‘Flagmantle’ is no longer a joke. The Fremantle Dockers have emerged as a team to love, fear, and trust, according to Jonathan Horn. After a dominant victory over the Brisbane Lions at the Gabba, the Dockers have cemented their status as genuine premiership contenders in the 2026 AFL season.
Dominant Display at the Gabba
A trip to Brisbane is never easy, but Fremantle made it look routine. Despite being installed as underdogs by bookmakers, the Dockers overcame the absence of key players and a long flight to the opposite side of the country. The Lions threw everything at them—control, chaos, short kicks, long bombs, and increased clearance efforts—but Fremantle had answers for every tactic. The final margin did not fully reflect the visitors’ dominance.
Brisbane’s Rut
The Lions, who have been on a steady upward trajectory for nearly a decade, are now in a slump. Several champions are struggling, and they are missing vital role players and lockdown defenders. With upcoming matches against Queensland rivals, Sydney, and Geelong, Brisbane faces a tough period. Recent losses to Geelong, GWS, and now Fremantle have exposed their vulnerabilities.
Fremantle’s Strengths
The Dockers are a hard-working, well-structured team that uses propulsive handball to flick the ball outside and turn games into running races. Few teams get more value from their bottom six players, a stark contrast to recent years. They do the common things uncommonly well but also possess the ability to slam on multiple goals in short bursts.
Unstoppable Tall Forwards
When Fremantle is in full flight, their three tall forwards—Josh Treacy, Patrick Voss, and Jye Amiss—are unstoppable. Each brings a different pedigree, temperament, and skillset: Treacy has hands like a champion gully fieldsman, Voss often strays into pantomime territory, and Amiss projects a bewildered air. Yet they complement each other perfectly, combining for 78.54 goals this season. All three are threats when the ball hits the ground, apply immense pressure, and are in sync with the smaller forwards buzzing around them.
Historical Context and Challenges
Being top of the table at the halfway point can be perilous. Collingwood in 2025 and Sydney in 2024 played scintillating football but were dragged back to the pack through winter. Only five premiers in the past 25 years were ladder leaders after round 12. Fremantle themselves topped the table at this stage in 2015. However, the 2026 version has advantages: their draw opens up, they won’t leave Western Australia until early July, and remaining away trips are mostly against bottom-third teams.
List Construction Success
Fremantle has built its list without a single father-son, academy selection, or free agent. They have nailed high, mid-range, and speculative picks. Rookie draft selections—often the rescue dogs of the football world—have unearthed gems like Treacy and Karl Worner. The club has also excelled at identifying and nurturing discarded players from other clubs.
A Team for the Ages
The late journalist Matt Price once wrote that supporting Fremantle represents simple, honourable values: humour, loyalty, persistence, struggle, patience, and tolerance. Price, who died at 46, never saw the Ross Lyon era but would have loved this team. The 2026 Dockers combine the best of Lyon’s grim, attritional sides and the wild west days of Clive Waterhouse and Tony Modra. They are a team to love, to fear, and to trust.
