Duff and the Doctor - (23.09.2026)

Mark Duffield (0:07)

I wouldn't say I've got a bad case of loving him, but I do, I am very fond of him. Doctor Sean Gorman joins me now for Duff and the Doctor.

Doctor Gorman, welcome.

Sean Gorman (0:16)

G'day Duff, g'day listeners. Well, back by popular demand and he does the request. I've got my knees out again, I've got the shorts on. So yeah, it's all good. Lots to talk about, lots to discuss and to go through. It's what an exciting week.

Mark Duffield (0:29)

It is an exciting week. There is a lot happening in Foody. Let's talk about something near and dear to your heart right off the top. Sean McManus will present the Cup for Fremantle should they win on Saturday. You have an association with Sean.

Sean, your thoughts?

Sean Gorman (0:44)

Absolutely. I was our son, our eldest sons, Lachlan and Clay, played for Junior Foody together, won a Grand Final in a Premiership in, in, what was it, year 10 So they beat South Coogee for the East Fremantle Power. Sean, he was the coach.

I was the manager for several years. Not that year. I'd resigned the year before because I had too much work on my plate. But I'm being part of the club and seeing how Sean operated and how much he loves football, how much he loves junior footballers, how much he's been a part of the Fremantle Foody Club. And, you know, didn't have a lot of skill, didn't have a lot of that natural ability and just worked his ass off to get there. So good on you, Sean Mac. I know he's probably going to have to put the shackles on Megan, his missus, because she doesn't like a drink on a warm day. So it's going to be very interesting to see how that all goes. But look, good on him. And yeah, I think it'll be a fantastic situation for Sean Mac and his family.

Mark Duffield (1:38)

So I used to do a TV show with Sean in a previous life.

It was something Channel 7 were doing at the end of the round. And we'd go up to the second tier up here at Optus Stadium and do a live show. Mark Reddings, Sean Mac. It was an absolute joy to be around Sean. And my other overwhelming memory of Sean is going into the freemantle rooms at Subiaco Oval after they've beaten Sydney in the preliminary final in 2013 So they'd qualified for the final.

And he was the happiest bloke in the room. There was no, oh, I wish we could have done this when I was playing. Yeah, there was no sort of mixed feelings, no sentiment other than pure unbridled joy for his football club. I think it was a beautiful choice. And I also think in some small way, it's helped frame this match in a manner that I think plays right into freemantle's hands. Freemantle has been, despite winning the minor Premiership, despite winning more games than any other non-Victorian team has in history. Freemantle has been very much cast in the role of the underdog for this grand final. And I think that suits freemantle absolute down to their toes.

Sean Gorman (2:57)

Absolutely, absolutely. And I think that's where they do their best work. And we were talking before we came on, like I think a lot of the pressure is going to be on Brisbane simply because of that three-peat piece.

So, Freo are the underdog and for that reason, because Brisbane are on the three-peat role, getting into a grand final is hard enough. Winning a premiership is hard enough. Winning two in a row, three in a row is really, really difficult. Okay, so all the pressure is off Freo in terms of those sorts of things. And I think Sean McManus is just a nice little sort of cherry on top of the pie, really.

I had a couple of text messages from people throughout. Should be Fife, should be Dale Kickett. And I get all those ones too. But yeah, knowing Sean, I suppose intimately again, from the, from the experiences that I've had with him over time and knowing how much he loves the game, loves his footy club and as you say, he's a joy to be around. It's so funny. He's a funny bug. He's a bit old school when it comes to the, to the halftime bake too, just quietly. I'll talk to you about that on the thing. But he is no, he's a ripper. So I think this is, I think it's a beautiful situation and the place will go off because of it.

Mark Duffield (4:06)

We, we all have our opinions on who could present the Cup. I mean, if I had to choose one and I got to choose it, I would have chosen Nathan Fyfe. But if you, if you had, if you asked me to do a list of five that I think would have been absolutely suitable, Sean McManus would absolutely have been one of those five.