Forget protection, Fyfe needs mongrel

First of all, who are any of us to criticise Nat Fyfe?

We are nobodies. We are pundits who know enough about the game to critique but not enough to compete.

I felt that necessary before saying there is something “missing” to a player who would most likely be a dual Brownlow Medallist if not for a broken fibula in Round 5 last season.

But there is something and it is so easy to obtain, and in Fyfe’s case regain in his his footballing repertoire – a little thing called ‘mongrel’.

Ross Lyon came out in defence of his players, most notably Michael Walters and Cam McCarthy, who were issued melee fines for a scuffle that saw them nearly half way into Bay 13 or at the very least toward the bus stops on Roberts Road in Subiaco.

“I thought it was reasonable but I can guarantee you we will look after Nathan. If the umpires don’t look after him we will,” Lyon said.

“Sometimes there is a line that is crossed and if we feel it is being crossed. I thought we flew the flag and we looked after Nathan and we will continue to do that.”

You’d expect a coach to say that and he deserves credit for doing so. There comes a time in a game where the notion of ‘be the bigger man’ doesn’t apply, and I’d say at nearly seven goals down before half time this is an instance that reflects that.

But what makes Fyfe such an easy target? Is it truly because he’s the best player in the land and clearly the Dockers important? Or is it that just like the new kid at school who doesn’t want to be ostracised on his first day, so he just takes the bullying in stride with a sticks and stones mentality?

The answer lies somewhere in the middle, but the needle would skew sizeably more to one side if Fyfe utilised his 190cm, 91kg frame to let significantly inferior players know they aren’t even worthy to share his field let alone challenge him in good ole’ fashion fisticuffs.

Simply put, Fyfe is too cerebral a player for his own good.

Tom Ruggles stood over Fyfe like an MMA Fighter in the half-guard waiting for an incompetent referee to stop the fight. But the Freo skipper had already mentally tapped out of the conflict, no doubt thinking of his next position, role and opportunity to win the footy.

This isn’t anything new for Fyfe. He doesn’t like and/or involve himself in conflict, although his many a ripped jumpers may hoodwink people into thinking otherwise.

And while I agree that there is a time and a place and you’re probably asking ‘why would you want your most talented player involved in fracases with instigators?’ I retort with this – what harm would an occasional throw or wrestle do for Fyfe’s game? Apart from let opponents know that he wasn’t just target practice?

Names like Jordan Lewis, Sam Mitchell, Dustin Martin, Taylor Walker, Lance Franklin, Nathan Jones and Jack Ziebell, all these players have managed to forge incredible careers while maintaining a level of “come back when you’re big enough” about them. As a result, you seldom see teams physically manhandle them the way they do Fyfe.

Fairly or not, Fyfe’s captaincy credentials will continue to come into question until he can put them to rest through either results on the ladder or in form of a lengthy contract extension. It comes with the territory when you narrowly miss out on the captaincy, nudge aside a stalwart of the club one year later, yet continually refuse to close the door on the potential of a jettison via free agency.

What’s more confusing about this is that I know Fyfe has this streak in him. It’s buried deep inside after years of being inundated with professionalism.

I played alongside Fyfe in high school at Aquinas College in Perth, him at forward pocket and a significantly less talented (obviously) me at full forward. And when he wasn’t taking hangers on my shoulders and crumbing the pack for a goal before I realised the ball had been bounced, he was having a crack.

Keep in mind this was Nat 1.0 version – sans the Claremont 2009 level growth-spurt that saw him skyrocket from a 5’9 goal sneak into the 6’3 midfielder – but he was always up for some choice words, often followed by a scuffle.

So it’s definitely there, but at the moment he’s the AFL’s intrepid entrepreneur who has made his millions yet instead decides to bank it rather than continuing to diversify his portfolio.

But truthfully, this isn’t all about Fyfe.

Fremantle has bigger fish to fry than whether or not number seven is adequately protected, and once Freo finish just above Brisbane and Carlton, the Purple Army aren’t going to take any solace in the fact that simply say “well, the trophy cabinet’s still bare but I’ll tell you what, no one could’ve taken better care of Fyfe than us”.

Disposal efficiency, ball movement, turnovers in the back half, kicking the tires on the club’s youth – these should all be higher on the pecking order than taking care of a captain who is more than physically capable of shrugging off the pesky likes of Tom Ruggles.

Fyfe needs to get some mongrel into him. Freo will be better off for it.