Fremantle coach Ross Lyon wants to recruit some versatile midfielders – but knows he faces a massive task to get his wish.
The Dockers finished their AFL season with a gutsy nine-point loss to Collingwood at Optus Stadium on Saturday.
It was a performance full of spirit and fight – in stark contrast to the previous week when they copped a club-record 133-point loss to Geelong.
Lyon’s position came under fire in the wake of that loss, but he has since been backed by the club to continue on next year.
The Dockers still lack marking targets up forward – a position GWS big man Rory Lobb could potentially fill.
But it is in the midfield where Lyon wants to place the biggest focus.
“We’re not the quickest. We’d like some speed and skill,’ Lyon said.
“We want multi-positional players who can play midfield, forward, and back. If you look around at the best teams, they’re multi positional.”
But Lyon admits it will be hard to fulfil his wish, especially if the desired player isn’t a West Australian.
“It’s a real challenge for West Coast and us to shift people from the east coast to the west coast of Australia,” Lyon said.
“You say, ‘You’ll be travelling every second week, you’ll be flying 10,000km every second week’, when instead they can sit at home and sit with their families.
“If there’s two teams on the west coast of Australia and the rest are on the east coast, and 10 of them are in Melbourne, it’s an easier recruiting proposition to get them when you’re a Melbourne club.
“That’s just common sense.”
Fremantle finished the season in 14th spot with an 8-14 record – the same win-loss record as last year.
Lyon believed he had the full support of everyone at the club, despite his team losing nine games by 50 points or more this season.
“Nat Fyfe doesn’t sign a six-year contract when he could walk for million-dollar offers elsewhere if he doesn’t believe in the people and the club,” Lyon said.
Fremantle copped widespread criticism after re-signing Hayden Ballantyne on a one-year deal.
But the 31-year-old showed he still has life left in him yet with a four-goal display against the Magpies.