Despite only entering the AFL in 1995, there is a long and proud history of Australian Rules Football in Fremantle. The port city hosted Western Australia’s first ever game of Aussie Rules in 1881, and teams from Fremantle have long been a dominant force in the West Australian Football League (WAFL).
However, unlike their West Coast neighbours, the Dockers are yet to make a real mark in the nation’s premier competition, and are still awaiting their first taste of premiership glory. After a dismal beginning to their AFL experience in which they finished no higher than 12th in their first eight seasons, Fremantle finally managed to make the finals in 2003, ending up in 5th place.
Another lean period followed (apart from a surprising 3rd place finish in 2006), in which the Dockers seemed to regress back to the form of the late 90s. The lowlight of this rocky patch came in round 15 in 2009, where against the Crows, the Dockers only managed to score 1 point in the first half, before going on to lose 130-13.
But this poor form couldn’t last forever, and under the guidance of Ross Lyon, the Dockers made the finals from 2012-2015 in what is the club’s most successful period. This four-year stretch included an agonizing 15-point loss to the Hawks in Fremantle’s only Grand Final appearance in 2013, as well as taking out the minor premiership in 2015. Complementing Lyon’s tactical nous, club great Matthew Pavlich was superb in what was the twilight of his marvelous career for the Dockers, in which he played 353 games and kicked 700 goals.
After another fall from grace since 2015, Fremantle will be looking to captain and Brownlow medalist Nat Fyfe to lead them to their first ever premiership. Only then will the Dockers emerge from the shadow cast by fierce rivals West Coast.
