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Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n AAA<\/p>\n There is nowhere to hide these days against Fremantle. They might even finally be on their way to legitimising the fan-led \u201cFlagmantle\u201d moniker.<\/p>\n Justin Longmuir\u2019s Dockers are on a 13-match winning streak after rallying from a 28-point deficit to beat perennial contenders Geelong on Thursday night<\/a> and avenge their sole defeat from round one at the Cattery.<\/p>\n They are skilful, stuffed with star power, eminently watchable, and clear premiership favourites.<\/p>\n Fremantle are a game ahead of second-placed Sydney, who are guaranteed to have at least a two-win buffer over the next-best side by the end of this round, so there is a good chance the premiership cup will be in non-Victorian hands for a third year in a row.<\/p>\n The Dockers have never won a flag in their 31-year history, going the closest under then-coach Ross Lyon in 2013, when they became the first of Hawthorn\u2019s grand final victims in their famous premiership three-peat.<\/p>\n Related Article Back then, it was all about Nat Fyfe, David Mundy, Michael Walters, a still-productive veteran in Matthew Pavlich, and pesky players such as Ryan Crowley and Hayden Ballantyne.<\/p>\n They mixed defensive discipline with an ability to hurt opposition sides with attacking brilliance. Sound familiar?<\/p>\n Longmuir\u2019s version is loaded with high-end young talent that goes far beyond the six top-10 draftees on the list. The frightening part is only three members of Thursday night\u2019s victory \u2013 captain Alex Pearce, ex-Magpie Mason Cox and dual All-Australian defender Luke Ryan \u2013 are on the wrong side of 30.<\/p>\n They are a motley crew featuring players nicknamed \u201cthe Big Cohuna\u201d (Josh Treacy), \u201cDogga\u201d (Luke Jackson), \u201cSwitta\u201d (Sam Switkowski) and, of course, \u201cthe Prancing Pony\u201d (Patrick Voss).<\/p>\n Jackson, who started at Melbourne and starred in their 2021 premiership, is known in sports vernacular as a unicorn: a big man who moves like a little man, and can, pretty much, do it all.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Against Geelong, he soccered through a goal, expertly slotted a set shot, and jagged an overhead contested mark among a jungle of Cats before snapping truly. It was part of another standout performance, complete with 28 disposals, 15 contested possessions and nine tackles.<\/p>\n Then there is Shai Bolton<\/a>. Bolton won the mark of the year in 2021 after soaring over Geelong\u2019s Mark Blicavs while still in yellow and black, and on Thursday night, as a Docker, he placed his 2026 bid by standing on another Cat\u2019s shoulders, this time Jake Kolodjashnij.<\/p>\n Jackson and Bolton are the cherries on top of list manager David Walls\u2019 patiently baked cake.<\/p>\n Walls targeted the West Australians at opportune times, at the end of 2022 and 2024, respectively \u2013 both after being part of flag-winning teams \u2013 and also brought home Jordan Clark, Judd McVee, Jaeger O\u2019Meara and Jeremy Sharp.<\/p>\n The latter two aren\u2019t in the senior side right now, but were part of the journey here.<\/p>\n Fremantle used top-10 selections on Andrew Brayshaw, Caleb Serong, Jye Amiss, Hayden Young and Neil Erasmus, but equally critical were their hits down the order, from Murphy Reid (No.17) to Alex Pearce (37), Brennan Cox (41), Michael Frederick (61), Ryan (66), Switkowski (73), Treacy and Karl Worner (both rookies).<\/p>\n Related Article They also signed Voss, Corey Wagner and Cox off other clubs\u2019 scrapheap, while Isaiah Dudley was a pre-season supplemental selection recruit.<\/p>\n Reid won last year\u2019s Rising Star award and might be an All-Australian this year in his second season.<\/p>\n Other recruiters feared Reid was too small and slow, but the Dockers saw his Scott Pendlebury-like composure, fancy footwork and sublime skills. He would almost certainly be a top-five pick if clubs had their time over again.<\/p>\n Fremantle might even offer hope for Gold Coast, too.<\/p>\n The Dockers won fewer than 10 games only once in Longmuir\u2019s seven seasons in charge, but qualified for finals only twice \u2013 in 2022 and last year \u2013 for two losses from three games despite being relentlessly hyped, just as the talent-laden Suns are under Damien Hardwick.<\/p>\n Fremantle finished one win (and percentage) short in 2021, then suffered four consecutive defeats to heartbreakingly end the 2024 season two points outside the top eight.<\/p>\n Longmuir faced intense scrutiny at times during his tenure in Perth\u2019s footy fishbowl, criticised for his team\u2019s inconsistency, a conservative game style and an inability to live up to expectations. None are true now.<\/p>\n Keep up to date with the best AFL coverage in the country. 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Fremantle skipper Alex Pearce is a key reason the Dockers have won 13 matches in a row.Getty Images<\/p>\n![\"Shai](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1781917983_215_bb0781236d3dd5ddbaf9fefe291dca163dbc2836.jpeg\")
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