Legendary AFL cartoonist Mark Knight revealed Fremantle heave-ho'd his original Dockers premiership poster, with the club saying it doesn't fit the image of the organisation.
Knight originally drew a dock worker for Fremantle, holding an anchor with a purple beanie and a Dockers logo tattooed on his foot. He was angry.
"I start sketching, and start thinking about it at the start of the finals," Knight said on 3AW.
"Fremantle are in front all year. They're likely going to be on the posters. Wharfie Time; they are called the Fremantle Dockers, associated with the docks and dock workers at wharfies.
"So I went off and drew this big, bad wharfie. Running with this huge anchor and tats on him. The beautiful anchor tattoos. Looking at the camera.
"I sent it off, and the word came back, 'yeah, nah' from the club. They said it doesn't fit with the direction the club is heading in. And they're not celebrating uber masculinity, and the poster was too angry."
Knight received some feedback from Fremantle, which indicated a "hipster-style guy", similar to club captain Alex Pearce.
Although it wasn't the first time Knight had to alter his initial draft, he said it felt more like a campaign rather than a cartoon premiership poster.
Mark Knight said he had to ask the club what specifically they were looking for from the poster.
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"It's tight production time. We had to say to Freo, 'What are you looking for?' And they came back with something that will really impress the millennials. A hipster-style guy. We like long hair. We like man buns. A nose ring, if you like. It sounded to me like they were describing their captain, Pearcey (Alex Pearce)," he explained.
"I drew it. They said, 'The hair is too brown. Can you make it blond?' I'm thinking, this is a new experience for me. It sounded like I was working on a marketing campaign and not the premiership poster."
In all his posters, Knight is allowed to be inspired by the players involved in the grand final, but is not meant to include too much likeness in the cartoon.
St Kilda asked the cartoonist to alter their 2009 poster because it looked like Nick Riewoldt, while Collingwood questioned why the 2010 edition included tattoos, reflective of Dane Swan's ink.
"We do (need to get them ticked off by the clubs. Basically the AFL as well because it's an AFL product and has the AFL logo on the poster," Knight said.
"Usually it's never been a problem. Twice, maybe some small things. We had to change a St Kilda one in my first one in 2009. A little adjustment there. It looked a bit like Nick Riewoldt. I can't show players' faces.
"2010, when the Pies got up, I put Swanny's (Dane Swan) big sleeve on the Magpie, and the AFL said, 'We can't have tattoos on the premiership poster'. I mean, just look at the players. That 2010 poster was massive. Fans loved it."
As for the Lions in 2026, Knight said he has become accustomed to drawing the Brisbane poster as they head into their fourth consecutive grand final.
Synonymous with a lion as their mane, which is ironically the hairdo the Ashcroft brothers are sporting.
"I've drawn the Brisbane one four years running now, and so it was getting a bit tough to redesign it. Bring something new," Knight said.
"So I thought I'd draw all three of the Lions in this one. Will (Ashcroft), but Levi also. Levi has it swept back exactly like that mane. I'm channeling that there. But I put the three Lions in, and they're chairing off 2026.
"On the three-peat Lion, we have a little tattoo for Uncle Fages. There's also a little tattoo where it says The umpires say sorry."
All the sales proceeds from the posters go to the Royal Children's Hospital.
