PERTH, AUSTRALIA - NOVEMBER 24: Jye Amiss and Neil Erasmus pose with Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir during the NAB AFL Draft at RAC Arena on November 24, 2021 in Perth, Australia. (Photo by Will Russell/AFL Photos)
Finishing mid-table in 2021, the Fremantle Dockers don’t look too far off from getting back to their very best after some lacklustre performances in the previous years.
Inconsistent performances against weaker teams, as well as impressive victories over arguably stronger teams, led to mixed feelings amongst the Freo faithful over how the team performed.
Coming into the 2022 season, Justin Longmuir's side look stronger than ever on paper. It's now about putting everything into action and performing when it matters most.
With many players on the brink of returning from injury, things are looking up for the Dockers. And with a lot of players starting to find themselves, flourishing in their current roles, as well as the return of captain Nat Fyfe, Fremantle fans have a lot to be excited about going into the upcoming season.
Off-Season Moves
Ins: Jye Amiss, Neil Erasmus, Matthew Johnson, Eric Benning, Will Brodie [Gold Cost], Jordan Clark [Geelong]
Outs: Brett Bewley [delisted], Adam Cerra [Carlton], Reece Conca [delisted], Taylin Dunman [delisted], Stefan Giro [delisted], Stephen Hill [retired], Leno Thomas [delisted], Luke Valentine [retired], Tobe Watson [delisted]
Despite playing some exciting football, Fremantle will consider last season slightly disappointing. Finishing one win outside the eight with 40 points, the Dockers just couldn’t do enough to separate themselves from the other teams in the competition.
Disappointing losses to Carlton in Rounds 3 and 16, losing by over 50-points on four separate occasions, as well as injuries to star player Nat Fyfe all caught up to haunt Freo towards the end of the year.
It wasn’t all bad news, however. Convincing performances such as their 62-point win against Hawthorn in Round 17, as well as impressive wins over West Coast and GWS, showed they clearly weren’t a team to take lightly.
Breakout years for young ruckman Sean Darcy and eye-catching performances from young gun Caleb Serong also made headlines throughout the season.
Regardless of these performances, injury struggles ultimately led to Fremantle’s downfall. With Joel Hamling, Heath Chapman, Michael Frederick, Alex Pearce, Sam Sturt and Hayden Young all failing to play even half of the home and away season, as well as Nat Fyfe’s shoulder issues, the Dockers struggled to maintain a healthy squad, resulting in inconsistent form.
Midfield
Freo’s midfield has looked very solid for some time now and only seems to be getting better. With the likes of Andrew Brayshaw and Sean Darcy playing the best football of their career, it's safe to say the Docker’s midfield remains their biggest strength heading into the season.
With Darcy averaging 29 hit-outs, the Docker's ball winners in Brayshaw, Caleb Serong and the returning Fyfe can expect excellent service from stoppages. Brayshaw is also putting out career-high numbers in terms of disposals.
The loss of Adam Cerra may slightly alter the dynamics, but the additions of recruits Jordan Clark, Will Brodie and even draft pick Neil Erasmus create a perfect balance of star power and depth to keep the Freo midfield one of the most dangerous in the competition.
Forward line
Fremantle’s forward-line is a little hit and miss. The players have the potential to put up excellent goal-scoring numbers, but injuries and inconstant performances leave a big hole that has been present since Jesse Hogan’s departure.
Although full-forward Matt Taberner has improved and is putting up much better statistics, he can’t do all the work on his own.
Lachie Schultz and Former Giant Rory Lobb offer more potential options going forward, but struggles with injury and inconsistent performances from both players leave a lot of questions in terms of their availability, and how they will perform the times they are actually fit enough to get on the field.
Sam Sturt, Travis Colyer and Mitch Crowden provide a decent supporting cast but still don’t stand out as players who can take Fremantle to the next level.
Michael Walters has also left a lot to be desired and is playing far from his best. Averaging only 14 disposals and only kicking more than two goals on one occasion the entire season, Walters is one player that needs to step up his game if Freo seriously considers themselves a top-eight team.
Nat Fyfe
Despite his recent injury struggles, Fyfe remains one of the league’s most skilled and dangerous players. Last season wasn’t too kind to the Freo skipper, with a shoulder ailment only allowing him to play 15 games for the year. The superstar will be looking to get back to his best in 2022, which will be crucial for helping steer the Docker's finals charge.
Fyfe played a fair amount of time in the forward line last season, which meant he spent a lot less time on the ball where he is most impactful. With the Dockers picking up some young forwards in the draft, the skipper will likely be shifted back to a midfield role where he can have a larger influence on the game.
Injury struggles aside, Fyfe still showcased what makes him one of the best in the league during his limited time on the field in 2021. The 30-year-old averaged 24.1 disposals for the season, with a season-high of 34 against North Melbourne in Round 6. He also put up above-average numbers in tackles (4.1) and clearances (5.7).
With his shoulder surgery out of the way and reclaiming his best position in the midfield, a full-flight Fyfe will be a sight for sore eyes for the Dockers and could be the difference in Fremantle’s chances of breaking into the top eight.
Midfielder
Disposals
Tackles
Clearances
Heading towards his third season in the league, Serong started to show glimpses of just how important of a player he can be for the purple-clad club. Gathering some outstanding form towards the end of the season, the 21-year-old will look to build on these performances going into the new season.
Serong was slightly inconsistent in the earlier rounds but looked an incredibly dangerous player when he got up and running. Finishing the last three games with 30, 31 and 35 disposals respectively proves just how good of a player he is when he’s got some momentum.
The young midfielder also showed bursts of individual brilliance a few times throughout the year, most notably with his checkside goal from the boundary against West Coast in Round 22, which won him Goal of the Year gong.
If the last three games of the 2021 season are anything to go by, Serong looks to be developing into one of the league's best young talents, with a Fyfe/Serong/Brayshaw rotation in the midfield looking like a really exciting prospect for the aspiring Dockers.
Rounds 19 - 23
It's going to come down to the wire for Fremantle in the 2022 home and away season. Their fixtures are quite standard, with beatable opponents and more challenging encounters scattered throughout the majority of the season.
The run home, however, is going to push the squad to their limits and really define whether or not they have what it takes to play finals.
In the last 5 Rounds, Fremantle face the Tigers, Demons, Bulldogs, Eagles and the Giants all in a row, with three of those games being away from home.
All of these teams, bar Richmond, finished above Freo last season.
In 2021, the Dockers were well beaten by Melbourne, GWS, Western Bulldogs, and were smashed by West Coast on their first encounter, although they got the better of the Eagles the second time around. Freo also only managed to beat the Tigers by four points.
If these unconvincing performances are anything to go off, the Dockers could have their work cut out for them in the latter end of the season, which could be detrimental to the team's hopes of playing finals football.
Fremantle are currently in a very interesting position. On one hand, they look very promising. Their defence is quite solid, the midfield is edging towards elite status and the forward line has the potential to provide solid goal-scoring numbers.
On the other hand, a few reoccurring injuries like we’ve seen in the past and everything could come completely undone.
If everything goes according to plan for the Dockers, there is a decent chance that they can improve on last year's result and push for a spot in the finals.
But very rarely do things go according to plan.
Their forward line may not meet expectations, injuries may resurface towards the end of the season, and that difficult run home might be the reason the Dockers fail to reach the finals yet again.
Position: 11th