Loaded with draft capital ahead of next month's National Draft, Fremantle are set to inject their list with high-rated AFL prospects for the 2022 season.
Having moved on Adam Cerra to Carlton, the Dockers were able to attain a second early draft selection, while also managing to acquire Pick 19 from the Suns in a trade that saw Will Brodie head to Fremantle.
The Dockers emerged out of the exchange period with a greater hand than when they entered, now holding Picks 6, 8, 19, 61, 69 and 84 for the upcoming Draft.
Having narrowly missed a finals finish in 2021, coach Justin Longmuir may look toward Essendon's success from last season which saw the Bombers manage a surprising return to the September action despite losing a number of key players in the 2020 trade window.
The Bombers were able to utilise their strong draft hand and stingy negotiating to aid their top-eight return, a model Longmuir and the Dockers will be hopeful of mirroring.
Speaking on Sportsday, the Fremantle coach stated his club plan to recruit long-term assets in hope of avoiding the status of "one-hit wonders".
“It’s a pretty strong draft from what I hear from the lads, especially early in the draft. I think it evens out a little bit post pick 10 or 15, so there’s going to be plenty to choose from,” he said.
“Personally, I think picks 6, 8 and 19 are going to be really important to us.
“You can fall in the trap of going a little bit too early with the trades and getting big names in and I think we’ve tried to do that a few times throughout our history and it’s probably set us back.
“You want to build sustained success, and that’s usually done through the draft and bringing in a core group of players together.
“We don’t want to be one-hit wonders, we don’t want to climb up the ladder and then drop down like we probably have in the past a little bit too quickly.”
The Dockers entered the 2021 season as the sixth youngest squad in the AFL, which has been headlined by an enticing young midfield that includes Andrew Brayshaw and Caleb Serong as the foundations to their future.
With veteran duo Nat Fyfe and David Mundy past the 30-year-old barrier, Longmuir may look to further bolster his midfield when also considering Cerra's recent departure.
Fyfe recently flagged the club's needs for further height in their attack, with the Dockers also set to eye a key-forward in November's draft.
As far as local talent, Subiaco midfielder/forward Neil Erasmus firms as the leading WA prospect and could fall at either Pick 6 or 8 for the Dockers.
Recently speaking on SEN, AFL talent ambassador Kevin Sheehan lauded Erasmus' promise in attack.
“He’s just a beautiful mover, a terrific mark, he has the ability to make something out of nothing that we talk about for those forwards," Sheehan said.
“Erasmus is going to be, I think, the first of those taken amongst the forwards.”
Key forward Jye Amiss and midfielder Matt Johnson are also set to be on the radar of the Dockers and Eagles following impressive local stints, with the pair likely to fall later into the first-round, with West Coast's opening selection coming at Pick 10.
