 

Mitch McGovern, Dan Hannnebery, Jack Scrimshaw, Tom Scully, Chad Wingard, Lachie Neale, Jesse Hogan, Rory Lobb and Gold coast Suns captain Steven May plus a few more all got traded in last year’s trade period while under contract. Mitch McGovern asked for a trade a year in to a three-year deal and Jack Scrimshaw didn’t even see out his first contact at the Gold Coast Suns before asking for a trade. Then you have stories about the rumour Garry Ablett was going to sit out 2018 if he did not get traded to Geelong and Tim Kelly 2018, Lachie Weller in 2017 and Tom Boyd in 2014 managers say “If they don’t get traded they will just ask for a trade the next year”. So, if the Matthew Pavlich trade request in 2001 was in 2018 it’s a safe bet that history would look very different.

 

If this did happen and Pavlich manager did say “he would just ask for a trade next year” Fremantle would likely be forced to trade Pavlich. He said in his book that he and his farther spoke to then Port Adelaide coach Mark Williams. So, I would think that a Pavlich to Port Adelaide deal would have been made. Port Adelaide has pick 15 who they used to get Barry Brooks who didn’t play a game at Port but 8 at St Kilda between 2003 – 2007. That pick would have been enough to get the trade because Fremantle had the number one pick so they had the best pick in the super draft.

 

Kane Corns said on Open Mike he believes Port and Brisbane should have been two all with Brisbane winning 2001 and 2003 and Port Adelaide winning 2002 and 2004 with Pavlich at Port in 2002 the year he became an All Australian defender who knows if they could have gone all the way, and with Pavlich as a leader would they have gone through the one filed struggle during the early 2010s who knows?

 

For Fremantle though it’s a different story. Fremantle fans could argue we would have just drafted another tall forward to replace him. If you look at Fremantle all time goal kicking list Pavlich is well ahead with 700 then you have small forwards Hayden Ballantyne, Michael Walters and Jeff Farmer then below them Chris Mayne and Clive Waterhouse. Overall Pavlich has kicked 10% of all Fremantle’s goals in the AFL.

 

Personally I cannot see how Fremantle would have been a successful club but the funny thing about What If’s in sport is that there would have been someone who stepped up just we will never know who