His skipper admits opposition fans want to punch him, his star midfielder thought he had cursed the team but Patrick Voss’ wave goodbye had everyone talking or booing at Adelaide Oval on Saturday night.
Voss was tireless for the Dockers who came back in the final minutes to beat Port Adelaide and keep their finals hopes in their own hands.
A loss could well have seen them miss the finals as they are battling with the Bulldogs and Giants for the last two spots in the finals.
“Hopefully, we can just escort him back to the bus and the hotel without the Port fans getting into him. He’s good for footy, he’s a bloke you love playing with as he brings so much passion and energy,” Pearce told Fox Footy post game.
“He’s a bit like Hayden Ballantyne, most people who don’t go for Freo want to punch him but Freo people want to kiss him.”
First Voss kicked a goal, his third, with eight minutes to go to put the Dockers back in front and the man known as the Prancing Pony for his celebration antics didn’t hold back, shushing the crowd and waving them goodbye.
“I told him that I thought he had cursed us when we spoke after the game,” Dockers star Caleb Serong told Fox Footy. He had more to say, I’ll put that below.
The Power didn’t take Voss’ advice and they regained the lead via Connor Rozee with just under two minutes to play.
Enter Dockers skipper Alex Pearce who once again pushed himself forward and he made sure Serong saw him and put the ball within reach of his big hands.
Pearce pulled in the mark and just put the ball inside the goals to take a six-point lead with 40 seconds to play, the Dockers held on to win.
“It’s a bit of a set play when we are down, it’s either me or Coxy [Brennan Cox] and I’ve had a bit of success doing this lately so I said if I get the chance I will go and do it,” Pearce told Fox Footy.
“I saw Caleb, we locked eyes, and I had a bit of space and a good match-up, it was a beautiful kick from him. My shot just snuck through to be honest.”
Serong had more to say about Voss whom he credited for becoming a match-winner; he just wants him to put the wave back in his pocket.
“But it was one of those ones. We love him. He is incredible with the energy he gives us but also the way he is playing,” Serong continued.
“He is an asset for us as his work in the air has gone to another level but when the ball is on the ground, he is a beast. You don’t want to have the ball in the area when he can tackle you.
“He cleaned me up with a tackle in preseason, I don’t know about the wave, as there was still a few minutes left and we were only up by a point.
“He can put that one away but his energy, he can keep bringing it.”