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Purple Heart
Matthew Pavlich captained the Fremantle Dockers for a decade. In 16 epic seasons and 300-plus games he kicked over 600 goals and won glory, respect and a legion of fans Australia-wide.
Purple Heart is the thrilling, inspirational tale of an Adelaide kid who found himself in the west playing for a fledgling club still learning to fly. It reveals the incredible early struggles Pavlich and his Fremantle teammates faced in those early years and takes us inside the empire that rose from the rubble.
Pavlich tells for the first time why he rejected huge offers from rival clubs to stay loyal to his purple heart and become a one-club man. 'Pav' became the Dockers' games record holder, highest scorer, an all-time great of the modern era, and lifeblood of the AFL powerhouse Fremantle is today.
This is Matthew Pavlich's story - tough, honest, action-packed and heartfelt.
Purple Heart is the thrilling, inspirational tale of an Adelaide kid who found himself in the west playing for a fledgling club still learning to fly. It reveals the incredible early struggles Pavlich and his Fremantle teammates faced in those early years and takes us inside the empire that rose from the rubble.
Pavlich tells for the first time why he rejected huge offers from rival clubs to stay loyal to his purple heart and become a one-club man. 'Pav' became the Dockers' games record holder, highest scorer, an all-time great of the modern era, and lifeblood of the AFL powerhouse Fremantle is today.
This is Matthew Pavlich's story - tough, honest, action-packed and heartfelt.
- GenresNonfiction
336 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
September 18, 2021
I'm going to edit this later with a proper review. For now, I have to get all my fave quotes in order and go from there since it's from a paperback!
Okay, I've added all the quotes I felt the need to add, and now I can get down to writing my review. I don't read a lot of non-fiction, and I've had this book on my shelf ever since I went out and bought it with the express intent of lining up to get it autographed by the great man himself, Matthew Pavlich - my Aussie Rules footy club's most celebrated, loyal and incredible player (his incredible 353-game career has recently been eclipsed, at least in numbers, by the equally wonderful David Mundy whose memoir I'd totally read too, by the way).
Pav takes us on a journey in this memoir from when he first arrived at Freo and thought to himself, "What the hell have I done? Why did I come to this shambles of a place?" to the point of his long career when he was seriously considering retirement at last (thanks for playing on in 2016, Pav - loved your last game and watching your 700th goal!!).
It was amazing to read about the times when he seriously considered leaving Freo. I guess we are all very grateful that he initially signed up for three years, or else we would have lost him once two years were up. And having got a bit more insight into what it was like for players in those early days, I can't say I would have blamed him. The club has come a very long way since those early days of neglect. It's odd to think of a sports club as wallowing in poverty, but that's how I see Freo. The club got the licence to start, and that was about it. What else did they get??
I loved the quotes from other Freo faves like Shaun McManus, who is another legend of the club and still bleeds purple to this day. Pav, I too love everything Shauny Mac stands for!
There were so many woes for the club with various coaches that had a fair bit to offer but also a fair bit to answer for in their approaches. But woes came from the moment of the club's very formation, in the form of that lack of formal support (and in fact a seemingly intentional refusal to support the club) from the AFL and WAFC both. That's why I absolutely love Freo. They have literally had to claw their way up from the depths of despair (literal despair at times, within the club), neglect, and a whole lot of unfair disrespect, to get where they are today. Sure, we still don't have a Premiership, but there's no other club I'd rather support in the AFL. Having learned more about the hard times at the club I love, I have even more respect for Pav than I did before. He stayed, he was loyal, and even though he says that the club owes him nothing, we will all still love him forever!
I also agree with Pav that it's not a truly national competition yet - that it would be great to see more clubs in other states/territories, and possibly to have less Victorian clubs (when you think about it, it's pretty ridiculous that they still have that many).
Kudos to Pav for calling out the bullshit that happened to Adam Goodes, as well. It's very clear why you and Lauren have such wonderful kids who decide to do their own welcome to country during private family moments. You should be very proud.
Okay, I've added all the quotes I felt the need to add, and now I can get down to writing my review. I don't read a lot of non-fiction, and I've had this book on my shelf ever since I went out and bought it with the express intent of lining up to get it autographed by the great man himself, Matthew Pavlich - my Aussie Rules footy club's most celebrated, loyal and incredible player (his incredible 353-game career has recently been eclipsed, at least in numbers, by the equally wonderful David Mundy whose memoir I'd totally read too, by the way).
Pav takes us on a journey in this memoir from when he first arrived at Freo and thought to himself, "What the hell have I done? Why did I come to this shambles of a place?" to the point of his long career when he was seriously considering retirement at last (thanks for playing on in 2016, Pav - loved your last game and watching your 700th goal!!).
It was amazing to read about the times when he seriously considered leaving Freo. I guess we are all very grateful that he initially signed up for three years, or else we would have lost him once two years were up. And having got a bit more insight into what it was like for players in those early days, I can't say I would have blamed him. The club has come a very long way since those early days of neglect. It's odd to think of a sports club as wallowing in poverty, but that's how I see Freo. The club got the licence to start, and that was about it. What else did they get??
“It all made for a mixed first impression. When I watched training with the new draftees, I could see this was an AFL team with some seriously good players. But the infrastructure around the team was relatively scant, felt amateurish and was not what I expected from an AFL club. It was all by virtue of not having a home; we had a nomadic existence in those formative years. At that point most Victorian clubs too still had to be satisfied with unprofessional working environments at suburban grounds, but it is fair to say that Fremantle was at the extreme end of the scale.”
I loved the quotes from other Freo faves like Shaun McManus, who is another legend of the club and still bleeds purple to this day. Pav, I too love everything Shauny Mac stands for!
There were so many woes for the club with various coaches that had a fair bit to offer but also a fair bit to answer for in their approaches. But woes came from the moment of the club's very formation, in the form of that lack of formal support (and in fact a seemingly intentional refusal to support the club) from the AFL and WAFC both. That's why I absolutely love Freo. They have literally had to claw their way up from the depths of despair (literal despair at times, within the club), neglect, and a whole lot of unfair disrespect, to get where they are today. Sure, we still don't have a Premiership, but there's no other club I'd rather support in the AFL. Having learned more about the hard times at the club I love, I have even more respect for Pav than I did before. He stayed, he was loyal, and even though he says that the club owes him nothing, we will all still love him forever!
“The Fremantle Football Club has needed me. But I have needed the Fremantle Football Club more - it owes me nothing at all. All the players and coaches who have represented the club, the staff, our sponsors and corporate supporters, our members and fans, and the families of the players - we have all endured. For me looking in the rear view mirror, it’s about celebrating us and our journey, not just one person.”
I also agree with Pav that it's not a truly national competition yet - that it would be great to see more clubs in other states/territories, and possibly to have less Victorian clubs (when you think about it, it's pretty ridiculous that they still have that many).
Kudos to Pav for calling out the bullshit that happened to Adam Goodes, as well. It's very clear why you and Lauren have such wonderful kids who decide to do their own welcome to country during private family moments. You should be very proud.
December 18, 2017
Do not judge me - this was an epic ride that only reinforced my love for my footy club.
June 21, 2024
Finished reading the great man's book! If you're a Freo supporter well worth the read, if you're impartial then you will find alot of it interesting too!
February 6, 2017
This book pulled off the difficult task of making an autobiography engrossing. It was very interesting to read the recounts of his experiences in a narrative format. The book managed to let you grow up with Matthew Pavlich from his early childhood to the present day, and the adventures and experiences of Matthew's are not forgettable which is always a sign of a good biography. The book worked well at putting you in Matthew Pavlich's shoes through the good and bad times of his life. The end of the book was my personal favourite part as it was interesting to compare and contrast your personal opinion on issues revolving around the AFL community with Matthew Pavlich's. It was easy to see why he chose his opinions on certain issues because from reading his biography you can see his motives. To conclude, the book was very good and did well at personalising myself with one of my childhood heroes. I would recommend it to anyone who is a fan of Matthew Pavlich or the AFL in general, as he is renowned as one of the greats of the game.
January 4, 2016
For a great footballer, Pav does pretty well as a writer. He's not a great writer, but his style is readable and interesting. This book gives insight into his journey with the Dockers and his football career but it's not a hugely personal memoir. None the less, it was fascinating to read about the physical strain and pain through which he played for so many years. It was nice when we got some glimpses into 'the man' and I would have liked a bit more of that and maybe a bit less blow by blow run down of games played. There were a couple of editing issues but overall a good read for a fan of the great Pav!
April 2, 2016
This is a sport memoir. Really well written by an intelligent and well organised writer. Lots of stories and a little bit of personal philosophy thrown in for good measure. An easy read, I read it in two long sittings, not because I wanted to get rid of it quickly ... I just couldn't put it down.
A fascinating insight into the development of a football club and a young player who grew to become an articulate and strong advocate for others. Having attended most of the games he described, made it personally relevant, but if would still interest others that don't have that strong contextual background.
A fascinating insight into the development of a football club and a young player who grew to become an articulate and strong advocate for others. Having attended most of the games he described, made it personally relevant, but if would still interest others that don't have that strong contextual background.
October 22, 2015
Pavlich's book starts well but really drags in the middle where it becomes a year by year static retelling of games. Towards the end it really picks up again. Pavlich is far more interesting in print than he ever appeared in interviews with the media, which may say a lot about footballers' wariness of those who can make or break them on their own whim.
January 4, 2016
A great insight into Fremantle's best ever player
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews