The Fremantle Dockers have been trapped in mediocrity for over half a decade and hence will be looking to inject more talent at this year's draft in an attempt to challenge for finals football in 2022.
The Dockers have finished outside the top-eight in each of the past six seasons, with their 2021 ladder finish (11th) currently serving as their best season finish since 2015, when they finished the home-and-away season on top of the AFL ladder.
Captain Nat Fyfe is still one of the league's best midfielders when healthy, but not only has the 30-year-old had his fair share of recent injury ailments, but he's also exiting his prime years.
Veteran fan-favourite David Mundy seems to be getting better with age (finishing second in the club's 2021 best and fairest) and will go another round in 2022, but he will likely hang up the boots at the end of next season and leave another hole for the Dockers to try and fill.
Young guns Andy Brayshaw and Caleb Serong provide tons of hope for starving Dockers fans, while Matt Taberner and Michael Walters remain Fremantle's main forward-line threats.
Draft hand
Picks: 6, 8, 19, 61, 69, 84.
Draft points: 4434
The Dockers enter Wednesday's National draft with one of the strongest hands among the competition, being the only club to hold two top-10 selections.
Fremantle also hold the highly-coveted Pick 19, which stands as the first selection of the second round and therefore the opening pick of the draft's second night on November 25.
That selection will give the Dockers plenty to work with in their draft strategies, with the extra 24 hours aiding any moves or shuffles the club's list and recruitment managers may have planned.
Along with three later selections that are sure to come into earlier slots following a string of matched bids, the Dockers are primed for a bust draft night.
List needs
Versatile midfielder: After losing Adam Cerra to Carlton during the trade period, the Dockers are certain to at least consider upgrading their midfield stocks.
Fyfe's aforementioned health troubles are a concern, so even if Fremantle is happy with the skipper's status and Brayshaw and Serong as its core midfield trio, it might not hurt to look at potentially nabbing some engine room insurance.
Key forward: There were whispers over the course of the trade period about the potential for Rory Lobb to leave Fremantle and return to the Giants (where he played from 2014-18), however, Lobb will remain a Docker in 2022.
Although, with Lobb likely to play in the ruck to chop-out Sean Darcy, the Dockers may look to secure another full-time key forward to partner with Matt Taberner.
19-year-old Josh Treacy played 15 games and kicked 13 goals for the Dockers in 2021, but senior coach Justin Longmuir may not be satisfied taking only Taberner, Lobb and Treacy into the 2022 season, especially after Fremantle ranked a lowly 15th in the AFL for points per game in 2021.
Assess local talent: With the Dockers likely to address midfield and forward-line needs with their first two picks, they may look to poach a local talent or the best player available with its third selection (currently Pick 19).
Fremantle possesses a stout defence, so upgrading the back-six doesn't appear to be an urgent requirement. Therefore, selecting another midfielder or forward (potentially with WA origins) may be the answer for the Dockers with their third pick.
Ideal recruits
Josh Rachele (midfielder/forward):
Either the Murray Bushrangers star or Neil Erasmus, a WA product, will be seen as key acquisitions with Pick 6 should they remain on offer.
With star midfielders Ben Hobbs and Josh Ward likely to be off the board early, the Dockers may look to target midfielder/forward Rachele with one of their top-10 selections.
Rachele, if he were to become a Docker, would likely play predominantly as a forward during the early portion of his career before ideally transitioning into a solid midfield option over time.
A dangerous and damaging small forward, Rachele could wreak havoc alongside the likes of Michael Walters, Sam Switkowski and Lachie Schultz in Fremantle's forward-line.
Jye Amiss (key forward):
East Perth product Jye Amiss is the obvious choice for Fremantle's second selection (likey to be Pick 10 after the Collingwood and Western Bulldogs father-son selections), with the Dockers likely to seek a key forward.
The 18-year-old was a deadeye in front of goals this year, kicking 38.12 from set shots in the WAFL Colts competition.
Amiss' accuracy is an extremely desirable asset for a team such as Fremantle, who struggled in front of goals multiple times last season.
Jacob Van Rooyen (forward/defender):
Van Rooyen, another WA talent, is an intriguing prospect and is arguably the leading swingman at this year's draft.
The Claremont product kicked 24 goals across the final six games of the season at Colts level after transitioning from defence.
Depending on the form and injuries of other players, Van Rooyen could slot in at either end for the Dockers and provide a lot of versatility and value.
Even better for Fremantle, Van Rooyen is projected to be selected around the late first-round, early second-round range, so he should be there for the taking at Pick 19.
