Justin Longmuir has referenced the Dockers' recent good form in the wet, as Fremantle braces for wild weather on Saturday afternoon when Richmond rolls into town for a Round 3 clash at Optus Stadium.
There are fears that Tropical Cyclone Narelle could impact the match, as a system makes its way down the Western Australia coast.
The AFL is closely monitoring conditions and will continue to do so up until the schedule bounce at 1.15 pm local time.
Speaking at his pre-match press conference on Thursday, Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir said the Dockers, who won five games in wet conditions last season, are expecting ugly conditions.
"Yeah, we've got to talk about it. We spoke about it with the players," Longmuir said.
"We thought we were good in the wet last year, so we revisited a couple of those things we did in the wet last year, which made us really competitive in those games.
"Sometimes, you wonder how early to go with that messaging, because the forecast can be a bit unpredictable. But, yeah, it looks like we're going to get a fair dose of rain, so we've gone a bit earlier this year."
As much as 40mm of rain on Friday and up to 20mm on Saturday has been forecast by the Bureau of Meteorology.
Longmuir said the predicted inclement weather may impact team selection, but the Dockers won't be altering their two-ruck approach.
"We'll have a chat about it later. Maybe, maybe not," he said.
"Sometimes there are more stoppages in the wet.
"Probably not, but it could.
"We play two rucks. Sometimes you get a lot more stoppages, repeat stoppages, in the wet, so the rucks actually become more important."
Fremantle defender Brennan Cox, who was sidelined with a calf injury for the opening two games of the season, is in the frame to play his first match of 2026
"He got through training really well on Tuesday and feels really good. So, yeah, we want to get him going and getting him into the season," Longmuir said.
