Fremantle Dockers' list for 2019 after AFL trade and draft periods

Mick Stirling

Fremantle Dockers' list for 2019 after AFL trade and draft periods image

The dust has finally settled on AFL post-season activity and all 18 clubs have completed their lists for 2019.

Who’s come in via trades, free agency and the national and rookie drafts? Who’s gone out the other way?

And, most importantly, how does the list look after all the changes?

MORE: AFL draft: every pick, every player, every club

This week, Sporting News is going through each club’s changes to analyse whether steps have been taken forwards, backwards or if they’re just treading water.

Fremantle Dockers

In

Trade:

Travis Colyer, Reece Conca, Jesse Hogan, Rory Lobb

Free agency:

NA

Draft:

Sam Sturt (17 – Dandenong Stingrays, pictured), Luke Valente (32 – Norwood), Lachlan Schultz (57 – Williamstown), Brett Bewley (59 – Wiliamstown)

Sam Sturt

Rookie:

Ethan Hughes (Fremantle), Tobe Watson (Swan Districts), Ryan Nyhuis (Fremantle)

Out

Traded:

Lachie Neale (Brisbane)

Delisted:

Brady Grey, Ethan Hughes (redrafted as a rookie), Lachie Neale, Ryan Nyhuis (redrafted as a rookie), Tommy Sheridan, Luke Strnadica, Cam Sutcliffe

Retired:

Michael Apeness, Michael Johnson, Danyle Pearce, Lee Spurr

Fremantle’s 2019 list

The Dockers, and anyone who knows anything about football, identified Freo’s forward line as a major weakness and they went out to fix it.

Hogan is the focus, Lobb is a good second tall target and Sturt could be taking Cam McCarthy’s spot by the end of next season, so all the attacking boxes are ticked.


 

However, Neale’s loss leaves a big gap between Nat Fyfe and the rest the Dockers’ midfield and there’s no point having the best attack in the comp if the ball never gets down there.

The forced retirement of Michael Johnson may also have an impact on what is now a young defensive half that could find itself under siege at times.

Verdict

While it may have come at a price to other areas of the ground, fixing the forward line had to be done and was done well, so it’s a winning off-season for Fremantle. Maybe not one that will put finals back on the agenda just yet, though.

Mick Stirling