MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JULY 09: Nat Fyfe of the Dockers celebrates a goal during the 2017 AFL round 16 match between the North Melbourne Kangaroos and the Fremantle Dockers at Etihad Stadium on July 09, 2017 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Adam Trafford/AFL Media/Getty Images)
Last Season
2019 was a mixed bag for Fremantle, with early signs of improvement shown in a round demolition of North Melbourne, scoring 141 points. This was a false dawn, however, as by round seven the Dockers posted the lowest match aggregate in 20 years in their match against Adelaide which finished 34 to 51.
In typical Ross Lyon fashion, Fremantle finished last for aggregate match score and by round 22, he was sacked after eight seasons for the Dockers. The pressure football typical under Lyon dissipated in 2019, ranking last for pressure applied.
Despite this, nine wins can be seen as a decent return, considering that the side played eight games decided by 10 points or less, with a return of 4-4 in those matches.
New coach Justin Longmuir looks set to focus on ball movement and this emphasis has already shown dividends in Marsh Community Series wins against Carlton and West Coast.
Off-SeasonÂ
In: James Aish (Collingwood, Blake Acres (St Kilda), Hayden Young (Pick 7, Dandenong Stingrays), Caleb Serong (Pick 8, Gippsland Power), Liam Henry (Pick 9, Academy), Minairo Frederick (Pick 61, Woodville-West Torrens), Jarvis Pina (Pick 6 Rookie Draft), Isaiah Butters (Category B Rookie), Leno Thomas (Category B Rookie)
Out: Brad Hill (St Kilda), Ed Langdon (Melbourne), Aaron Sandilands (Retired), Hayden Ballantyne (Retired), Harley Bennell (Delisted), Scott Jones (Delisted), Shane Kersten (Delisted), Ryan Nyhuis (Delisted)
Off-Season Grade: D+
It was a mixed bag for Fremantle in the off-season, losing key midfield duo Brad Hill and Ed Langdon and bringing back James Aish and Blake Acres as intended replacements. Aish and Acres can produce but look to be downgrades on the wing for the Dockers.
Draft night proved to be more successful for the Dockers, securing highly-rated duo Hayden Young and Caleb Serong with picks 7 and 8. Fremantle didn't have it all their way, however, having to match Carlton's bid for exciting academy forward Liam Henry with pick 9.
With no immediate improvement to their depth and the retirement of club stalwarts Aaron Sandilands and Hayden Ballantyne, the 2019 off-season had more downs than ups for the Dockers.
Defining PeriodÂ
The first five rounds of the season will prove crucial for Fremantle and new coach Justin Longmuir with the potential for the Dockers to start the season 0-5 with three of their first five on the road.
Fremantle face Essendon at Marvel in round one before playing Hawthorn in round two. Melbourne at the MCG and North Melbourne in Hobart are also tough match-ups.
Gold Coast at home in round four looks to be the best chance for Longmuir to get his first win as coach, otherwise a tough fixture in the next six matches before the bye, where they face four of last year's top eight could see that drought last until after the bye.
Best 22
B: Luke Ryan, Joel Hamling, Connor Blakely
HB: Adam Cerra, Alex Pearce, Nathan Wilson
C: Â Blake Acres ,Nat Fyfe, James Aish
HF: Michael Walters, Matt Taberner, Darcy Tucker
F: Jesse Hogan, Rory Lobb, Brandon Matera
FOLL: Sean Darcy, Andrew Brayshaw, David Mundy
I/C: Brennan Cox, Stephen Hill, Cam McCarthy, Griffin Logue
After featuring in the best for Fremantle in both their pre-season victories, expect Griffin Logue to feature for a key defender position by season's end. Acres and Aish fit right in to replace Brad Hill and Ed Langdon, although Acres will miss the start of the season. Jesse Hogan features here despite injury issues putting him in doubt for 2020.
Champion Data says
"The Dockers' forward-line was overflowing with tall talent early in the season. Jesse Hogan had been recruited, Matt Taberner was in career-best form, Cam McCarthy had seized the opportunity given to him, Rory Lobb was relishing not being required in the ruck and the promising Brennan Cox couldn't yet force his way into the line-up. In some ways, they had too many options. In round 20 last year, not one of those five tall targets were in the team"
" For all the promises of change after round one, Fremantle's 2019 season was very typical of a Ross Lyon team. "It's an opinion-based industry" but the facts are that despite Lyon coaching the 21st most wins of any AFL coach ever, the Dockers have won just 29 games across the last four seasons, the third-fewest in the league ahead of only Gold Coast and Carlton"
Strengths and Weaknesses
One of Fremantle's key strengths is their tall forward depth. If their five key tall targets are fit and in form, expect them to cause headaches for the opposition. That is a big if however, as it did not pan out that way for the Dockers in 2019 and led to now-retired ruckman Aaron Sandilands playing as the main key forward.
Another strength for the Dockers is their star duo of Nat Fyfe and Michael Walters. Fyfe and Walters directly impact the scoreboard more than any other midfield duo in the competition. Fyfe was involved in 30% of Fremantle's scoring chains while Walters kicked the most goals, 40, amongst the top-100 ball winners in the competition.
Despite these strong stats, this directly relates to Fremantle's biggest weakness. The Dockers have an over-reliance on Fyfe and Walters and if those two are shut down, Freo seem to lack the options to continue the pressure on the opposition.
Prediction: 17th
With a new coach, a list that lacks considerable depth and focuses on youth, Fremantle look to finish in the bottom four for 2020. The pressure will be off for Justin Longmuir and with that comes the potential for upset wins, particularly at Optus Stadium.
Fremantle will likely finish 2020 with 5 to 7 wins, with potential upsets most possible in round 2 at home against Hawthorn and Melbourne at home in round 16.