Gary Buckenara analyses the Fremantle list at the end of the 2021 season

What should Fremantle demand in return for future A-grader Adam Cerra? Gary Buckenara looks at how the deal should play out and where the Dockers are at.

Adam Cerra wants out of the Dockers. Picture: Getty Images

Fremantle’s on field performances remain inconsistent but there seems to be signs that the Dockers’ group is coming together quite nicely under Justin Longmuir.

From a list perspective, I don’t mind the way the Dockers are tracking.

I like the look of some of their development players coming through and this does bode well for Fremantle over the next three-four years as they get games into them.

The Dockers have been unlucky to lose key players such as Nat Fyfe, Joel Hamling, Michael Walters, Griffin Logue, Alex Pearce and Luke Ryan at certain times over the past few years.

But Fremantle supporters should feel quite optimistic about the future.

Although, let’s face the facts, it is time this club started to be a consistent finals contender – and eventually win a flag.

With some luck, strong development, coaching, list management and recruiting, Fremantle should be thereabouts to do this over the next five years or more given the younger players coming through.

Kayo is your ticket to the best local and international sport streaming Live & On-Demand. New to Kayo? Try 14-days free now >

Fremantle Dockers head coach Justin Longmuir speaks to players. (Photo by Albert Perez/Getty Images)

LIST NEEDS

Ideally, the Dockers would add some top-end talent during the trade period but, with the amount of development players on their list likely to become A or B players, that number of 16 A and B-grade players will start to increase. Unfortunately, losing Adam Cerra is a big loss given he is on the verge of becoming A-grade talent.

TRADE TARGETS

What a bonus it would have been for the Dockers if they had been able to bring Lachie Neale back home. It wasn’t to be – this time – as the Brownlow medallist decided to stay put at Brisbane. But there are plenty of other ex-WA players at clubs interstate, so I would be on the phone to managers, sounding out the players that fit the mould of A or B-grade players.

UNTOUCHABLES

All of their A, B and future AB players. These give the Dockers 28 talented players and provides them with good depth and balance, with a combination of experience and potential, alongside some handy C-ranked depth players.

TRADE BAIT

Adam Cerra should net the Dockers a first-round pick and this could be handy in attracting an A or B grade player to WA. Other than that, I would expect the Dockers to be a club that asks a lot of questions during the trade period to add another talented player if possible.

Dockers young gun Adam Cerra wants to return home to Victoria. (Photo by Daniel Carson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

WHAT THE RATINGS MEAN

List management is one of the most important jobs at an AFL club.

Poor decisions can be catastrophic — and Collingwood proved that last year.

Far too many clubs can often hold an overly-optimistic view when ranking their own lists and this can lead to years of mediocrity and has Carlton done this recently?

When clubs are rating their lists, they should rank players as: A+, A, B+, B, C+, C and Development.

In this list analysis, I have just done A, B, C and two tiers of development (“future AB players” and “need more time”) because with the younger players it is important to see who is coming through and those that need more time.

The important area for clubs to look at is how many A and B ranked players they have as well as future consistent AB players.

These rankings are my opinions, but they should give supporters a reasonable snapshot as to where their playing list sits now — and how they might look in a few years’ time.

Players 22 and over

A-grade: Elite players on any AFL list

B: Top 10-18 player on most lists

C: An 19-30 player on a list

Developing: Aged 21 or under

Future AB players: These are players that will hopefully develop into an A or B ranked player once they turn 22. They might be playing to this level now, but it takes sustained years.

Need more time: These players would be a player recently drafted that is still developing and therefore will need more time to see if he is likely to develop into an A or B grade player.

MORE GARY BUCKENARA

RICHMOND: Every Tiger rated – Bucky names real A-graders

GOLD COAST: Trade targets – who’s next in the Gold Coast feeding frenzy?

HAWTHORN: The Hawk who made be better off at a finals team

Fremantle star Nat Fyfe. Pic: Michael Klein

RATING THE LIST

Players 22 and over

A-grade: Nat Fyfe, David Mundy.

B-grade: Griffin Logue, Sean Darcy, Blake Acres, Michael Walters, Luke Ryan, Nathan Wilson, Darcy Tucker, Connor Blakely, Matthew Taberner, Joel Hamling, Alex Pearce, Lachie Schultz, Brennan Cox, Rory Lobb.

C-grade: Reece Conca (delisted), James Aish, Ethan Hughes, Brett Bewley (delisted), Lloyd Meek, Stephen Hill (retired), Travis Colyer, Tobe Watson (delisted), Sam Switkowski, Bailey Banfield, Stefan Giro (delisted), Taylin Duman (delisted).

Development

Future AB players: Sam Sturt, Caleb Serong, Adam Cerra (requested trade to Victoria), Andrew Brayshaw, Mitch Crowden, Liam Henry, Leno Thomas (delisted), Hayden Young, Heath Chapman, Joel Western, Josh Treacy, Michael Frederick.

Need more time: Luke Valente, Nathan O’Driscoll, Brandon Walker.

Fremantle veteran David Mundy. Pic: Michael Klein

LIST BREAKDOWN

A Grade = 2

B Grade = 14

C Grade = 12

Development

Future AB players = 12

Need more time = 3

CRYSTAL BALL

There are 14 A and B-graders on the list and a number of C-graders that are handy at the AFL level but the number of future AB players is where the excitement lies on the list, although they are set to lose Cerra from this group.

The Dockers have quite a well-balanced list of players and they have invested well in the draft over the past few years and this is set to provide them with some great depth.

The top-end is a bit thin on quality and this may be a slight worry but as some of those future AB players develop, I am sure this will be rectified over the next couple of years.

Fremantle is a club that has not produced consistently enough since its inception in the 1990s, so it is long overdue.

Now they are prepared to play the younger players. Ross Lyon didn’t seem willing to go down that path and I think it had a detrimental effect on many of their young players, who must have felt they were not good enough at the AFL level.

A major part of the development of young players is to guide them coming out of under-age football into the AFL system and get them to believe in themselves that they do belong at the level and the abilities they showed to get drafted have not disappeared.

It is just a matter of transferring them to a new standard of football and playing them when their form at the lower level warrants it. It’s so important for them and coaches that ignore the opportunities to do this can really destroy the belief of a young player very quickly.

Fremantle is on the way, everyone, so be ready for them. I am watching them closely and waiting to see this potential blossom.

Originally published as Gary Buckenara analyses the Fremantle list at the end of the 2021 season