Ross Lyon was recruited by Fremantle one purpose – to deliver the club its first flag.
While some coaches are employed to rebuild a list, that was the not the case when Lyon was snatched from St Kilda to head up the Dockers ahead of the 2012 season.
For Fremantle and Lyon it was a match made in heaven.
The Dockers obtained the services of one of the most astute coaches in the AFL and Lyon, who had taken the Saints into three grand finals, was handed a squad that was right in the mix to provide him with his first premiership as a senior coach.
He arrived in Western Australia boasting a long and distinguished CV.
After a 129-game career with Fitzroy and Brisbane, Lyon served as an assistant at Richmond, Carlton and Sydney, working under premiership coaches Robert Walls, David Parkin, Denis Pagan and Paul Roos.
In 2006 he succeeded Grant Thomas as coach of St Kilda.
In five years with the Saints he notched up a 63 per cent winning percentage and took the club to a minor premiership and three grand finals – a 12-point loss to Geelong in 2009 and a draw and a loss to Collingwood the following year.
That record made him the Dockers’ choice to replace Mark Harvey as club coach at the end of the 2011 season.
In each of his three full seasons he has taken Fremantle to September action – seventh in 2012, third in 2013 and fourth last year.
In 2012 the club bowed out of the finals race after a ten-point semi-final loss to Adelaide while 2013 saw the club contest its first grand final where it went down by 15 points to Hawthorn.
Last year the club lost both its finals to Sydney (24 points) and Port Adelaide (22).
Lyon and the Dockers entered this season with the premiership clock ticking rapidly with many seeing it as the club’s last chance to snatch a flag before it starts to lose some of its most influential players.
Luke McPharlin, the 2012 All-Australian full-back is almost certain to call it quits at the end of the season.
He has quite literally limped through recent years with recurring calf injuries, playing just 16 and 13 games in the past two seasons and five of the seven to date this year.
Skipper Matthew Pavlich is undoubtedly the best player in the club’s history with six best-and-fairest awards and as many All-Australian guernseys but his days are numbered.
He will turn 34 in December and is on a one-year contract.
While many will point to the likes of Dustin Fletcher and Brent Harvey still going around, it must be remembered the extra wear and tear his body has undergone due to the arduous travel schedule the Dockers have – he has played 320 games, 30 more than the next best (Dean Cox) to have played out of WA.
It is less than a 50-50 prospect of him going around again.
Filling the void will not be easy.
Aside from that pair, Fremantle has several other players over 30 – heading into next season Aaron Sandilands will be 33, Michael Johnson (31), Paul Duffield (31), David Mundy (30) and potentially, Ryan Crowley (32).
To date the season could hardly have gone better for Fremantle, sitting two games clear on top of the ladder after just seven rounds.
The only question mark has been the way they have often taken the foot of the accelerator in matches in which they have dominated, a prime example being last Sunday’s game against the Bulldogs at Etihad Stadium.
Despite leading by 22 points at three-quarter time they let the Bulldogs get back on level terms late in the final quarter.
Similarly, a 52-point lead over West Coast at quarter-time in Round 3 resulted in a winning margin of just 30 points and against Sydney a half-time lead of 48 points was whittled to 14 by full-time.
But, at 7-0 it is perhaps nit-picking.
Modern-day football is built around the quality of a side’s midfield and Lyon has at his command the best in the competition.
Nat Fyfe, who plays his 100th game against North Melbourne on Saturday is currently the league’s best player.
He is a man opposition coaches have nightmares over – at 190 centimetres he is the quintessential 21st century on-baller who is strong overhead, dynamic on the ground and blessed with a big motor.
After seven rounds he may have already banked 15 Brownlow votes.
He does his work alongside David Mundy, Michael Barlow, Stephen Hill and the ever improving Lachie Neale.
Trying to cover all of those and win enough footy yourself is the constant dilemma of the opposing coach.
One criticism of Lyon-led teams has been the inability to kick winning scores come finals time.
In four grand finals, Lyon’s sides have failed to better ten goals – 9 in 2009, 10 and 7 in 2010 and 8 in 2013.
While the Dockers burned several very easy shots early in the 2013 decider, Lyon was adamant leading into the 2014 season that his team needed to find two more goals on average each week.
It was an aim that was not attained as the side averaged 13.2 goals through the 2014 season, down on the 13.4 it produced in 2013.
This season there has been a slight improvement with an average of 14.1 goals per game.
There is no doubting that the Dockers have the firepower with Pavlich and Chris Mayne the two primary targets plus the wily and dangerous Hayden Ballantyne and Michael Walters at their feet.
Matt Taberner is becoming a third tall target while the likes of Fyfe, Hill, Neale and Danyle Pearce are averaging a goal or more per game.
Come September they all need to hit the scoreboard.
The Lyon game plan will stifle most opponents but to win the big games it will still need to produce more itself.
Injuries aside, Fremantle are primed for a genuine tilt at ending its flag drought.
At present the list is strong with key defender Zac Dawson likely to be fit for a return in the next few weeks.
The only long-term injuries at present are Alex Silvagni who is likely to miss up to ten weeks and the perennially unlucky Anthony Morabito who is on the indefinite list.
Depending on the outcome of Crowley’s doping tribunal hearing he could be back in the back half of the year if the ban is less than a year given the back dating of his provisional suspension while the likes of Tendai Mzungu is currently forced to play in the WAFL given the form of those above him.
There is still a lot of water to flow under the bridges of the Yarra, but presently Fremantle is the standout in the competition.
Should the silverware not make its way to their headquarters this season it will be one of wasted opportunity.
anchorman
Guest
But haven't played Fremantle at Subiaco oval for six years. By Kick to kicks standards that means that all Sydneys wins at the SCG against the Dockers mean nothing.
anchorman
Guest
Well Melbourne clubs regard the games every second week as away games... what is the difference? Me thinks you are looking at things through rose coloured glasses. It says in the fixtures that it is an away game.
Ken
Guest
The win against the Eagles was an away game...LOL
JKost
Guest
I thought i made it quite clear in my last comment that Freo were missing 4 out of the main back 6 in finals, so to say the reason the backs didn't hold up was because of Mcpharlin alone is quite naive.
anchorman
Guest
LOL you go and be sick in the corner. Why shouldn't there be articles about Fremantle, after all they are on top of the ladder.It seemd ok to kick them when they were down and make fun of them. My how the sourness comes out from these Victorians. After all it is now the AFL and has been for over 20 years. Get used to it sunshine.
Big Dallo
Guest
Is the roar being infultrated by Ross Lyon. The amount of Freo articles is getting nauseating .
johno
Guest
LOL!
johno
Guest
Jonathon Patton in the same boat
Balthazar
Guest
No releavnt to my argument. I just recognise that logic dictates every team is capable of doing something for the first time. Your team is capable of beating its hoodoos but apaprently that's due to some special gift that others do not possess.
Tim
Guest
I think you need to realize there is a huge difference between getting it done in H&A and getting it done in finals Balthazar. But, i guess you are a Freo fan, so maybe you struggle with differentiating between the two
Balthazar
Guest
It's funny how Tim you have noted before that the Hawks kicked themselves out of a GF but learned a good lesson from it and vowed to improve their kicking. By all stats this year, Freo have done the same but somehow they won't learn the same lesson? Is it only Hawthorn that has the gift to learn from experience and erase doubts from their minds? Your point on the forward line, for example, is demonstrably wrong - look at the range of goal kickers they have this year. The difference? Mids rotating forward, Clarke and Mayne overcoming injuries (more importantly, both positioning themselves better) and Tabs taking a defender away from Pav. It is an entirely different forward structure than in 2013 GF, which was much more reliant on crumbing small forwards. I think you need to take your brown and gold glasses off
Tim
Guest
Thanks for the response lads, i think you have misunderstood the main theme of my response which was very clearly Freo's ability to get it done when it most matters, in finals JKost- How did Freo go in the finals last year without McPharlin??????????? And while the likes of ibbotson, Silvagni, pearce etc etc are handy fill ins in the H&A, I think you are being a tad naive thinking they can mark a Roughead, Buddy, Schultz etc etc in a major final. As for the 'ribbons' remark, i seem to remember in the lead up to the 13 GF that of all the experts on Fox Footy ( about 20 ), only David King picked the hawks. The others thought Freo would win in a canter Balthazar- You are right, I will not believe anything written on freo for I do not rate them, and will only rate them when they prove themselves when it matters. To me, they are very like the Footscray team from the late 90's/00's- great in the H&A, but when the lights are the brightest and the pressure the most intense they come up short. Mainly for their forward line is not the set up needed to succeed in finals coupled with the doubts in their minds
anchorman
Guest
Nicko, Fremantle have won four away games and four home games. The win over the Eagles was an away game. We beat Sydney who played!!!!!!??? in last years GF.I think we deserved a home game against Sydney, as this is the first year in six years that Sydney have played us in a home and away game. So lets not get too picky about where games are played. You play who you are drawn to play, where ever when ever and who ever. I don't see any one saying that the Melbourne clubs play at home most weeks. Make excuses all you like about the losers against us, but all bar Melbourne have credentials. Another disillusioned Fremantle hater who can't see beyond 200o.
EddyJ
Guest
Sydney have played regularly at Subiaco, but mainly against West Coast. They best West Coast in 2008, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014. Lost to Fremantle in 2015 and 2013, but won in 2010. They're won six of eight matches in Perth, over the past eight years.
anchorman
Guest
Kick to kick... maybe the fact that Sydney haven't played at Subiaco oval in a home and away game for six years might have had something to do with them losing!!!!! And the last time they played here against Fremantle they got flogged during the finals. You can only play who you are drawn to play at what ever ground to play on. So many people still don't see the change in Fremantle, not just as a team but as a club. They like to think that we are still the same as we were ten years ago. Maybe they don't like the fact that we now have something to fire back at after so many bad years. Get used to it people.
david
Guest
hahahaha
Brendan
Guest
It is too early to be predicting a Fremantle flag.Geelong 08, Stkilda 09 and Collingwood 2011 all were games ahead of the field but couldn't snag the flag.Whoever wins the game between 2nd and 3rd in the first week of the finals (assuming the Dockers finish top) will get a home preliminary final and may be a good chance to win the flag.While everyone quite rightly is talking about Fremantle 's chances we shouldn't ignore West Coast who if they can grab fourth spot and beat the dockers at home could be a chance themselves.
kick to kick
Guest
Hard to call Freo's status before Freemantle meets the Hawks. And despite the home win against the Swans, Sydney won all the major stats in that game except the scoreboard one that donates the 4 points . Sydney won disposals, inside 50s, contested possessions, clearances, marks, marks inside 50, tackles and scoring shots (if only by 1 ). Set against that its hard to see Freo not getting top 2 and therefore home finals which should make a lot of difference. If that's the case one of the other big guns (Sydney or Hawthorn) will have to make it the hard way.
ben
Guest
I apologise for going off tangent but would like to spare a thought for Freo's Anthony Morabito at this time as Nat Fyfe plays his 100th game. Mora was taken at number 4 in the same draft. For me it is a sad moment amongst all the glory that is Fyfe's that Mora is not playing and it is increasingly likely that he won't play again. A talent that has not been allowed to mature. There are a few in the same position, Menzel at Geelong, and it is such a shame for the footballing public not to have seen these guys display the obvious talent that they have.
Balthazar
Guest
Yeah but you won't get Tim to accept any of that. Nor that Freo is actually less reliant on Pav and that is precisely why he is now more potent. There is a much bigger spread of goal kickers, through the midfield and up forward (particularly Mayne doing very well). Now that the opposition has to keep an eye out for Clark, Tabs and Mayne as well as ninja hobbits, Pav is not triple-teamed which is why he is being so effective. In other words, I don't think he's getting the ball more but he has more chance of converting now that it's not always a 3 on 1 situation