AFL deep dive: Will Justin Longmuir release the shackles on Ross Lyon’s Dockers?
Is there a harder team to predict than Fremantle ahead of 2020? With a new coach in Justin Longmuir, will the shackles from the Ross Lyon era be released? We take a deep dive into the Dockers’ prospects.
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Forrest Gump once said “life is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you’re going to get”.
Such is life for Fremantle this year.
Rookie coach Justin Longmuir takes charge of a side with three top 10 picks from last year’s draft and the reigning Brownlow medallist in Nat Fyfe.
Ross Lyon departs as the longest-serving coach in Dockers history, leaving behind what is now the second-youngest list in the competition and the second-least experienced after the departures of Bradley Hill, Ed Langdon (trade) and Aaron Sandilands (retired).
Is it a rebuild? Or is it a side in transition? Whatever term you want to use, Longmuir faces an enormous task to get this side back into finals contention for the first time since 2015 off a pre-season of injury setbacks and Jesse Hogan’s mental health issues.
The playing list has been turned upside down over the last five years, but will the game plan follow suit?
Does the appointment of Longmuir equate to the appointment of “sexy” football?
Lyon’s Dockers ranked 16th, 16th, 17th and 16th in points-scored in the past four seasons and only ranked 12th en route to the 2015 preliminary final.
Will Longmuir take the handbrake off? Can he afford to, given Fyfe and Michael Walters are the only two legitimate stars at his disposal, even if David Mundy remains a class act at 34?
“There’s definitely been more emphasis on skill, which is an area that has plagued us for a couple of years,” Fremantle forwards coach David Hale said.
“It’s about trying to put blokes in positions at training that involves decision-making or skill execution under pressure.
“There’s going to be times when our guys make mistakes, whether it’s going for that kick or going above and beyond defensively, but hopefully it will be beneficial for us in the long term.
“At clubs, the structure and the way you defend and attack are pretty similar. Some terminology will change from club to club, but having everyone on the same page and being able to execute it on game days is a different story.”
It was certainly a different story for the “Purple Haze” last year.
Put simply, the Dockers could win it, but they couldn’t move it.
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The jarring moment came in the Round 22 loss to Essendon when Freo won the contested ball by 52, but lost the game by 32.
“It’s not so much we want to go as slow as treacle from the back half, but I think we were the second worst at turning the ball over in that part of the ground and, as you know, if you turn it over there the ball is going back over your head for a goal,” Hale said.
“The game plan is not to go as slow as possible – it’s to make sure our errors aren’t costing us goals on a weekly basis.
“There’s plenty of things you can do structurally or with your game plan, but with skill execution, if that lets you down too often it’s hard to set up and defend behind it.”
Complicating matters is a somewhat turbulent summer on the injury front, which at one stage saw Hale needing to play ruck in a February intra-club game.
“‘Belly’ (football manager) might put me on the supp list if all the talls keep falling over, we’ll see how we go,” Hale joked.
But the injuries have been no laughing matter.
Key defender Joel Hamling (ankle) won’t return until mid-year, while backline colleagues Alex Pearce (ankle) and Nathan Wilson (toe) will also miss the start of the season.
Recruit Blake Acres had 31 disposals on debut against Carlton but will miss at least the opening month after a serious hamstring injury at training.
Blake Acres will miss the opening rounds of the 2020 season after scans confirmed a tendon injury to his right hamstring. #foreverfreo
— Fremantle Dockers (@freodockers) March 5, 2020
Rucks Sean Darcy (shoulder) and Lloyd Meek (foot) have had interruptions, Mundy is recovering from a fibula fracture suffered while cycling with his kids and key forward Hogan remains on indefinite leave.
“Unfortunately, since I’ve been here we haven’t had much luck in keeping our tall forwards on the paddock. Even last year when we were going all right, we lost a couple of talls and you can become bare pretty quick,” Hale said.
“If we can keep our best spine on the park, like most teams, we’ll be competitive. But when you lose a few and you have to chop and change it gets a little more difficult.
“But overall it’s been good. It’s exciting trying to get that connection, which is the buzzword now, among the players and get then buying-in on and off field.
“We feel like the group has gotten closer, which will hopefully pay dividends.”
THE LIST
Arrivals: Blake Acres (trade), James Aish (trade), Isaiah Butters (Next Generation Academy), Michael Frederick (draft), Stefan Giro (promoted rookie), Liam Henry (draft), Caleb Serong (draft), Jarvis Pina (rookie draft), Leno Thomas (Next Generation Academy) Hayden Young (draft).
Departures: Hayden Ballantyne (delisted), Harley Bennell (delisted), Bradley Hill (traded), Ed Langdon (traded), Shane Kersten (delisted), Ryan Nyhuis (delisted), Scott Jones (delisted), Aaron Sandilands (retired).
OFF-CONTRACT
David Mundy
The Fremantle warhorse is on the one-year deals now, but that doesn’t trouble him in the slightest.
Mundy’s 17th season will come under his fourth permanent coach and the loyal Victorian should be the point of contact for any homesick player in purple.
IT’S A BIG YEAR FOR … Matt Taberner.
Seems like he’s forever been the heir apparent for Matthew Pavlich as the Dockers cry out for an influential and consistent performer inside 50m.
Rollercoaster form and two years of foot injuries mean we have only seen flashes of excellence from Taberner, who at 26 has managed 71 games.
“He started with the main group even if they’ve managed him a fair bit in terms of how much stress he can have through his feet,” Hale said.
“He’s been doing the Monday/Friday sessions most weeks and he does cross training on the middle day. Ideally we can get him going for more than six weeks and for the whole season, which we haven’t had for the last two years.”
PRE-SEASON HERO … Brett Bewley
Arrived last year as a 23-year-old before consistent WAFL form was rewarded with a Round 10 debut and seven games in his first season.
Returned in excellent shape, winning the time trial in November.
“He’s a bloke who can run all day so the pre-season is pretty easy for him,” Hale said.
“He came in as a mature age kid and he knew a lot in terms of off-field preparation.
“He’s been very good and obviously with a couple of wing spots opening up he’s someone who can fill that spot at some stage.”
THE BEST PLAYER YOU MIGHT HAVE NEVER HEARD OF … Michael Frederick.
Pick 61 in last year’s draft has hit the ground running and shapes as something of a Round 1 bolter.
“He’s very quick, he’s got great skills left and right and in both games we’ve played he’s done things where you shake your head and think, ‘Wow, he’s going all right’,” Hale said.
“He’s still got plenty to learn in terms of structure, where to run and how we play the game, but for someone who’s been here three months he’s doing a great job.
“Ideally he puts pressure on guys and if he keeps playing well they pick themselves in the end.”
Originally published as AFL deep dive: Will Justin Longmuir release the shackles on Ross Lyon’s Dockers?