Jump to content

Fremantle Football Club

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by The-Pope (talk | contribs) at 15:21, 28 July 2020 (top: update). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Fremantle Football Club
Names
Full nameFremantle Football Club
Nickname(s)Dockers, Freo
2019 season
Home-and-away season13th
Leading goalkickerMichael Walters (40 goals)
Club details
Founded21 July 1994; 30 years ago (1994-07-21)
ColoursAFL:   Purple   white
AFLW:   Purple   white   Crimson
CompetitionAFL: Men
AFLW: Women
ChairmanDale Alcock
CoachAFL: Justin Longmuir
AFLW: Trent Cooper
Captain(s)AFL: Nathan Fyfe
AFLW: Kara Antonio
Premiershipsnil
Ground(s)AFL: Perth Stadium 2018-present (capacity: 60,000)
 AFLW: Fremantle Oval 2017-present (capacity: 17,500)
Former ground(s)WACA Ground (1995–2000)
Subiaco Oval (1995–2017)
Training ground(s)Cockburn ARC (2017–present)
Fremantle Oval (1995–2017)
Uniforms
Home
Clash
Heritage
Other information
Official websitefremantlefc.com.au
Current season

The Fremantle Football Club, nicknamed the Dockers, is a professional Australian rules football team that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL). It was founded in 1994 in honour of the rich footballing history associated with the Western Australian port city of Fremantle, and entered the AFL the following year, making it the second team from the state after the West Coast Eagles to be admitted to the competition.

Originally based at Fremantle Oval, the club's training facilities and administrative headquarters are now located nearby at Cockburn ARC in Cockburn Central. The club's guernsey is purple and white.

High-profile players since the club's inception include six time All-Australian Matthew Pavlich, dual Brownlow Medal winner Nat Fyfe, and the league's former all-time tallest player Aaron Sandilands. Currently captained by Fyfe, the club is coached by Justin Longmuir, who replaced Ross Lyon at the end of the 2019 home-and-away season.[1] Fremantle is one of only three active AFL clubs (the others being Gold Coast and Greater Western Sydney) that has not won a premiership, however it did win the minor premiership in 2015,[2] and reached the 2013 AFL Grand Final which it lost to Hawthorn.[3]

Fremantle has had a team in the AFL Women's league since its inception in 2017. They are coached by Trent Cooper and captained by Kara Antonio.

Australian rules football in Fremantle

The port city of Fremantle has long been a stronghold of Australian rules football in Western Australia, hosting the state's first game in 1881.[4] The East Fremantle Football Club and Fremantle Football Clubs dominated the early years of the Australian Football League (AFL), winning 24 of the first 34 premierships.[5]

1979 WANFL Grand Final G B Total
East Fremantle 21 19 145
South Fremantle 16 16 112
Venue: Subiaco Oval crowd: 52,781

Since 1897, Fremantle Oval has been the main venue for Australian rules football matches in the city. Until the opening of Perth Stadium in 2018, the record attendance for an Australian rules football game in Western Australia stood at 52,781 at for the 1979 WANFL Grand Final between East Fremantle and South Fremantle at Subiaco Oval.

Champion players who forged careers playing for Fremantle-based clubs include, among many others, Steve Marsh, Jack Sheedy, John Todd, George Doig, William Truscott and Bernie Naylor.

History

Fremantle in the Australian Football League (1993–Present)

Left: A commemorative plaque from Victoria Pavilion, Fremantle Oval..
Right: Fremantle players warming up prior to a game in the club's original guernsey, 2009

Negotiations between East Fremantle and South Fremantle to enter into the VFL as a merged club began in 1987. However, due to an exclusive rights clause granted to the West Coast Eagles this would be impossible until the end of the 1992 season. Further applications were made by the clubs to join but their model was out of favour with the West Australian Football Commission.[6]

The AFL announced on 14 December 1993 that a new team, to be based in Fremantle, would enter the league in 1995, with the tentative name of "Fremantle Sharks." The licence cost $4 million.[7] The names "Fremantle Football Club", "Fremantle Dockers" and the club colours of purple, red, green and white were announced on 21 July 1994. The decision to base the new club in Fremantle was primarily due to the long association of Australian rules football in Fremantle. However, it was not represented in a national club competition until 1995, eight years after the first expansion of the then Victorian Football League into Western Australia in 1987 with the creation of the West Coast Eagles. Their first training session was held on 31 October 1994 at Fremantle Oval.

The team endured some tough years near the bottom of the premiership ladder, until they finished fifth after the home and away rounds in 2003 and made the finals for the first time. The elimination final against eighth-placed Essendon at Subiaco Oval was then the club's biggest ever game, but ended in disappointment for the home team, with the finals experience of Essendon proving too strong for the young team. They then missed making the finals in the following two seasons, finishing both years with 11 wins, 11 losses and only 1 game outside the top eight.

After an average first half to the 2006 AFL season, Fremantle finished the year with a club-record nine straight wins to earn themselves third position at the end of the home and away season with a club-best 15 wins. In the qualifying final against Adelaide at AAMI Stadium, the Dockers led for the first three-quarters before being overrun by the Crows. The following week saw the club win its first finals game in the semi-final against Melbourne at Subiaco Oval. The club subsequently earned a trip to Sydney to play in its first ever preliminary final, where they lost by 35 points at ANZ Stadium to the Sydney Swans.

Recent history (2007–present)

In 2007, following Chris Connolly's resignation midway through the season, Mark Harvey, a three-time premiership player with Essendon, was appointed caretaker coach for the club. During his seven matches for 2007, Harvey coached the Dockers to four wins and three losses.[8] The club came 11th that year, and Harvey was appointed full-time coach at the end of the season. The following year saw the club slump to 14th.[8]

In Round 15, 2009, Fremantle recorded the lowest score in its history and of the 2000s, scoring only 1.7 (13) to the Adelaide Crows' 19.16 (130).[8] It scored just one point in the first half and the only goal scored came in the third quarter.

After finishing sixth in 2010, the club played in the finals for the first time since 2006. The team played Hawthorn at Subiaco Oval, and despite being considered underdogs, went on to win by 30 points. The win came from strong performances from Luke McPharlin and Adam McPhee who limited the impact of Lance Franklin and Luke Hodge, respectively.[9] The team's second ever win in a finals match qualified them for a semi-final to be played against the Geelong Cats at the MCG the following week. In a one-sided contest, the Dockers lost by 69 points.[10]

The 2011 season saw Fremantle lose just once in the first six rounds before ending the year in 11th position after losing their final seven games. Fremantle's collapse was considered a result of a heavy injury count that began in the pre-season.[11]

In September 2011, Mark Harvey was sensationally sacked by the club in favour of still-contracted St. Kilda coach Ross Lyon.[11]

Fremantle qualified for the finals in 2012 after finishing in seventh position. In their elimination final against Geelong, the Dockers won their first ever finals game away from home with a 16-point victory at the MCG behind Matthew Pavlich's six goals.[12] Fremantle subsequently lost to the Crows in Adelaide the following week, ending their finals campaign.

In 2013, Fremantle finished the home-and-away season in third position with a club-best 16 wins. In their qualifying final against the Cats in Geelong, the Dockers produced a first-round upset with a 15-point victory to advance through to a home preliminary final.[13] In the preliminary final, the Dockers defeated the reigning premiers, the Sydney Swans, by 25 points to advance to their maiden AFL Grand Final. In the 2013 grand final, the Dockers were defeated by Hawthorn by a margin of 15 points.

In 2014, the club reached the finals for the third successive year with a top-four finish and 16 wins, but despite earning a double chance, they were knocked out after losses to Sydney away and Port Adelaide at home. Nat Fyfe was awarded the Leigh Matthews Trophy for winning the AFL Players' Association MVP award.[14]

In 2015, the club were crowned minor premiers for the first time in their history, earning their first piece of silverware with the McClelland Trophy.[2] However, the club failed to convert this into a grand final appearance, losing to Hawthorn by 27 points in its home preliminary final. Fremantle ended their season with Nat Fyfe becoming the club's first Brownlow Medalist.[15]

Season 2016 marked Matthew Pavlich's final season in the AFL, as Fremantle missed the finals following a 10-game losing streak to start the year, finishing in 16th position with just four wins.[16]

Ross Lyon was sacked as coach on 20 August 2019 after the club failed to qualify for the finals.[17] He was replaced by Justin Longmuir.[18]

Performance

After struggling in their early start up years, Fremantle are beginning to be a more established and consistently more competitive club in the AFL, with an overall win percentage of 50.0% since first making the finals in 2003.[19] The Dockers' halcyon years took place between 2013 and 2015, where they earned three-straight top four finishes to go with their only grand final appearance (2013) and their only minor premiership (2015).

Fremantle played in its first drawn match in Round 8, 2013 against the Sydney Swans.[20] In 2006, against St Kilda at Aurora Stadium in Launceston, they did play in a controversial Round 5 match that initially ended in a draw. However, the AFL overturned the draw result the following Wednesday after the match, due to an off-field error made by the timekeepers not sounding the siren for long enough, and declared Fremantle as one-point winners.[21] It marked the first time a game result had been later overturned since 1900.[22]

Year by year performance

  Home and away Finals Coach
Year P W D L % Rank P W L Rank
2020 1 0 0 1 90.50 13/18 12/18 Longmuir
2019 22 9 0 13 91.90 13/18 13/18 Lyon/Hale
2018 22 8 0 14 76.24 14/18 14/18 Lyon
2017 22 8 0 14 74.40 14/18 14/18 Lyon
2016 22 4 0 18 74.28 16/18 16/18 Lyon
2015 22 17 0 5 118.73 1/18 2 1 1 3/18 Lyon
2014 22 16 0 6 130.40 4/18 2 0 2 6/18 Lyon
2013 22 16 1 5 134.10 3/18 3 2 1 2/18 Lyon
2012 22 14 0 8 115.67 7/18 2 1 1 6/18 Lyon
2011 22 9 0 13 83.11 11/17 11/17 Harvey
2010 22 13 0 9 103.88 6/16 2 1 1 6/16 Harvey
2009 22 6 0 16 77.34 14/16 14/16 Harvey
2008 22 6 0 16 93.73 14/16 14/16 Harvey
2007 22 10 0 12 102.55 11/16 11/16 Connolly/Harvey
2006 22 15 0 7 109.83 3/16 3 1 2 3/16 Connolly
2005 22 11 0 11 100.15 10/16 10/16 Connolly
2004 22 11 0 11 100.64 9/16 9/16 Connolly
2003 22 14 0 8 103.13 5/16 1 0 1 7/16 Connolly
2002 22 9 0 13 88.33 13/16 13/16 Connolly
2001 22 2 0 20 72.02 16/16 16/16 Drum/Allan
2000 22 8 0 14 72.04 12/16 12/16 Drum
1999 22 5 0 17 82.44 15/16 15/16 Drum
1998 22 7 0 15 76.37 15/16 15/16 Neesham
1997 22 10 0 12 91.90 12/16 12/16 Neesham
1996 22 7 0 15 92.28 13/16 13/16 Neesham
1995 22 8 0 14 92.85 13/16 13/16 Neesham
Total/Avg 550 234 1 293 92.41 15 6 9
Overall 565 240 1 302 92.31
P = Played, W = Win, D = Draw, L = Loss, % = Score for/Score against.    Source: AFL Tables

Club identity

Nickname

Fremantle Football Club logo (1997–2010)

Shortly after the club was launched in 1994, Levi Strauss & Co., which produces the Dockers brand of clothing, challenged the club's right to use the name "Fremantle Dockers", specifically on clothing.[23] As a result, the club and AFL discontinued the official use of the "Dockers" nickname in 1997. However, the team was still known unofficially as "The Dockers", both inside and outside the club, including in their official team song "Freo Way to Go" and the official club magazine "Docker".[24] In October 2010, the strong association that members and fans have with the "Dockers" nickname led the club to form a new arrangement with Levi Strauss & Co which allows the club to officially use the nickname "Dockers" everywhere including on clothing and other brand elements.[25] This name change was made in conjunction with changes to the club logo and playing strip.[26]

Guernsey

Fremantle kit with the anchor symbol, used 1995–2010
Nat Fyfe wearing Fremantle's home guernsey, introduced 2011

Until 2011 the Fremantle Football Club used the anchor symbol as the basis for all of their guernseys. The home guernsey was purple, with a white anchor on the front separating the chest area into two panels, which were coloured red and green to represent the traditional maritime port and starboard colours. The away or clash guernsey was all white with a purple anchor. Since the end of the 2010 home and away season the home jumper is purple with 3 white chevrons and the away jumper is white with 3 purple chevrons.[27]

One game each year is designated as the Purple Haze game, where an all-purple jumper with a white anchor is worn. This game is used to raise money for the Starlight Children's Foundation. After the guernsey re-design to a predominately purple home jumper, Fremantle wore the Starlight Foundation logo, a yellow star, above the highest chevron for their Purple Haze game.

Fremantle kit with the chevron arrow design, used 2011-Present

Since 2003, the AFL has marketed one round each year as the Heritage Round. Until 2006 Fremantle wore a white guernsey with 3 red chevrons, to emulate the jumper worn by the original Fremantle Football Club in 1885. However, in 2007, the selected round had Fremantle playing Sydney, who also wear red and white. An alternative blue and white striped design was used, based on the jumper worn by the East Fremantle Football Club in their 1979 WAFL Grand Final win over the South Fremantle Football Club. This Fremantle Derby still holds the record for the highest attendance at a football game of any code in Western Australia, with 52,781 attending at Subiaco Oval.[4]

In September 2008, newly appointed CEO Steve Rosich confirmed that the Fremantle Football Club would undergo a thorough review of all areas, including the club's team name, song, guernsey, and logo in a bid to boost its marketability.[28] However he later confirmed that the purple colour will be maintained as it had become synonymous with Fremantle.[29]

Home ground and headquarters

Fremantle Football Club had its original training and administration facilities at Fremantle Oval. On 21 February 2017 the club moved its training and administration facilities to Cockburn ARC, a world-class facility constructed in 2015–17 at a price of $109 million, located in the suburb of Cockburn Central.[30]

The team's home games are currently played at Optus Stadium, a 60,000 seat multi-purpose stadium located in the suburb of Burswood. The club began playing home matches at the venue in 2018, having previously played home matches at Subiaco Oval from 2001 onward and before that the WACA Ground from 1995 to 2000.

Song

The official song of the club is Freo Way to Go. The Fremantle Dockers' club song that was used from 1995 until 2011 was called Freo Heave Ho and was written in the mid-1990s by Ken Walther and unlike many of the other Australian rules team songs, it is played to a contemporary rock tune but is based on a traditional Igor Stravinsky arrangement of a Russian folk song, Song of the Volga Boatmen,[31] but most of the song was an original composition by Walther. After the 2011 season, the Volga Boatmen section was dropped, leaving only the part written by Walther.

The song is regarded with a great deal of derision from many opposition supporters[32][33] and equally fierce loyalty from many fans. At the end of the 2010 season, there was speculation that the song would be changed at the same time as the jumper and logo was changed, but only a review of the song was announced.[26][34]

In October 2011, the official website of the Dockers released four options for members to vote on to be the club song in 2012 and beyond. One of the songs titled "Freo Freo" was written by Australian indie-rock group and the Dockers' number one ticket holder Eskimo Joe.[35] However, members elected to retain the existing club song.

Mascots

Johnny "The Doc" Docker, Fremantle's official mascot since 2003
  • 1995–1999: Grinder – A cartoon-like docker man, in a similar style to Popeye, with a permanent snarl, oversized jaw and muscular arms.
  • 2000–2003: The Doc – a straggly blonde-haired mascot, similar in appearance to Fremantle players Clive Waterhouse or Shaun McManus.
  • 2003–present: Johnny "The Doc" Docker – a blonde haired surfer with a surfboard under one arm is the Docker's official mascot in the Mascot Manor promotion for kids. Jenny Docker is also a mascot of the Fremantle Football Club.

Ownership and management

The club is owned by the West Australian Football Commission (WAFC). Since 2003, a Board of Directors controls the operation of the club, on behalf of the WAFC. Prior to this, a two-tier arrangement was in place, with a Board of Management between the Board of Directors and the Commission. The initial club chief executive officer was David Hatt, who had come from a hockey background, and the inaugural club chairman was Ross Kelly, who had played for West Perth. It was a deliberate act by the commission to avoid having administrators from either East Fremantle or South Fremantle in key roles, as they wanted the club to be bigger than just representing Fremantle.[36]

Kelly resigned at the end of 1998, replaced by Ross McLean. Whilst he presided over some key financial decisions, including the building of the club's administrative and training centre at Fremantle Oval and the deferment of the licence fee to the AFL, it was Fremantle's lowest point onfield, culminating in a two-win season in 2001 which saw the coach Damian Drum be sacked mid-year. McLean resigned following an inadvertent breach of the salary cap.[37]

In early 2001 Hatt accepted a government job and Cameron Schwab was appointed. After weathering the fallout from the disastrous 2001 season, Schwab and the new chairman, local West Australian retailing businessman Rick Hart, set about rebuilding the club. A former recruiting manager, Schwab focused on building up the on-field performance by recruiting high-profile players in Trent Croad, Peter Bell and Jeff Farmer, as well as coach Chris Connolly and with Hart then focused on enhancing the corporate and financial standing of the club.[38] The club membership grew every year from 2002 until 2008[39] and the final licence payment was made to the AFL in 2005.

Schwab chose to return to Melbourne in 2008 and was replaced as CEO by Steve Rosich, who had previously worked for the West Coast Eagles. A year later Hart resigned as president and Steve Harris, who runs The Brand Agency and had produced advertising for Fremantle since 2002, took over at the end of 2009. Harris had been on the board since November 2008, the first club chairman or president to have previously served on the board.[40] The club has developed into one of the wealthiest clubs in the league and their surprise recruitment of Ross Lyon to replace Mark Harvey as coach at the end of the 2011 is seen as an example of their ruthless drive for sustained success.[41] In 2014, Harris resigned as president nd was replaced by the then vice president, Perth property developer Dale Alcock.[42]

Sponsorship

Year Kit Manufacturer Major Sponsor Shorts Sponsor Back Sponsor
1995 - Hard Yakka Alinta Gas Hard Yakka
1996-97 - HBF Home and Car Insurance
1998-99 Adidas -
2000 Choose Alinta Gas Southern Land Rover Alinta Gas
2001 Russell Athletic Ford
2002 -
2003 Bankwest
2004 - Bankwest Allphones Bankwest
2005 Reebok
2006-08 LG ME Bank LG
2009 LG (Home) Integrated (Away) Intergrated (Home) LG (Away)
2010 Woodside Petroleum (Home) Intergrated (Away) Intergrated (Home) Woodside Petroleum (Away)
2011 ISC
2012-13 Woodside Petroleum (Home) Programmed (Away) Programmed Programmed (Home) Woodside Petroleum (Away)
2014-15 Amcom
2016- Choices Flooring

Rivalries

Western Derby

Fremantle's biggest rivalry is with the other Western Australian team, the West Coast Eagles, who they play twice each year in the home and away season, in the fiercely contested "Western Derby" matches (Pronounced /ˈdɜːrbi/ in Western Australia). West Coast were victorious in the first nine games, before Fremantle won in round 16, 1999. The term "derby" is named after the Fremantle Derby games between East and South Fremantle in the West Australian Football League, which for almost 100 years have been considered some of the most important games in the local league.[43] The 1979 WANFL Grand Final still holds the Subiaco Oval football attendance record of 52,781.[44]

St Kilda controversies

The Dockers and the St Kilda Football Club have seen a number of controversial events between them, most notably the AFL siren controversy at York Park in 2006. The match was set into a state of confusion with Fremantle leading by one point when the siren (which had not been very loud all game) was not heard by the umpires who then allowed St Kilda tagger Steven Baker to score a point after time had elapsed and, as a result, the match ended in a draw. The outcome of the game was taken to the AFL Commission and it was decided during the week that as the siren had gone Fremantle were judged to be the winners, disallowing Baker's point.

During the 2011 off-season, Fremantle sacked coach Mark Harvey and replaced him with then-St Kilda coach Ross Lyon in controversial circumstances. The move was met with much criticism towards Fremantle's president, Steve Harris, and CEO, Steve Rosich, claiming that they had "backstabbed" Harvey. Lyon was also met with widespread criticism and was accused of backstabbing St Kilda by many Saints supporters as the club was made aware that Fremantle had approached Lyon during St Kilda's lead-up to its finals campaign. The two clubs contested a highly anticipated Friday night match in Round 4 of the 2012 AFL season at Etihad Stadium, with Fremantle winning by 13 points and Lyon being booed throughout the match.[45] Lyon has since become Fremantle's longest serving and most successful coach.

"In round 21 2005, vs St Kilda, Fremantle had less than a minute remaining while St Kilda appeared to have had sewn up a one-point victory when they recovered possession across Fremantle's half forward line and looked to clear the ball up the field. Justin Peckett carried the ball from centre half back out to the defensive flank, having two bounces as he assessed his options up field. What he did not realise was that Luke McPharlin, who had charged out from full forward to run him down, was quickly closing in on him. Luke laid the tackle and was rewarded by claiming Peckett holding the ball.With just 33 seconds remaining and 80m from goal, Luke loaded up and pumped the ball deep into the forward 50 with Matthew Pavlich in his sights. As the pack formed around Matthew, Justin launched himself in from the side to take a fingertip, and ultimately match winning, grab at full stretch 20m from goal.With the siren sounding in the background, Justin went back a further 30m from where he took the mark to ensure he had a suitable approach for his shot on goal. With teammate Jeff Farmer coming in to give his reassurance, Justin ignored the swarmed St Kilda players who had moved in to put him off his shot to kick one of the most memorable goals in Fremantle's history and see the team claim a 5-point win.His goal attracted arguably one of the biggest roars ever from a crowd at Subiaco Oval who were in turn brought in for the celebrations when Justin charged towards the fence to celebrate the win with the Fremantle faithful. His teammates immediately followed, sparking mass jubilation amongst the 38,057 people in attendance at Subiaco Oval that night.So powerful was the moment, the Fremantle Football Club used it as its advertising campaign to attract members for the 2006 season, which saw the club reach a then record of 35,666 members.Justin's goal was Fremantle's fourth for the final term as they overran St Kilda after trailing by 16 points at three quarter time. The team's defence also stood strong in the fourth, holding the Saints goalless." - Fremantle.com[46]

Players

Current squad

See also Fremantle Football Club drafting and trading history for the complete list of Fremantle's draft selections, delistings and trades
Senior list Rookie list Coaching staff

Head coach

Assistant coaches

  • Jaymie Graham (forwards coach)
  • Joel Corey (midfield coach)
  • Harry Garland (stoppages coach)
  • Jade Rawlings (backline coach)
  • Todd Curley (opposition strategy coach)
  • Geoff Valentine (head of player development)
  • Andrew Sturgess (development coach)
  • Tendai Mzungu (development coach)
  • Sam Naismith (ruck & development coach)

Legend:
  • (c) Captain(s)
  • (vc) Vice-captain(s)
  • (B) Category B rookie
  • Long-term injury

Updated: 28 July 2020
Source(s): Players, Coaches


Leadership

Matthew Pavlich captained the club from 2007 to 2015.
Seasons Captain[47] Coach[47]
1995–1996 Ben Allan Gerard Neesham
1997–1998 Peter Mann Gerard Neesham
1999 Chris Bond Damian Drum
2000–2001 Shaun McManus and Adrian Fletcher (co-captains) Damian Drum/Ben Allan from Rd 10, 2001
2002–2006 Peter Bell Chris Connolly
2007 Matthew Pavlich Chris Connolly/Mark Harvey from Rd 16
2008–2011 Matthew Pavlich Mark Harvey
2012–2015 Matthew Pavlich Ross Lyon
2016 David Mundy Ross Lyon
2017–2019 Nathan Fyfe Ross Lyon/David Hale from Rd 23
2020– Nathan Fyfe Justin Longmuir

Reserves team

For most of Fremantle's history, players have played for various West Australian Football League (WAFL) teams when not selected to play for the Fremantle AFL team. Players recruited from the WAFL have remained with their original club, and players recruited from interstate have been allocated to teams via a draft system. Since the 2014 season, the Peel Thunder Football Club has served as the host club for the Fremantle Dockers, an arrangement which will see Fremantle's reserves players playing in the WAFL for Peel Thunder Football Club. An attempt to field a standalone Fremantle reserves side in the WAFL was rejected by the other WAFL clubs.[48] A similar host club system was used in 1999 when South Fremantle was the aligned club but was cancelled after a single season.

AFL Women's team

History

Fremantle AFL Women's team huddle prior to a practice match in January 2017

In May 2016, the club launched a bid to enter a team in the inaugural AFL Women's season in 2017.[49] As part of the bid, the team would guarantee all players education and job opportunities with the club and the partnering Curtin University.[49]

Fremantle beat out a bid from rivals West Coast when they were granted a license on 15 June 2016.[50]

Kiara Bowers and Kara Antonio were the club's first signings, unveiled along with the league's other 14 marquee players on 27 July 2016.[51] A further 24 senior players and two rookie players were added to the club's inaugural list in the league's drafting and signing period.

Former South Fremantle assistant coach, Michelle Cowan was appointed the team's inaugural head coach in July 2016.[52]

The club's initial bid outlined plans for a game each at Domain Stadium and at Curtin University's Bentley campus as well as up to two remaining matches held at the club training base in the city of Cockburn.[49] The club eventually played two home games at Fremantle Oval, one at Domain Stadium and one in Mandurah.[53] In 2018, the Dockers hosted the first football game at Perth Stadium but will play the remainder of their home games at Fremantle Oval.

The Dockers struggled in their inaugural season, only winning one of seven games and finishing seventh out of eight teams on the ladder. They fared slightly better in 2018, winning three matches, but again finished seventh on the ladder.[54]

In 2019, Fremantle had their most successful season, losing only one game during the home and away matches to eventual premiers Adelaide and making the finals for the first time. The team, now coached by Trent Cooper and with Kiara Bowers making her long-awaited debut after two injury affect years, started the year with a high scoring victory over Melbourne in the opening round and then kicked their highest ever score, 10.7 (67), in round 2 against Brisbane. Despite having won two more games than Carlton, the controversial conference system saw Carlton host the knock out preliminary final[55] and inflict Fremantle's second defeat of the year. In the post-season awards, Bowers[56] and Dana Hooker[57] came second behind Erin Phillips in the AFLW MVP award and AFL Women's best and fairest award respectively. Bowers, Hooker and Gemma Houghton were all named in the AFL Women's All-Australian team.[58] Ashley Sharp was awarded goal of the year for a long run, multiple bounce goal.[59]

Current squad

Senior list Rookie list Coaching staff

Head coach

Assistant coaches

  • Craig Thomas (senior assistant)
  • Matt Riggio (defence)
  • Matt Templeton (midfield)
  • Kara Antonio (forwards)
  • Jonathon Griffin (ruck)
  • Zac Strom (ruck)
  • Alex Williams (development)
  • Lauren Stammers (development)

Legend:
  • (c) Captain(s)
  • (vc) Vice-captain(s)
  • Injury list
  • (i) Inactive list

Updated: 28 July 2020
Source(s): Playing list, Coaches


Season summaries

  Home and away Finals Coach Captain Best and fairest
Year P W D L % Rank P W L Rank
2020 6 6 0 0 154.7 1/14 1 1 0 1/14 Trent Cooper Kara Antonio Kiara Bowers
2019 7 6 0 1 141.2 2/10 1 0 1 3/10 Trent Cooper Kara Donnellan Kiara Bowers
2018 7 3 0 4 89.8 7/8 - - - 7/8 Michelle Cowan Kara Donnellan Ebony Antonio
2017 7 1 1 5 64.1 7/8 - - - 7/8 Michelle Cowan Kara Donnellan Dana Hooker
Total/Avg 27 16 1 10 - 2 1 1
Overall 28 17 1 11 -
P = Played, W = Win, D = Draw, L = Loss, % = Score for/Score against.

Source: AFLW History

Awards

The Doig Medal is the Fremantle Football Club's annual fairest and best award. Currently, the Fremantle coaching staff give every player votes on a 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 basis after every match, including Finals Series matches. Top votes are awarded for what is regarded as an elite performance. At the end of the year the votes are tallied and the Doig Medal Night is held to announce the winner. Variations on the voting system have been used in past years. The awards ceremony has been held at the Fremantle Passenger Terminal (1995), Challenge Stadium (1998–1999), Fremantle Oval (2000–2001), the Grand Ballroom at Burswood Entertainment Complex (2002–2005, 2008–current) and the Perth Convention Exhibition Centre (2006–2007).

The Beacon Award is presented to the club's best first year player. Mature aged recruits Michael Barlow, Tendai Mzungu and Lee Spurr have won in recent years, despite being significantly older than most first year players.

Season Doig Medal winner Beacon Award winner Best clubman Leading goalkicker
1995 Peter Mann Scott Chisholm Peter Mann (33)
1996 Stephen O'Reilly Gavin Mitchell Kingsley Hunter (33)
1997 Dale Kickett Mark Gale Kingsley Hunter (32)
1998 Jason Norrish Brad Dodd Chris Bond and Jason Norrish Clive Waterhouse (30)
1999 Adrian Fletcher Clem Michael Ashley Prescott Tony Modra (71)
2000 Troy Cook Paul Hasleby Dale Kickett and John Rankin Clive Waterhouse (53)
2001 Peter Bell Dion Woods Leigh Brown Justin Longmuir and Matthew Pavlich (28)
2002 Matthew Pavlich Paul Medhurst Shaun McManus Trent Croad (42)
2003 Peter Bell Graham Polak Troy Longmuir Paul Medhurst (50)
2004 Peter Bell Andrew Browne Matthew Carr Paul Medhurst (41)
2005 Matthew Pavlich David Mundy Troy Cook Matthew Pavlich (61)
2006 Matthew Pavlich Marcus Drum Luke Webster Matthew Pavlich (71)
2007 Matthew Pavlich Robert Warnock Heath Black Matthew Pavlich (72)
2008 Matthew Pavlich Rhys Palmer Luke Webster Matthew Pavlich (67)
2009 Aaron Sandilands Stephen Hill Michael Johnson Matthew Pavlich (28)
2010 David Mundy[60] Michael Barlow Matthew de Boer Matthew Pavlich (61)
2011 Matthew Pavlich[61] Tendai Mzungu Matthew de Boer Chris Mayne and Kepler Bradley (25)
2012 Ryan Crowley[62] Lee Spurr Tendai Mzungu Matthew Pavlich (69)
2013 Nat Fyfe[63] Cameron Sutcliffe Lee Spurr Michael Walters (46)
2014 Nat Fyfe[64] Matt Taberner Alex Silvagni Hayden Ballantyne (49)
2015 Aaron Sandilands[65] Alex Pearce Jonathon Griffin Michael Walters (44)
2016 Lachie Neale[66] Lachie Weller Aaron Sandilands Michael Walters (36)
2017 Bradley Hill[67] Luke Ryan Zac Dawson Cam McCarthy (25)
2018 Lachie Neale[68] Brennan Cox Aaron Sandilands Michael Walters (22)
2019 Nat Fyfe[69] Sam Switkowski Aaron Sandilands Michael Walters (40)

AFL Women's Awards

Season Fairest and best Best first year player Best clubwoman Leading goalkicker
2017 Dana Hooker[70] Amy Lavell[71] Kara Antonio (4)
2018 Ebony Antonio[72] Lisa Webb Amy Lavell (6)
2019 Kiara Bowers[73] Philipa Seth Evangeline Gooch Gemma Houghton (9)
2020 Kiara Bowers[74] Mim Strom Kara Antonio Sabreena Duffy (12)

Records

Fremantle players enter Subiaco Oval, by running through a celebratory banner before a game in 2004.
  • Premierships: Nil
  • Grand Final appearances: 1 (2013)
  • Minor Premierships: 1 (2015)
  • Wooden spoons: 1 (2001)
  • Finals series reached: Seven (2003, 2006, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015)
  • Biggest winning margin: 113 points - 24.13 (157) vs. Greater Western Sydney 6.8 (44), Patersons Stadium, 11 August 2013
  • Biggest losing margin: 133 points - 3.7 (25) vs. Geelong 24.14 (158), GMHBA Stadium, 18 August 2018
  • Longest winning streak: 9 games (Round 14, 2006 – Round 22, 2006) and (Round 1, 2015 - Round 9, 2015)
  • Longest losing streak: 18 games (Round 22, 2000 – Round 17, 2001)
  • Highest score: 28.12 (180) vs. Collingwood 10.8 (68), Subiaco Oval, 8 May 2005
  • Lowest score: 1.7 (13) vs. Adelaide 19.16 (130), AAMI Stadium, 11 July 2009

Individual awards and records

Attendance records

AFL finishing positions (1995–present)

Finishing Position Year (Finals in Bold) Tally
Premiers nil 0
Runner Up 2013 1
1st 2015 1
2nd nil 0
3rd 2013 1
4th 2014 1
5th nil 0
6th 2010, 2012, 2014 3
7th 2012 1
8th nil 0
9th 2004 1
10th 2005 1
11th 2007, 2011 2
12th 1997, 2000 2
13th 1995, 1996, 2002, 2019 4
14th 2008, 2009, 2017, 2018 4
15th 1998, 1999 2
16th 2001, 2016 2
17th nil 0
18th nil 0

Fremantle Football Hall of Legends

The Fremantle Football Hall of Legends was inaugurated by Fremantle Football Club in 1995, in recognition of the new AFL team's links with its home city's football heritage. The inductees are nominated by the two clubs from the Fremantle area in the WAFL: East Fremantle and South Fremantle. In time, players who represented Fremantle in the AFL will join their predecessors in this prestigious Hall.

Fremantle's 25 Since '95

In 2019, The West Australian named Fremantle's greatest team of the past twenty five years as part of the club's twenty fifth anniversary celebrations, as voted by Fans and club officials.:[80]

Backs: Roger Hayden Shane Parker Antoni Grover
Half Backs: Michael Johnson Luke McPharlin Dale Kickett
Centres: Stephen Hill David Mundy Shaun McManus
Half Forwards: Michael Walters Matthew Pavlich Clive Waterhouse
Forwards: Jeff Farmer Tony Modra Hayden Ballantyne
Ruck: Aaron Sandilands Nat Fyfe Peter Bell
Interchange: Paul Hasleby Lachie Neale Troy Cook
Michael Barlow Ryan Crowley Justin Longmuir
Ben Allan

Supporters

Number 1 ticketholders

It is traditional for each club to recognise a prominent supporter as the No. 1 ticketholder. Fremantle originally chose to award this to the sitting member for the federal seat of Fremantle. This was roundly criticised as the member may or may not be a supporter of the club and unnecessarily linked politics with sport.[81] The policy was soon changed to select a well-known Fremantle identity for a two-year period.

On 23 April 2010, Eskimo Joe were announced as the number one ticketholder for the Fremantle Football Club, replacing golfer Nick O'Hern.[82] The band's drummer and guitarist, Joel Quartermain, hinted that they might write a new theme song for the club, saying that

We'll give it a crack. We're back here this winter writing our new record so, while we're at it, we may as well knock off a new theme song.

— Joel Quartemain, [82]
Year Number 1 Ticket Holder
1995–1996 Carmen Lawrence
1997–2002 Jack Sheedy and Steve Marsh
2003–2005 Rove McManus
2006–2007 Luc Longley
2008 Jesse Dart (No. 1 Junior Ticket Holder)[83]
2009 Nick O'Hern[84]
2010–2011 Eskimo Joe[82]
2012–2015 Ben Roberts-Smith[85]
2016 Richard Walley[86]

Other high-profile fans include psychedelic rock band Tame Impala, a former Premier of Western Australia, Alan Carpenter,[87] a former Federal Minister of Defence, Stephen Smith,[88] Tim Minchin, author Tim Winton[89] and journalists and television presenters Dixie Marshall, Simon Reeve,[90] American tennis player John Isner[91] and Matt Price, who wrote a book on Fremantle, Way to Go.

Membership base

Supporters cheer on the Dockers

Despite a relative lack of on-field success, Fremantle has recorded membership figures above average for the league. The club in 2005 had the fastest growing membership in the AFL competition with home crowds growing at a similar rate. The club's recent membership slogans have emphasised the passion of Fremantle fans for their team.

Season Members Change from previous season Finishing position (after finals) Average home match crowds[92]
1995 18,456 13th 23,361
1996 19,622 Increase 1,166 (+6.32%) 13th 22,473
1997 19,949 Increase 327 (+1.67%) 12th 21,982
1998 22,186 Increase 2,237 (+11.21%) 15th 23,365
1999 24,896 Increase 2,710 (+12.21%) 15th 23,972
2000 24,925 Increase 29 (+0.12%) 12th 22,357
2001 23,898 Decrease 1,027 (−4.12%) 16th 21,258
2002 23,775 Decrease 123 (−0.51%) 13th 26,359
2003 25,347 Increase 1,572 (+6.61%) 7th 31,688
2004 32,259 Increase 6,912 (+27.27%) 9th 35,693
2005 34,124 Increase 1,865 (+5.78%) 10th 35,224
2006 35,666 Increase 1,542 (+4.52%) 4th 37,063
2007 43,343[93][94] Increase 7,677 (+21.52%) 11th 37,474
2008 43,366[95] Increase 23 (+0.05%) 14th 35,877
2009 39,206[96] Decrease 4,160 (−9.6%) 14th 33,144
2010 39,854 Increase 648 (+1.63%) 6th 37,084
2011 42,762 Increase 2,908 (+6.8%) 11th 34,394
2012 41,705 Decrease 1,057 (−2.4%) 6th 33,386
2013 44,480[97] Increase 2,775 (+6.7%) 2nd 35,015
2014 48,776[97] Increase 4,296 (+9.7%) 6th 36,215
2015 51,433[98] Increase 2,657 (+5.4%) 3rd 36,914
2016 51,889 Increase 456 (+0.89%) 16th 31,416
2017 51,254 Decrease 635 (-1.22%) 14th 32,375
2018 55,639 Increase 4,385 (+8.60%)[99] 14th 41,764
2019 51,431 Decrease 4,208 (-7.56%)[100] 13th 40,896

Patrons

Since 2003, the Fremantle Football Club has had the Governors of Western Australia as its patron.

Vice-patrons

See also

References

Citations

  1. ^ Chadwick, Justin (15 September 2011). "Fremantle sack AFL coach Mark Harvey with St Kilda's Ross Lyon to take over at the Dockers". Foxsports. Retrieved 27 March 2012.
  2. ^ a b Malcolm, Alex (30 August 2015). "Dockers seal top spot with easy win over Dees". Australian Football League. Retrieved 30 August 2015.
  3. ^ McNicol, Adam (28 September 2013). "Grand revenge: Hawthorn makes up for 2012 loss". Australian Football League. Retrieved 7 February 2017.
  4. ^ a b "History of Fremantle Football". Full Points Footy. Archived from the original on 7 June 2011.
  5. ^ "List of AFL league premiers".
  6. ^ Oakley, Ross (2014). The Phoenix Rises. Richmond, Victoria: Slattery Media Group. pp. 246–247. ISBN 978-0-9874205-9-6.
  7. ^ Browne, Ashley (15 December 1993). "Second WA team takes AFL to 16". The Age.
  8. ^ a b c Lovett (2010), p. 123
  9. ^ Quartermaine, Braden (4 September 2010). "Fremantle Dockers dump Hawthorn to earn finals clash with Geelong". Perth Now.
  10. ^ Matthews, Bruce (10 September 2010). "Geelong gives Fremantle the heave-ho". Herald Sun.
  11. ^ a b Rucci, Michelangelo; Clark, Jay (16 September 2011). "Mark Harvey sacked by Fremantle, Ross Lyon ready to step in". AdelaideNow.com.au. Retrieved 20 August 2018. Fremantle's collapse this season was considered a result of a heavy injury count that began in the pre-season.
  12. ^ "Geelong Cats vs Fremantle". AFL.com.au. 8 September 2012. Retrieved 20 August 2018.
  13. ^ "Fremantle shocks Geelong with 15-point win at Kardinia Park to seal place in preliminary final". ABC.net.au. 7 September 2013. Retrieved 20 August 2018.
  14. ^ a b "Fremantle's Nat Fyfe wins AFL Players' Association MVP award". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 9 September 2014.
  15. ^ Staff Writers (28 September 2015). "Brownlow Medal 2015: Nat Fyfe wins AFL highest honour". Fox Sports.
  16. ^ McArdle, Jordan (7 September 2016). "Fremantle 2016 report card: Long way back for Dockers". PerthNow.com.au. Retrieved 20 August 2018.
  17. ^ Guardian Sport (20 August 2019). "AFL coach Ross Lyon sacked by Fremantle". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
  18. ^ Wilde, Tom (30 September 2019). "Justin Longmuir appointed by Fremantle Dockers as new head coach in AFL after Ross Lyon sacked". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
  19. ^ Team Win-Loss Records
  20. ^ Rogers, Michael (18 May 2013). "Match Report: Fremantle and Sydney draw".
  21. ^ Niall, Jake; Gleeson, Michael; Rielly, Stephen (4 May 2006). "Fairness - and Fremantle - turn out the winners in AFL's points decision". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  22. ^ Hinds, Richard (1 May 2006). "Siren signals chaos as Saints steal draw". The Sydney Morning Herald. AAP.
  23. ^ "Prior claim on 'Dockers'". The Age. 24 July 1994. p. 33.
  24. ^ "Way to Go Lyrics".
  25. ^ Papalia, Ben (1 October 2010). "Fremantle Dockers launch new look".
  26. ^ a b Duffield, Mark; Lewis, Ross; Rickard, Jayne (1 October 2010). "Smaller anchor for Dockers". The West Australian.
  27. ^ For all past guernsey designs, see Mero's Footy Jumpers website.
  28. ^ Hagdorn, Kim; Fremantle Dockers' anchor logo, song, colours under review; PerthNow; 6 September 2008
  29. ^ Clarke, Tim; Freo won't heave ho; Realfooty; 10 September 2008
  30. ^ "New Cockburn home for Fremantle Dockers bolsters spirits for 2017". The Age. 21 February 2017.
  31. ^ 'It's not a bad song' says man who penned Freo Heave Ho
  32. ^ Katz, Danny;No rhyme or reason to what you fancy; The Age; 6 May 2004;Retrieved on 14 June 2007
  33. ^ Burrows, Toby Review: Way to Go: Sadness, Euphoria and the Fremantle Dockers, by Matt Price; July 2004; Retrieved on 14 June 2007
  34. ^ Sapienza, Joseph (30 September 2010). "Dockers guernseys, club song set for makeover".
  35. ^ Eskimo Joe join Dockers song battle
  36. ^ Everett (2014), pp. 22–23
  37. ^ Docker chairman resigns
  38. ^ McGrath, John; Duffield, Mark (26 February 2003). "Freo's $7m debt not an anchor: CEO".
  39. ^ "Club Memberships". Archived from the original on 11 November 2014.
  40. ^ Everett (2014), p. 198
  41. ^ Imam, Abid (17 September 2012). "The bold boardroom strategies that have powered Fremantle Dockers' AFL resurgence".
  42. ^ Duffield, Mark (14 August 2016). "Dale Alcock named as new Fremantle Dockers president". The West Australian. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
  43. ^ "NEXT SATURDAY'S GAMES". Western Mail (Perth, WA : 1885–1954). Perth, WA: National Library of Australia. 29 August 1929. p. 23. Retrieved 7 June 2011.
  44. ^ "Patersons Stadium". Archived from the original on 21 January 2012.
  45. ^ "Dockers down Saints in Lyon's return". ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation). 20 April 2012. Retrieved 7 February 2017.
  46. ^ (https://www.fremantlefc.com.au/news/61312/memorable-fremantle-moment-justin-longmuir)
  47. ^ a b "Honour Roll". Fremantle Football Club.
  48. ^ Quartermaine, Braden (31 October 2012). "West Coast and Fremantle will enter WAFL alignments from 2013". Perthnow. Retrieved 9 November 2012.
  49. ^ a b c "Fremantle Dockers to utilise Curtin partnership to women's team bid". Sports Business Insider. 20 May 2016. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
  50. ^ "Fremantle win licence for inaugural WA women's team". Fremantle FC. Bigpond. 15 June 2016. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
  51. ^ Matthews, Bruce (27 July 2016). "Sixteen of the best: women's marquees named". AFL.com.au. Bigpond. Retrieved 25 October 2016.
  52. ^ Edwards, Jon (11 July 2016). "Cowan confirmed as coach of Fremantle's national women's league team". Fremantle FC. Bigpond. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
  53. ^ http://www.afl.com.au/womens/matches/2017-aflw-results
  54. ^ Pike, Chris (17 March 2018). "AFLW match report: Dockers dodge spoon". AAP. Australian Football League. Retrieved 17 March 2018.
  55. ^ "Blues coach shrugs off AFLW criticism". SBS News. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
  56. ^ Cherny, Daniel (1 April 2019). "Another gong for Erin Phillips". The Age. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
  57. ^ "Phillips crowned AFLW's best for a second time". AFLW. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
  58. ^ Cherny, Daniel (2 April 2019). "Phillips named AFLW's best but future up in the air". The Age. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
  59. ^ "Freo stars shine at W Awards". fremantlefc.com.au. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
  60. ^ Kastanis, Costa (3 October 2010). "It's David's Doig". Archived from the original on 14 February 2011.
  61. ^ Quartermaine, Braden (9 October 2011). "Fremantle captain Matthew Pavlich wins sixth Doig Medal". The Sunday Times.
  62. ^ O'Donoghue, Craig (7 October 2012). "Crowley hails coach Lyon after winning Doig Medal". The West Australian.
  63. ^ Kastanis, Costa (17 November 2013). "Fyfe wins the Doig Medal".
  64. ^ Miller, Dale (16 November 2014). "Fyfe named Freo best and fairest".
  65. ^ Quartmaine, Braden (10 October 2015). "Ruckman Aaron Sandilands wins Fremantle Dockers club champion award Doig Medal".
  66. ^ "Freo star Lachie Neale rewarded with maiden Doig Medal - AFL.com.au". afl.com.au. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
  67. ^ Hickey, Phil (8 October 2017). "Bradley Hill claims Dockers Doig Medal for 2017". WAtoday. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
  68. ^ "Lions target Neale wins another Doig Medal - AFL.com.au". afl.com.au. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
  69. ^ "Third Doig Medal for Pav's heir apparent at Fremantle - AFL.com.au". afl.com.au. Retrieved 6 October 2019.
  70. ^ "Dana Hooker, who gave birth less than a year ago, named top Docker in first AFLW season". The West Australian. Seven West Media. 21 April 2017. Retrieved 28 April 2017.
  71. ^ "Fairest and Best a glamourous occasion". fremantlefc.com.au. Retrieved 12 February 2018.
  72. ^ "Antonio wins Freo's Fairest and Best - fremantlefc.com.au". fremantlefc.com.au. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  73. ^ Fee, Tom. "AFLW: Bowers triumphs at Fairest and Best". fremantlefc.com.au. Retrieved 5 April 2019.
  74. ^ "AFLW: Bowers crowned Freo's Fairest and Best". fremantlefc.com.au. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
  75. ^ a b "Goodes named Australian captain". AFL.com.au. Archived from the original on 18 October 2010.
  76. ^ Fremantle - All Time Player List
  77. ^ Consecutive games
  78. ^ Fremantle Goalkicking Records
  79. ^ "AFL Tables - Fremantle Goalkicking Records". afltables.com. Retrieved 4 May 2013.
  80. ^ https://www.fremantlefc.com.au/news/2019-06-28/fremantles-greatest-team-presenting-the-25-since-95
  81. ^ Gervase A. Haimes (August 2006); Culture and Identity at FFC in PhD thesis "Organizational Culture and Identity: A Case Study from the Australian Football League", Victoria University; archived from the original on 1 March 2011
  82. ^ a b c "Eskimo Joe No. 1 at Freo". The West Australian. West Australian Newspapers Limited. 24 April 2010. Retrieved 25 April 2010.
  83. ^ Washbourne, Michael (17 March 2008); Fremantle Dockers ready for first game of the season; PerthNow; Retrieved on 22 March 2009
  84. ^ Chadwick, Justin (20 March 2009); O'Hern comes out swinging for Dockers; Sydney Morning Herald; Retrieved on 22 March 2009
  85. ^ VC Winner is Dockers New No 1 Ticket Holder
  86. ^ Balme, Ned (23 March 2016). "Richard Walley is new number one".
  87. ^ "Alan Carpenter – Premier-in-waiting". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 23 January 2006. Retrieved 24 August 2010.
  88. ^ Defence Minister kicks a goal for Freo Archived 4 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  89. ^ "Western voices". theblurb.com.au. Archived from the original on 12 March 2009. Retrieved 22 March 2009.
  90. ^ "Simon Reeve blog – A long-suffering Dockers supporter". Archived from the original on 29 August 2008.
  91. ^ Lewis, Ross (4 January 2011). "Big John reveals he's a Dockers fan". The West Australia. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  92. ^ "Fremantle Attendances". AFL Tables. Retrieved 13 October 2008.
  93. ^ "Freo to put the pedal to the metal". The West Australian. 27 April 2007. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 29 April 2007.
  94. ^ "Record Year for AFL memberships". Faixfax Digital. 12 July 2007.
  95. ^ "Dockers set record membership". Sportal. 7 January 2008. Archived from the original on 4 December 2008. Retrieved 24 September 2008.
  96. ^ "Membership target surpassed". Fremantle Football Club. 22 July 2009. Archived from the original on 14 November 2012. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
  97. ^ a b "Club memberships rise as Power, Swans reap benefits". AFL. 2 August 2014. Retrieved 2 August 2014.
  98. ^ Schmook, Nathan (26 August 2015). "Swans' surge drives new AFL club membership record".
  99. ^ Waterworth, Ben (2 August 2018). "Records smashed in AFL goldmine". News.Com.Au. Retrieved 16 September 2018.
  100. ^ "AFL membership ladder 2019 numbers | AFL club membership tallies, Carlton, Richmond, Collingwood, Adelaide, Port Adelaide". Fox Sports. 6 August 2019. Retrieved 23 September 2019.

Sources