The Fremantle Dockers are lucky that the only other team in town has been one of the worst the AFL has ever seen, because by any measure their 2023 season has been poor.

West Coast’s dire campaign, one that has yielded just one win from 16 outings, has insulated Fremantle from much of the blowback their season so far has deserved.

Save for a four-week spell that culminated in them beating Melbourne away from home, the Dockers have been underwhelming and hobbled by some terrible performances at Perth Stadium.

They lost to North Melbourne in an absolute shocker, were vivisected by the Western Bulldogs and were picked apart by a Richmond side years past their best, before what was a meek surrender against Carlton on Sunday.

In that game, one they needed to win to keep their finals push going, they were never at the races and eventually went down by 53 points in front of a shell-shocked home support.

In fact, the effort they dished up against the Blues was one of the most disappointing by a WA team this season – because fans expected so much better.

Minus Nat Fyfe, who misses more games than he plays these days, and Will Brodie, who is injured but has only been picked five times this year, the Dockers were virtually at full strength for their clash against Carlton.

Sean Darcy gave them first look at most balls from stoppages, yet the Dockers were soundly beaten in the clearances – pointing to a distinct lack of urgency or craft from some of their heralded midfielders.

Far too often the Blues waltzed away from congestion, and Fremantle players were left chasing shadows.

It was the second consecutive week that the Dockers’ midfield was overrun, after a final-term blitz from the Bulldogs’ engine room last Saturday left them exposed when the game was there to be won.

This time it was Sam Walsh and Patrick Cripps who exposed Fremantle’s on-ball brigade.

Afterwards, Dockers coach Justin Longmuir was a dejected man.

“We got beaten up around the contest, and that was probably mainly our mids,” he said.

“Definitely in that third quarter we internalised, got stuck in our own heads.

That’s footy coach speak for “we weren’t very good”.

When asked why Fremantle had regressed after such a positive 2022, Longmuir conceded his side hadn’t “handled the pressure”.

Fremantle had won just two first quarters all season heading into the game, and they again looked well off the pace early against Carlton – leaving them 24 points down at the opening change.

When quizzed about the side’s poor starts, Longmuir seemed out of ideas.

“We’ll stick on the same path,” he said.

“We’re playing first quarters like the sting’s gone out of games. I would say that’s across the season.”

While much has been made of West Coast’s historically bad season, it should not be overlooked that Fremantle have not performed well this year, showing their best only in glimpses.

The blowtorch trained on their cross-town rivals has let them escape massive scrutiny so far.

‘Pressure is a privilege’ was a mantra of tennis legend Billie Jean King.

But the burden of expectation has weighed heavily on their young shoulders.

A glass-half-full approach would suggest that the young talent at the Dockers has them well-placed to contend in coming years.

Someone with a different perspective must wonder about this repeated “lack of a connected brand”, and whether all the pieces are in place to see the club’s vision come to life.

For a side that has publicly stated its aim of winning a maiden flag by 2025, and that won a final last year, Fremantle’s season to date has been a bitter disappointment.

After a year that promised so much, the powers that be in Cockburn have some soul-searching to do.

Source: AFL NEWS ABC