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Fremantle had a fair season in 2017, claiming eight wins with six of them in the first half of the campaign. Overall, their percentage and the margin of a few losses were rather disappointing for Dockers fans.
Previous season reviews
North Melbourne
Carlton
Gold Coast
Brisbane
What happened
The Dockers had a poor opening two games, going down to the Cats and Power by 42 and 89 points respectively. Ross Lyon swung the axe ahead of Round 3, choosing to go with youth, and it worked.
The next three games showed results with wins over the Dogs, Demons, and Roos, however, two games had a margin under a goal, and the Dockers could certainly have been 1-4 by Round 5 rather than 3-2.
They lost to their crosstown rivals in the next game, but once again, won their next three games over the Bombers, this year’s eventual grand finalists the Tigers, and the young Blues. That would turn out to be their last victory for a while, however, as they went on to lose their next five games, with a 100-point loss to grand finalists the Adelaide Crows and a 57-point loss to the wooden spooners, the Brisbane Lions.
Fremantle finally got their seventh win of the season over the Roos in a close one again. They lost their next three, then got their final win of a season with many ups and downs against the disappointing Suns in Rodney Eade’s final game as head coach. They lost their next two by 104 points against the Swans and Tigers, and then pushed the Bombers to the line in their last outing for the year at Etihad Stadium.
Mark out of 10: 5.5/10
The coach
Who can believe that it’s been four years since Ross Lyon led Fremantle to a grand final against Hawthorn, and two years since they claimed the minor premiership under him? Lyon’s defence-first gameplan is quickly going down the drain, which was shown in their several 100-point losses, and he’s going to need to act fast to clean up the club.
Yes, Lyon has led their young list to 12 wins in the last few seasons, however there are younger lists such as Brisbane and Melbourne that are on a brighter track than Fremantle. Lyon will have to spend the off-season implementing an attacking gameplan, and show they too are on a bright path towards success.
Mark out of 10: 4.5/10
(AAP Image/Julian Smith)
The best 22 – end of 2017
B: Michael Johnson, Joel Hamling, Luke Ryan
HB: Cam Sutcliffe, Griffin Logue, Ethan Hughes
C: Brad Hill, David Mundy, Stephen Hill
HF: Michael Walters, Brennan Cox, Harley Bennell
F: Hayden Ballantyne, Cam McCarthy, Shane Kersten
Foll: Sean Darcy, Nathan Fyfe, Lachie Neale
I/C: Lachie Weller, Connor Blakely, Brady Grey, Aaron Sandilands
Lee Spurr is unlucky not to be in their best 22, having played 16 games in the 2017 season. Young players such as Tom Sheridan, Darcy Tucker, Matt Taberner, and Ed Langdon are unlucky not to be in the Dockers’ best team as well.
List changes
Possible delistings
Jonathon Griffin – Griffin has been a back-up ruckman throughout his career, and being an older player won’t help his case for a new contract.
Nick Suban – Suban struggled to hold down a spot in 2017, and may find himself on the outer.
Matthew Uebergang – Uebergang hasn’t made much of an impact in his two years at the club and may find himself on the outer.
Harley Balic – Balic asked for a trade back to Victoria within the last week, however if a trade can’t be made, he may find himself hoping for a lifeline in the rookie draft.
Free Agents
Zac Clarke and Nick Suban are both free agents, and I suggested above that they will be delisted by the Dockers. Michael Johnson is a free agent, however it seems he will either play on for one more season or retire.
Picks: 5, 40, 55, 58, 77
(Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images)
Potential trade targets
As mentioned, Balic has already asked for a trade back to Victoria, with no leading club to get his services thus far. However, Carlton, Melbourne, and North Melbourne have been thrown around as possible destinations, and the Dockers could get either a third or fourth round pick in return for him.
Nathan Wilson has been thrown up as a possible target, and would certainly assist the rebound of their defence. They would easily have to offer up their first-round pick to satisfy the Giants if Wilson were interested in a move west. Other players thrown around as possible targets are Rory Lobb and Jason Johannisen, however Johannisen re-signed earlier this year and Rory Lobb would cost another first-round pick. Coupled with the fact that Lobb is under contract, the Giants would likely play hard ball like they did with Cam McCarthy.
Brandon Matera has been linked to the Dockers, and would certainly help their attack. He would come cheap, being worth a third- or fourth-round pick, and would certainly create increased rivalry with the Eagles. They need to target tall forwards, and players such as Jesse Hogan and Rory Lobb, though as mentioned both are under contract with their clubs.
The Dockers might be better sticking to the draft and developing a tall forward. They also need more ruck depth, and might be tempted to look at Marc Pittonet or try and get Nick Meese, a gun ruckman in the VFL, via the rookie draft. But they should ideally look at young ruck talent to partner with Sean Darcy in the future.
Retirements
Griffin would likely go into retirement if he is delisted by the Dockers. Michael Johnson and Aaron Sandilands may possibly be looking at retirement, however Sandilands is contracted for 2018, and Johnson will likely play on for one final season.
Early prediction
The Dockers will win between seven to nine games next season. Their main focus should be to limit the margin of their losses, and not conceded 12-goal losses.
That’s my review of Fremantle’s 2017. What are your thoughts?
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