It's a two team town in the west. You have the choice (or more likely due to family heritage not given an option) to support the four-time flag winning West Coast Eagles or the perennial battlers Fremantle.
In the mid-2000s, my family was split in half by blue and gold and (at the time) purple, red, green and white, but my grandad put in the ground work early to make sure the anchor was firmly attached to my heart.
For better or for worse that's led to two decades of love and despair for myself and the Freo faithful - an adjective which cannot be disputed when it comes to this club. As my mum used to say in regards to Dockers fans, "We're proud, loyal, passionate, but stupid."
The expression "dockery" has now become part of the vernacular in Fremantle to describe the club or players' ability to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.
But it appears a new era has begun for the west's forever little brother. With arguably its best ever list talent-wise, Fremantle appears ready to make its second proper push for a premiership in the Dockers' 32-year history.
While Fremantle as a club isn't known for its on-field success, the club has had a litany of cult heroes and stars who, although never reached the ultimate success, will never have to buy a beer or latte along High Street in Freo for the rest of their lives such is the admiration for what they gave to the club.
Some honourable mentions for the list include Lachie Neale who won multiple best-and-fairests with us before fleeing to Brisbane (bet he regrets that decision), tall and talented defender Michael Johnson, All-Australian Paul Hasleby, cult hero Shaun McManus, the original "Wiz" Jeff Farmer, and current star Andrew Brayshaw.
5Michael “Sonny” Walters
The career arc of Walters at Fremantle is one of the most impressive parts to his already mighty time at the club. While he started, like a lot of young players, with his head not screwed on when it came to maturity and professionalism, a bit of tough love from then-coach Ross Lyon was the bit of motivation Sonny needed to make the most of his clear talent and become a standout leader on and off the field. Not just for Indigenous players, of which he became a mentor to many, but for Fremantle as a whole. That's without even getting into how he became one of the best small forwards and then midfielder-forwards in the game, culminating in an All-Australian selection in 2019. A year in which he kicked 40 goals and averaged 21.8 disposals per game. Sonny also won Freo's goal kicking on five occasions and was named captain of the Indigenous All-Stars in his last season in 2025.
