Fremantle has commenced the delisting process, farewelling veterans Nathan Wilson and Travis Colyer after the club's 2023 season came to a close last Saturday afternoon.
While neither Wilson nor Colyer began their footy lives as Dockers, both enjoyed healthy tenures in the purple and white after making the move across the Nullarbor from GWS and Essendon respectively.
After playing 77 games in charcoal and orange, Wilson turned out for Fremantle in a further 78 fixtures. Yet, opportunities dried up for the inked-up rebounder across the past pair of seasons, with the 30-year-old featuring at senior level on just six occasions.
AFL outings also became sparse for Colyer who failed to turn out in Justin Longmuir's team at all this season, capping the 32-year-old's career game count to 146, 59 of which came as a Docker.
Speaking in the wake of the cull, Dockers' Executive General Manager of Football Peter Bell thanked the pair for their service to the club, claiming each still had a role to play during the WAFL finals series.
“It's always a tough time of year in the football industry when decisions on our players' careers have to be made, and I'd like to thank both Nathan and Travis for their contributions to Fremantle for the past six and five years respectively,” Bell told Dockers Media.
“Their dedication to the Club has never wavered, and this is no more evident in their decision to see the finals series out with Peel as they continue to impart their experience on their younger teammates.
“A fortnight ago when Tom Emmett made his debut, it was Travis who presented his jumper. It's a sign of how, even without playing an AFL game this year, Travis continued to have an impact as a leader and a key contributor to Tom's development.
“In addition, Nathan is proudly a product of the Peel Thunder Football Club, and nothing would make us prouder than to see him finish his time at Fremantle with a Thunder premiership.”
The delistings of Wilson and Colyer come after Fremantle released untried utility Eric Benning on Wednesday.
“It's a difficult time of year when we have to make decisions on our players' futures, and today we did inform Eric Benning that he would not be offered a contract for 2024,” Bell said.
Peel is set to face Subiaco at Leederville Oval this Saturday afternoon at 2:10pm (AWST).