Fremantle’s freefall down the ladder in 2016 was truly a sight to behold. There’s still a lot of talent on the Dockers’ list, but how much of a rebound can we expect from the minor premiers turned bottom-four strugglers?
Let’s have a look at the list changes made in the off-season.
Additions: Cam McCarthy (GWS Giants), Bradley Hill (Hawthorn), Shane Kersten (Geelong), Joel Hamling (Western Bulldogs), Sean Darcy, Brennan Cox, Luke Ryan, Taylin Duman, Luke Strnadica (draft)
Subtractions: Chris Mayne (Collingwood), Matthew Pavlich (retired), Michael Barlow, Alex Silvagni, Clancee Pearce, Tendai Mzungu, Matt de Boer, Anthony Morabito, Jack Hannath, Tanner Smith, Sean Hurley (delisted)
What happened last year?
It was carnage from the beginning for Freo in 2016. A 65-point loss to the eventual premiers the Western Bulldogs in Round 1 set the tone for a disastrous first half to the year.
The Dockers had to wait until a Round 11 match with the suspension-ravaged Bombers to taste victory, and they only got to sing the song a paltry four times in total.
Injuries didn’t help, but this was a shocking turnaround from a team that won the minor premiership just twelve months earlier.
What’s changed?
Ross Lyon wielded the axe liberally at the end of 2016, with several former members of the Dockers’ best 22 all sent packing. Combined with the retirement of club legend Matthew Pavlich and the defection of Chris Mayne to Collingwood, it’s going to be a new-look team in purple this year.
The club was active in the trade period, picking up several notable names in Bradley Hill, Cam McCarthy, Shane Kersten and Joel Hamling, but also forfeited several draft picks too, leaving them somewhat thin on young talent.
Like many other clubs, Fremantle will need to decide whether the slightly better results they can achieve now with these older players in the line-up is worth taking away the experience from the younger talent.
The verdict
If any club had recruited Nat Fyfe in the offseason they’d be a candidate to rise up the ladder, and given Fremantle endured essentially an entire season without him in 2016 he may have that same impact.
But while Fremantle had a strong trade period, most of the players they’ve brought in still have something to prove. They could rise a lot higher, but for now they look like a team just on the outer.
Prediction: 11th
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