Three-time premiership player Cameron Mooney believes the work Fremantle coach Ross Lyon has done in the past six weeks is enough to see him lead the running for the coach of the year.
After just four wins in 2016, the Dockers began the season by losing their first two matches, including an 89-point drubbing at the hands of Port Adelaide in round two.
Since that weekend Fremantle have turned around their fortunes, winning five of their past six including impressive wins over the Western Bulldogs, Melbourne and Richmond.
"Coach of the year is Ross Lyon," Mooney said on SEN’s The Run Home on Wednesday afternoon.
"They started 0-2 and we thought ‘this is horrible! This is a basket case!’ But for me, they’ve won 5 of their last 6, and he’s actually playing kids. He’s thrown faith into them: (Ed) Langdon, (Lachie) Weller, (Darcy) Tucker, (Ethan) Hughes."
In the past, Lyon has been criticised for disregarding the club's youth and playing only mature players, but Mooney believes this season is showing Lyon's ability to evolve as a coach.
"The fact that he has finally done that proves he is evolving as a coach. We always talk about him as one of the great coaches who has never won a premiership but he is still evolving," he said.
