Fremantle will "explore" different roles for star Caleb Serong as opposition clubs ramp up their attention and focus on the midfielder.
Serong is arguably the Dockers' most important player, and on Sunday, he was kept to a measly 11 possessions due to the efforts of Sydney tagger James Jordon, which is his lowest tally since 2020.
But four touches to half time saw coach Justin Longmuir swing the 24-year-old forward in a bid to energise the Brownlow Medal fancy, and is something Fremantle will continue to look at in the coming weeks.
"We've got to explore that," Longmuir said.
"We put him forward third quarter, kicked a goal... a little bit more influence in the second half.
"We think he can have influence as a forward. We'd rather not do it, but we'll try and change things up in the midfield.
"He's getting more and more attention, and teams are sitting tighter and tighter on him, so we'll keep helping him through that."
The clearance battle was won by the Swans, albeit the visitors had their hands on the football first, and yet were unable to convert that into forward thrusts.
"I'm not concerned"
Justin Longmuir discusses the midfield battle and the tag on Caleb Serong in the loss to Sydney: https://t.co/ThB54HnI1y pic.twitter.com/JMVIBV1Xic
โ AFL (@AFL) July 6, 2025
Sean Darcy was Fremantle's leading clearance player with six, while Matthew Johnson and Shai Bolton contributed five as both Serong and Andrew Brayshaw had down days compared to the lofty standards they set.
"We had the same team out there in the first half as the second half, and we won clearances in the second half. So that's the answer," Longmuir said.
"Caleb was still out there getting tagged in the second half, so we didn't rely on him in the second half, and we were plus-five clearance in the second half, so same personnel. So, no, I'm not concerned about it."
After six straight victories, the surprise loss to Sydney sees Fremantle slide outside the top eight as the competition turns toward the home stretch of the season.
A fortnight of tough contests against Hawthorn and Collingwood could ultimately determine the Dockers' September fortunes, with a late-season fadeout a familiar sight for the club's fans.