"Don't poke the bear": Was Wharfie Time Freo's downfall?

Football can be a cruel sport. Just ask any Fremantle fan.

Having made their second-ever AFL Grand Final after finishing minor premiers during the home-and-away season, the Dockers appeared to be home following Patrick Voss’ third goal of the match, giving his side a 17-point lead.

With four minutes and 18 seconds on the clock and the club’s famed Wharfie Time activated, many supporters began to dream of purple confetti adorning the MCG field after the final siren.

Instead, the Brisbane Lions kicked the last four goals to claim victory from the jaws of defeat as they secured their third premiership in a row by just seven points.

Following the devastating loss, much of the attention has been focused on the club’s use of Wharfie Time, with several Brisbane players like Will Ashcroft explaining they had been planning on using it as motivation.

“Yeah, when they played the Wharfie Time, it worked against them in the end,” he told SEN.

“That was what we actually spoke about this week is when or if it did come, we'd harness it to our advantage and then just go for it.”

But while the Lions noted that it helped motivate them, Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir didn’t believe it had an effect on the game.

Instead, he felt it was Brisbane’s class that allowed them to find an extra gear in the final moments to claw back the deficit.

“I don’t think that has any impact,” Longmuir explained in his post-game press conference.

“Like did Charlie (Cameron's) Country Road celebration have any impact on the game? Probably not.

“I don't think we can put it down to that. I think we can put it down to one of the better teams of all time, backs against the wall, they found something, and we just didn't have the answer for that.”

West Coast Eagles premiership coach Adam Simpson believes it did the Dockers no favours.

“The phrase, ‘don’t poke the bear’ comes into mind with this,” Simpson told the SEN Grand Final call.

“We’re not at Optus anymore, we’re at the MCG.

“I don’t think JL would have wanted that particular piece of conversation. I thought he was annoyed at it at stages but it’s good marketing, it brings the crowd in.

“We can’t really blame Wharfie Time, but it will be a story by the sounds of it. We’re all thinking it.

“In the end, it’s the leaders that need to stand up for Fremantle. They concede that one goal out of the middle, then all of a sudden, it became two.

“It felt like it was just a matter of time. It was going to happen.”