Fremantle will be out to right the wrongs of 2024 after sliding dramatically in the final rounds to miss the top 8. They’ve added Shai Bolton to help their charge too.
There’s plenty of quality among this Freo side too, including a wave of emerging premiums who could go up another level.
Fixture
Freo don’t play Opening Round, so they’ve not got an early bye which is good. Their mid-season bye is Round 13, the second bye round, and the only one with only 2 teams on the bye, which is excellent too. Great draw.
Squad Changes
Ins
Shai Bolton (trade, Richmond), Jaren Carr (No.63 draft pick, father-son), Quinton Narkle (SSP), Charlie Nicholls (No.34 draft pick), Murphy Reid (No.17 draft pick), Aiden Riddle (Rookie Draft)
Outs
Josh Corbett (retired), Tom Emmett (delisted), Ethan Hughes (delisted), Max Knobel (delisted), Sebit Kuek (delisted), Ethan Stanley (delisted), Matt Taberner (delisted), Conrad Williams (delisted)
Snapshot
Shai Bolton is Freo’s big recruit, with the ex-Tiger likely to play a mix of half-forward and midfield. His midfield time may impact someone like Nat Fyfe or Matthew Johnson rather than their preferred rotation of Andy Brayshaw, Caleb Serong and Hayden Young.
Injury returns
Ruckman Sean Darcy only played 12 games last year, which helped Luke Jackson’s final average given he played no.1 ruck more often. Darcy went to Qatar in pre-season to continue his rehabilitation from knee surgery last August, so keep an eye on that.
Key defenders Brennan Cox and Oscar McDonald missed plenty of footy last year due to injury, so their backline may look a bit different too. That may release Luke Ryan a bit.
Mainstays
Caleb Serong has developed into a premium midfielder, who’ll have high ownership. Andy Brayshaw was already a premo heading in 2024, but dipped slightly with his output, but needs to be considered. Likewise Luke Ryan is a gun defender who accumulates points, aided by being Freo’s preferred kick-in taker ahead of Jordan Clark.
Room for improvement
The early favourite is Neil Erasmus, who is a former top 10 draft pick, who just hasn’t kicked on. He only played 4 AFL games in 2024 but dominated in the WAFL with Peel who won the premiership. It is hard to see how he fits in if Bolton is playing midfield too, but his pedigree may demand a spot.
Keep an eye on midfielders Nathan O’Driscoll and Will Brodie, who are hugely under-priced if they were to be in their best 22. Both have shown in the past that they can score well.
Given his forward status, if Shai Bolton gets regular mid time and can score consistently, he could be very relevant given his starting price as a top 6 forward.
Rookies
The aforementioned Erasmus is rookie-priced in SuperCoach, but the 2 who’ll draw attention are second-year player Cooper Simpson and the Dockers’ top 2024 pick Murphy Reid.
