The Fyfe conundrum and the future for Fremantle’s greatest ever talent

For Fremantle Dockers supporters, the weekend’s Round 1 display against an injury-hit St Kilda outfit was groundhog day.

For so long, the Dockers forward-line has been their Achilles heel, particularly since the retirement of club legend Matthew Pavlich. Against the Saints, their lack of cutting edge in the front half reared its ugly head again, as the Dockers were kept to just seven goals from 65 forward entries in their loss to a plucky St Kilda.

No man illustrated the meek nature of Fremantle’s performance more than their former skipper and most gifted ever player, Nathan Fyfe.

Playing his first game as a permanent forward, the dual Brownlow Medalist failed to fire, registering just nine disposals and one behind in a listless display in attack.

The emergence of young stars Caleb Serong and Andrew Brayshaw coupled with Fyfe’s injury troubles over the past two seasons has seen Longmuir opt to employ his former star-midfielder as a full-time forward. But the clearance machine was a shadow of his midfield self in attack, as he looked bereft of confidence and forward craft.

Andrew Brayshaw has become the player the Dockers hoped he would be. (Photo by Daniel Carson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

What Longmuir does with his former skipper is his biggest challenge and will be the key to unlocking Fremantle’s forward half potency. Pundits are lining up to write Fyfe off as having an impact up forward. But writing off Fyfe so quickly would be a mistake.

Fyfe is one of the more intriguing figures in the league. He is one of the game’s deepest thinkers and speaks eloquently and articulately about some of the game’s biggest issues.

But despite being one of the games greats, there seems to always be lingering questions around him. He has been accused of caring more about ‘Fyfe the individual’ rather than Fremantle the team and has had his leadership and lack of defensive accountability questioned on numerous occasions. But for whatever shortcomings Fyfe may have as a player, what can never be questioned is his unwavering commitment to the club on field.

Time and time again, Fyfe has put his body on the line for the team, flinging himself into packs with supreme courage. His 2015 Preliminary Final performance, where he battled though a fractured leg to be one of the Dockers’ best players was the stuff of legend. He knocked back lucrative offers to stay at Fremantle and led the club through a difficult period which encompassed a full-scale rebuild and a global pandemic. His heart clearly bleeds purple.

Fyfe has the weapons to be a handful for opposition defences. He is arguably the best overhead mark the league has ever seen for a midfielder and will demand the opposition’s best medium-sized defender. While he isn’t an outstanding converter in front of goal, Fyfe is a mercurial player who can make something happen from nothing and his presence up forward should allow the likes of Matthew Taberner, Josh Treacy and Jye Amiss more opportunity to get off the leash.

Longmuir needs to resist the temptation to throw Fyfe back into the midfield and persist with him inside 50. It would be premature to abandon the experiment after one game, particularly given how slowly and conservatively Fremantle moved the ball against the Saints.

Nat Fyfe needs more time before becoming an effective permanent forward. (Photo by Carson/AFL Media/Getty Images)

On multiple occasions, the Dockers opted to retain possession of the ball and chip it around instead of sending it inside 50 and backing their forwards to compete in a one on one contest. Fyfe, as many forwards do, needs quick ball movement so he can utilise his aerial prowess against an isolated opponent.

A tall forward line of Taberner, Luke Jackson and Amiss or Treacy is unlikely to cut the mustard come September. And while Fyfe doesn’t look the finished product at the moment, it is Round 1. Fyfe is one of the game’s most diligent players and with some continuity in his body, he will likely improve his forward craft as the season goes on.

It would be silly to write off one of the game’s modern greats off the back of one mediocre performance. Longmuir must back his young midfielders to get the job done at the coalface and his champion to evolve into an effective hybrid forward that the Dockers need in order for them to take the next step.