Heading into Round 7 with no wins just a season after finishing minor premiers isn’t an ideal situation, but it is where the Fremantle Dockers sit at the moment.
But while some people are calling for mass changes, it really isn’t all doom and gloom.
Everyone knows that the Dockers will play a defensive style of football and there isn’t anything wrong with that to a certain point.
But in modern football you have to be able to capitalise on inside 50s by putting a score on the board – and this is where Fremantle struggle.
While their back six is well equipped, their midfield has weapons and they have depth in the ruck, if you look at their forward line for the last number of years it just doesn’t look right in terms of structure.
No matter your style of play you need at least two key forwards to help distribute the workload and the Dockers don’t have this yet.
Everyone knows Matthew Pavlich has carried that forward line for a long time and during this period they have tried Chis Mayne, along with resting ruckmen to fill at least a second key spot, but it hasn’t worked.
When you look at their current list their isn’t many options for someone to partner Pav.
The only real option at the moment is Matthew Taberner.
With Pav’s career winding down, the Dockers need to give Taberner the rest of the season up forward to see if he is worth keeping.
It is also well known that out of sorts GWS key forward Cam McCarthy is wanting to head home to Western Australia and the Dockers need to do anything within the ethics of the code to get this kid in purple in 2017.
On the back of a strong team ethos of defence and the already established Hayden Ballantyne and Michael Walters as their small forwards, getting a partner for Pav and recruiting one more for when he retires has to be way up on the priority list.
Having played just 32 games since debuting in 2013, with 26 goals to his name in these games, Taberner could be a good prospect but even if he isn’t, the Dockers need to find out as soon as possible so they don’t dig themselves into too deep of a hole.
So if they can establish a stringer forward structure, with their strength across the rest of the ground the Dockers should avoid a massive rebuild.
Could having more weapons up forward help the Dockers or are their problems deeper? What are your thoughts Roarers?
Henry
Guest
pathetic. thats like saying 'if fremantle win they would be on top the the ladder'. But they don't. And they're not. Pav has carved out a career from going missing in clutch moments. very cowardly captain.
Balthazar
Guest
Err no. Pretty much all of your post is incorrect. Freo have a fair few stars in the 24-25 yr range, which is helpful - you know, Fyfye, Walters, Hill, Bennell and the younger Neale. The last young player to have made an impact (I assume you don't meany rookie-listed) is Alex Pearce who played an impressive game last week, keeping Tex Walker to 0 goals and few possessions. Lachie Neale is only 22 and made the AA squad last year, so I expect some people think he's pretty good too. Weller is also going very well with his run and carry And Freo fans are more patient than temperamental. Histtory has taught them to be so. Half the team can't take a contested mark and the other half can't kick a goal. Hyperbole much? So not sure how they managed more marks inside 50 then the Crows... Goal kicking was appalling but has not been a year-long trend. I expect they adapted very badly to an extremely windy day in Adelaide. Not that it is an excuse, but the conditions were anomalous.
Doc Disnick
Roar Guru
You could also ruin them. How many tragic careers have been lost at the MFC? We will never know...
mike s
Guest
fremantle` have been caught out on the rebound..there stars (when they were winning) have got that bit older, their forwards have got a bit slower and the opposition have learnt to play wider and run. they are the basics half the team cant take a contested mark ( turn over) , half cant kick a goal( turn over) and with serious injuries to their main stays (fyf,Mundy,sandilands and johnston) plus injuries to Sylvani,Bennel and the demise of Suban DeBoer where do you go (the bottom). The simple fact that the last rookie recruit to make a real impact was Fyfe sends a shiver around the club administration.Well and good having a check book but when these players who play for money money money but they wont play for Lyon... Freo had better change the tack and quickly because the fans are a tempermental lot and will not stand around while bungle after bungle occurrs in attempting to fielsd a quality team again
Don Freo
Guest
You seem to think it is one or the other, Samantha. They have 22 players. Taberner plays alongside Pavlich, Ballas and Mayne. Weller runs with Mundy, Barlow and Walters. Grey works with Spurr and Dawson down back, with the mids like Mundy and Hill and up forward with Mayne and Ballas. Room for youth and experience.
Samantha
Roar Rookie
Kids don't improve if they don't play either. Never going to know if a player is capable at AFL level until they get a sustained run at AFL level.
Balthazar
Guest
Other forwards will get their chances. Can't do much about the most exciting options - Yarran and Apeness - having been injured. Yarran played last week and I think will be in the team before very long. Hopefully at the expense of Chris Mayne. Apeness has been out for nearly 2 years so won't see him til the end of the year. Smith might get upgraded but his kicking at goal needs a lot of work. Still think the big problems with the team lie downfield to a greater extent. The back 6 is not well equipped, as suggested by the author, and Walters is being played in the middle (because of the absence of Fyfe and now Mundy in the backline) and he's the most dangerous forward. Nothing they do in their forward line will help much until they get a better structure down back and relieve pressure in the midfield, allowing players like Weller, Neale and Crozier to run forward more. Injuries and form in the back half, even more so than uncertainty over the game plan and coaching upheavals, have stuffed the season.
Nik
Guest
I'm hoping that the combination of increased game time and reduction of team expectation to get to the finals will prove the key to getting Taberner to a higher level. I think a lot of his mistakes may be due to lack of confidence, so hopefully this year he can have a good run of play, increase his confidence (...and take a few more marks), and next year he'll be a jet!
Doc Disnick
Roar Guru
I'm not a firm believer of just dumping a lot of youngster into senior football just to blood them. Gaining experience against other seasoned opponents is important for ones growth, but so is learning from experienced team mates around them. Players like Pav can offer quite a lot of on-field knowledge to the youngster who play around him. Bring youth in, but solid experienced players must still be around for these players to feed-off.
Samantha
Roar Rookie
Depends, if the club looking to try to get Pav to play on again next year? If so keep playing him, but if they/he has decided this is the last year, they might be better off playing as many kids as possible to find out if any of them are keepers. The only good that can come of this year is to fast track development of players.
Samantha
Roar Rookie
Don Freo
Guest
If Pav could kick straight he would be amongst the Coleman leaders. He's doing ok. For those wondering after this article, Taberner IS already getting a game. McCarthy is no lock. Clubs need to see if he wants to play and, after a year off, they need to know if he still can. It could be 2 years before we see him again.
Doc Disnick
Roar Guru
"The question is whether they’d drop Pav to make space in the forward line." Drop Pav when he no longer contributes. He's still providing a very good contest, which younger players around him can learn from.
Gecko
Guest
Dockers definitely need to give all their promising young forwards some game time this year, even if (like Taberner) they're only destined to become depth players in the future. The question is whether they'd drop Pav to make space in the forward line.
Kurt
Guest
Describing the Dockers situation as 'not ideal' is similar to me describing my chances of becoming the oldest mature age recruit in AFL history as 'not great'. Semantically both statements are factually correct whilst simultaneously being completely bonkers.