Preview 2025 Best 22 Discussion

[anchor man]

The forwards are all going to have to be on their toes right now. The arrival of Reid with Bolton makes the area a mine field.
Cooper Simpson, with a full preseason under his belt must be a look in if he performs well at Peel.
A much talented player, with great skill to add to the crew lining up for spots.
A couple of bad games and bingo start thinking of wearing Teal at Peel.

 

[BoneBroth]

Re-watched the first 3 rounds of the 24 season. Both Fyfe and Walters had hot starts to the year, and contributed well. I had actually forgotten how well they both played early.

Fyfe will be battling with Ras for the 4th inside mid position and I wouldn’t be surprised if he starts the season.

The only way I see Walters making his way in, is if they see Sturt as making us too tall. He could be a smaller option, with Darcy back and Jackson playing forward permanently.

Great depth if they are both pushed out


Sent from my iPhone using BigFooty.com

 

[eastfreo75]

Re-watched the first 3 rounds of the 24 season. Both Fyfe and Walters had hot starts to the year, and contributed well. I had actually forgotten how well they both played early.

Fyfe will be battling with Ras for the 4th inside mid position and I wouldn’t be surprised if he starts the season.

The only way I see Walters making his way in, is if they see Sturt as making us too tall. He could be a smaller option, with Darcy back and Jackson playing forward permanently.

Great depth if they are both pushed out


Sent from my iPhone using BigFooty.com

Impossible to fit all the players who can play solid AFL footy.

 

[Dale147]

 

[King Huskii]

I personally would love to see Serong as captain

He has come over from country Vic, breathed life into our club and is next level driven to win freos first premiership. Hes also super vocal and wears his heart on his sleeve.

 

[greatgatsby]

Fremantle captain Alex Pearce defends broken arm decision, praises emergence of Josh Draper​

Alex Pearce is back to full training after a challenging 2024 that saw him break his arm twice. The Freo captain talks about his injury trouble and the difficult selection calls facing the Dockers.

@ByElizaReilly

4 min read
December 21, 2024 - 8:00AM
https://www.codesports.com.au/afl/f...ory/eade7d477f3ed288c3aab85d22239192#comments
Alex Pearce has missed more football in the last five years than some players miss across their careers.

But the Fremantle captain is adamant that he made the right decision to return to the field after just three games on the sidelines with a broken arm.
The key defender originally broke his arm against Gold Coast on June 23. Pearce returned to the field against Melbourne on July 21 but suffered another break in the third quarter.
Some questioned whether Pearce returned too soon after his initial setback. But the 29-year-old has defended the call and the resilience it has instilled in him.

Alex Pearce had a challenging 2024. Picture: Getty Images

“With hindsight, I clearly would’ve had another week off,” Pearce said. “I spoke about it with our coaches and medical team at the end of the season and given the information that we had, the way it felt and the way I trained, I wouldn’t have made a different decision.
“You’re never 100 per cent sure but with all the data we had, if I was in that position again, I think I would’ve made the same decision.
“It’s fully healed. I’ve got a big scar that reminds me of it.
“It doesn’t remind me to be cautious but it’s a reminder that I’m still going and it won’t stop me. Through that disappointment and injuries, they’ve always driven me to get back and get better and this one has as well.”
Pearce was so desperate for Fremantle to feature in September that he would’ve been prepared to risk breaking his arm a third time had the Dockers qualified for finals. He was on track to play in week one after surgery but instead, Fremantle lost its last three games of the season and tumbled out of the top eight.
“I would’ve been pushing to play in the first final,” Pearce said. “The only silver lining of us not making it was that I didn’t put myself in a position to break it again for a third time.
“I was able to take my team and heal fully. I’ve been fully training and haven’t had too many issues. There’s still little things here and there and a bit of discomfort I get but it’s all healed really strongly.

Pearce is feeling confident in his body. Picture: Getty Images

“The way the season ended was really disappointing for me but it was disappointing for everyone involved. All you can do is focus on what you can do to make sure you return stronger and I’m really confident that’s what the guys have done.
“We’re really hungry. We have a strong desire to put ourselves in those high-pressure situations again but this time, come out on top.”
Fremantle’s backline is shaping up as some of the more intriguing selection battlegrounds this summer given the emergence of Josh Draper.
The 20-year-old was one of the Dockers’ biggest improvers in 2024 and won plaudits from around the AFL after his match-winning display against Sydney in round 16. After making his debut against North Melbourne in round 2 as cover for injured pair Brennan Cox and Oscar McDonald, Draper played 20 games for the season.

Joshua Draper is pushing for a spot in Freo’s best 23. Picture: Getty Images

Asked if there’s room for Draper in a fully-fit Fremantle backline, Pearce said his development would be hard to ignore.
“I think so,” he said. “A couple of us have the versatility to play on different-sized forwards.
“It’s going to be a really hard backline to break into. Our new coach Jade Rawlings has his work cut out picking that back seven.
“Heath Chapman is in really good form already. Luke Ryan is coming off another All-Australian season. There’s a lot of guys in there who are in good form and will be hoping to play round one. There’s too many good players to fit in the team.”
Pearce was battling a stress fracture in his foot the last time the AFL held an Indigenous All-Stars game. Now almost a decade on, Pearce has emerged as one of the best key defenders in the AFL.
Pearce was part of the second batch of players named in the squad to play against his current side Fremantle at Optus Stadium in February.

“The AFL has always done a good job of celebrating Indigenous football and this is going to add another element to that,” he said. “I think given the quality of players I’m going to have the opportunity to play alongside, I’m sure the boys will put on a good show.
“To have this game, you need someone to play against and I know that (Dockers chief executive) Simon Garlick and the club were really keen on being involved.”

Fremantle veteran Michael Walters and recruit Shai Bolton have also been named in the squad with the latter set to play his first pre-season practice match in Perth against his new club.
“I’ve been trying to keep my distance from him on the training track so he doesn’t embarrass me,” Pearce said. “He’s a tough man to tackle.
“I’m excited about what he can do for us this year and the legacy he can create for himself as a Fremantle player and a successful one. Hopefully, he can play more than 100 games for the club.”

 

[Freohub]

Best 26 for 2025
B: L.Ryan A.Pearce B.Walker
HB: J.Clark B.Cox H.Chapman
C: J.Sharp H.Young N.O’Driscoll
HF: S.Bolton J.Treacy M.Frederick
F: S.Switkowski J.Amiss L.Jackson
R: S.Darcy C.Serong A.Brayshaw
INT: S.Sturt N.Fyfe N.Erasmus C.Wagner
E: (Sub) M.Walters J.O’Meara M.Johnson J.Draper


Decisions:

Wing Battle: The reason I chose O’Driscoll is because he is a pure winger and gives us exactly what we need from that position, unlike Raz and Jonno who spend their time training as an inside/outside midfielder with the versatility of floating forward. O’Driscoll has far more experience playing in that position and clearly thrives in that spot when given the opportunity.

The Big Question Mark: Where do the Veterans Fit?
I suspect that at least one of our veterans (Fyfe, Walters and O’Meara) will be demoted out of the starting 22. Fyfe still has a critical role as leader and the big body in our midfield so i don’t think

The Unknown: Does James Aish Fit into this team?
On his day James Aish can be a good player for a good team, and since coming over to Freo in 2019, he seemed to settle in as the teams “Mr. Fix It’ with insane versatility to play as a winger, tagger, defender and a inside/outside midfielder. However, since being taken out of the side in Round 22, it’s become questionable whether he is still best 22 material and if so, where does he fit?

Substitution:
My choice for the substitution was actually pretty straight forward. Walters was brought into a game as the sub on 7 different occasions in 2024, by far the most of any Freo player. I believe this is the year Walters will fully embrace his role as leader, with his most valuable trait being the experience he will offer to the other forwards rather than his on-field performance. But Sonny won’t give up his spot in the team without a fight, so whoever fills his spot in the team, will truly have to earn it.

The Wildcard: Murphy Reid
There’s only been a handful of training sessions and even less match-sims for our new draftee Murphy Reid, but according to talks online from fans, Reid has been absolutely killing it at training “seeing Bruce (Murphy Reid) in action was beautiful, his disposal is what will get him into the team” a fan said on BigFooty. We know how talented of a prospect he is, and if he can get a phenomenal preseason under his belt, he has a legitimate shot to crack the best 22.


Tough Calls:

• As I stated earlier, Draper would be a starting 22 lock for just about every team in the comp. But unfortunately for him, Fremantle are just way too loaded and his competition for spots is against all-Australian caliber players, so as great as he was in 2024, his peers are just several tiers ahead of him, for now.

• I believe 2024 was the sign that Fremantle have no interest in playing Will Brodie, even when Fyfe was unavailable, Freo would prefer to play Erasmus or Johnson. So despite my love for Will Brodie, it would be unrealistic to put him in the side as I don’t believe he will be playing unless some catastrophic injuries unfold in that midfield group.

 

[Sherriff Incorporated]

Best 26 for 2025
B: L.Ryan A.Pearce B.Walker
HB: J.Clark B.Cox H.Chapman
C: J.Sharp H.Young N.O’Driscoll
HF: S.Bolton J.Treacy M.Frederick
F: S.Switkowski J.Amiss L.Jackson
R: S.Darcy C.Serong A.Brayshaw
INT: S.Sturt N.Fyfe N.Erasmus C.Wagner
E: (Sub) M.Walters J.O’Meara M.Johnson J.Draper


Decisions:

Wing Battle: The reason I chose O’Driscoll is because he is a pure winger and gives us exactly what we need from that position, unlike Raz and Jonno who spend their time training as an inside/outside midfielder with the versatility of floating forward. O’Driscoll has far more experience playing in that position and clearly thrives in that spot when given the opportunity.

The Big Question Mark: Where do the Veterans Fit?
I suspect that at least one of our veterans (Fyfe, Walters and O’Meara) will be demoted out of the starting 22. Fyfe still has a critical role as leader and the big body in our midfield so i don’t think

The Unknown: Does James Aish Fit into this team?
On his day James Aish can be a good player for a good team, and since coming over to Freo in 2019, he seemed to settle in as the teams “Mr. Fix It’ with insane versatility to play as a winger, tagger, defender and a inside/outside midfielder. However, since being taken out of the side in Round 22, it’s become questionable whether he is still best 22 material and if so, where does he fit?

Substitution:
My choice for the substitution was actually pretty straight forward. Walters was brought into a game as the sub on 7 different occasions in 2024, by far the most of any Freo player. I believe this is the year Walters will fully embrace his role as leader, with his most valuable trait being the experience he will offer to the other forwards rather than his on-field performance. But Sonny won’t give up his spot in the team without a fight, so whoever fills his spot in the team, will truly have to earn it.

The Wildcard: Murphy Reid
There’s only been a handful of training sessions and even less match-sims for our new draftee Murphy Reid, but according to talks online from fans, Reid has been absolutely killing it at training “seeing Bruce (Murphy Reid) in action was beautiful, his disposal is what will get him into the team” a fan said on BigFooty. We know how talented of a prospect he is, and if he can get a phenomenal preseason under his belt, he has a legitimate shot to crack the best 22.


Tough Calls:

• As I stated earlier, Draper would be a starting 22 lock for just about every team in the comp. But unfortunately for him, Fremantle are just way too loaded and his competition for spots is against all-Australian caliber players, so as great as he was in 2024, his peers are just several tiers ahead of him, for now.

• I believe 2024 was the sign that Fremantle have no interest in playing Will Brodie, even when Fyfe was unavailable, Freo would prefer to play Erasmus or Johnson. So despite my love for Will Brodie, it would be unrealistic to put him in the side as I don’t believe he will be playing unless some catastrophic injuries unfold in that midfield group.

I agree with a lot of what you've said bar I'd have Mathew Johnson as a definite and my pick as our biggest improver in 2025. Its early days this preseason but he's mentioned by some of our very some astute training observers as breaking tackles and looking significantly stronger in preseason training so far. I get what you're saying about Fyfe but I think he'll be out of the 22 when everyones fit. Looking at training photos Erasmus, Johnson and Young are now huge so I dont think we need Fyfe's size at contests as much as we did even in 2024. We'll also have Bolton spending some time at clearances meaning due to team balance I think we'll need Johnson in the team ahead of both Fyfe and Erasmus as he can also play wing. Erasmus we'll have to show he can rotate forward to be in the team in my opinion too

 

[anchor man]

Best 26 for 2025
B: L.Ryan A.Pearce B.Walker
HB: J.Clark B.Cox H.Chapman
C: J.Sharp H.Young N.O’Driscoll
HF: S.Bolton J.Treacy M.Frederick
F: S.Switkowski J.Amiss L.Jackson
R: S.Darcy C.Serong A.Brayshaw
INT: S.Sturt N.Fyfe N.Erasmus C.Wagner
E: (Sub) M.Walters J.O’Meara M.Johnson J.Draper


Decisions:

Wing Battle: The reason I chose O’Driscoll is because he is a pure winger and gives us exactly what we need from that position, unlike Raz and Jonno who spend their time training as an inside/outside midfielder with the versatility of floating forward. O’Driscoll has far more experience playing in that position and clearly thrives in that spot when given the opportunity.

The Big Question Mark: Where do the Veterans Fit?
I suspect that at least one of our veterans (Fyfe, Walters and O’Meara) will be demoted out of the starting 22. Fyfe still has a critical role as leader and the big body in our midfield so i don’t think

The Unknown: Does James Aish Fit into this team?
On his day James Aish can be a good player for a good team, and since coming over to Freo in 2019, he seemed to settle in as the teams “Mr. Fix It’ with insane versatility to play as a winger, tagger, defender and a inside/outside midfielder. However, since being taken out of the side in Round 22, it’s become questionable whether he is still best 22 material and if so, where does he fit?

Substitution:
My choice for the substitution was actually pretty straight forward. Walters was brought into a game as the sub on 7 different occasions in 2024, by far the most of any Freo player. I believe this is the year Walters will fully embrace his role as leader, with his most valuable trait being the experience he will offer to the other forwards rather than his on-field performance. But Sonny won’t give up his spot in the team without a fight, so whoever fills his spot in the team, will truly have to earn it.

The Wildcard: Murphy Reid
There’s only been a handful of training sessions and even less match-sims for our new draftee Murphy Reid, but according to talks online from fans, Reid has been absolutely killing it at training “seeing Bruce (Murphy Reid) in action was beautiful, his disposal is what will get him into the team” a fan said on BigFooty. We know how talented of a prospect he is, and if he can get a phenomenal preseason under his belt, he has a legitimate shot to crack the best 22.


Tough Calls:

• As I stated earlier, Draper would be a starting 22 lock for just about every team in the comp. But unfortunately for him, Fremantle are just way too loaded and his competition for spots is against all-Australian caliber players, so as great as he was in 2024, his peers are just several tiers ahead of him, for now.

• I believe 2024 was the sign that Fremantle have no interest in playing Will Brodie, even when Fyfe was unavailable, Freo would prefer to play Erasmus or Johnson. So despite my love for Will Brodie, it would be unrealistic to put him in the side as I don’t believe he will be playing unless some catastrophic injuries unfold in that midfield group.

Interesting that yopu say Noddy is a wing man and experienced.It was in his first year that Longmuir and the selection panel made the move to play him as a wing man.
I was at training one morning and saw Longmuir having a long chat to Noddy.I asked Longmuir after training if Noddy was going to make his debut onthe weekend. He said , no, we want him to build his tank and become a player who can play wing.That weekend he injured himself paying at Peel.
But, in my opinion, he plays the role like a true winger.He will be a bonus for us this year.

 

[theGav56]

Best 26 for 2025
B: L.Ryan A.Pearce B.Walker
HB: J.Clark B.Cox H.Chapman
C: J.Sharp H.Young N.O’Driscoll
HF: S.Bolton J.Treacy M.Frederick
F: S.Switkowski J.Amiss L.Jackson
R: S.Darcy C.Serong A.Brayshaw
INT: S.Sturt N.Fyfe N.Erasmus C.Wagner
E: (Sub) M.Walters J.O’Meara M.Johnson J.Draper


Decisions:

Wing Battle: The reason I chose O’Driscoll is because he is a pure winger and gives us exactly what we need from that position, unlike Raz and Jonno who spend their time training as an inside/outside midfielder with the versatility of floating forward. O’Driscoll has far more experience playing in that position and clearly thrives in that spot when given the opportunity.

The Big Question Mark: Where do the Veterans Fit?
I suspect that at least one of our veterans (Fyfe, Walters and O’Meara) will be demoted out of the starting 22. Fyfe still has a critical role as leader and the big body in our midfield so i don’t think

The Unknown: Does James Aish Fit into this team?
On his day James Aish can be a good player for a good team, and since coming over to Freo in 2019, he seemed to settle in as the teams “Mr. Fix It’ with insane versatility to play as a winger, tagger, defender and a inside/outside midfielder. However, since being taken out of the side in Round 22, it’s become questionable whether he is still best 22 material and if so, where does he fit?

Substitution:
My choice for the substitution was actually pretty straight forward. Walters was brought into a game as the sub on 7 different occasions in 2024, by far the most of any Freo player. I believe this is the year Walters will fully embrace his role as leader, with his most valuable trait being the experience he will offer to the other forwards rather than his on-field performance. But Sonny won’t give up his spot in the team without a fight, so whoever fills his spot in the team, will truly have to earn it.

The Wildcard: Murphy Reid
There’s only been a handful of training sessions and even less match-sims for our new draftee Murphy Reid, but according to talks online from fans, Reid has been absolutely killing it at training “seeing Bruce (Murphy Reid) in action was beautiful, his disposal is what will get him into the team” a fan said on BigFooty. We know how talented of a prospect he is, and if he can get a phenomenal preseason under his belt, he has a legitimate shot to crack the best 22.


Tough Calls:

• As I stated earlier, Draper would be a starting 22 lock for just about every team in the comp. But unfortunately for him, Fremantle are just way too loaded and his competition for spots is against all-Australian caliber players, so as great as he was in 2024, his peers are just several tiers ahead of him, for now.

• I believe 2024 was the sign that Fremantle have no interest in playing Will Brodie, even when Fyfe was unavailable, Freo would prefer to play Erasmus or Johnson. So despite my love for Will Brodie, it would be unrealistic to put him in the side as I don’t believe he will be playing unless some catastrophic injuries unfold in that midfield group.

The club has given every indication that Johnson is best 22. You leaving him out of yours is some kind of inverse of your enduring support for Brodie.

I also don't think the club is grooming Johnson for the wing. He's moving midfield as Fyfe moves towards the sunset. Wing was where he's been doing his apprenticeship.

 

[Sherriff Incorporated]

Interesting that yopu say Noddy is a wing man and experienced.It was in his first year that Longmuir and the selection panel made the move to play him as a wing man.
I was at training one morning and saw Longmuir having a long chat to Noddy.I asked Longmuir after training if Noddy was going to make his debut onthe weekend. He said , no, we want him to build his tank and become a player who can play wing.That weekend he injured himself paying at Peel.
But, in my opinion, he plays the role like a true winger.He will be a bonus for us this year.

Last season I would have said our weakest position was small forward but with the addition of Bolton I now see the wing position as our weakest in terms of how we potentially compare to other teams. In my opinion NOD could have a massive say in how well we go in 2025.

 

[DocT]

Best 26 for 2025
B: L.Ryan A.Pearce B.Walker
HB: J.Clark B.Cox H.Chapman
C: J.Sharp H.Young N.O’Driscoll
HF: S.Bolton J.Treacy M.Frederick
F: S.Switkowski J.Amiss L.Jackson
R: S.Darcy C.Serong A.Brayshaw
INT: S.Sturt N.Fyfe N.Erasmus C.Wagner
E: (Sub) M.Walters J.O’Meara M.Johnson J.Draper


Decisions:

Wing Battle: The reason I chose O’Driscoll is because he is a pure winger and gives us exactly what we need from that position, unlike Raz and Jonno who spend their time training as an inside/outside midfielder with the versatility of floating forward. O’Driscoll has far more experience playing in that position and clearly thrives in that spot when given the opportunity.

The Big Question Mark: Where do the Veterans Fit?
I suspect that at least one of our veterans (Fyfe, Walters and O’Meara) will be demoted out of the starting 22. Fyfe still has a critical role as leader and the big body in our midfield so i don’t think

The Unknown: Does James Aish Fit into this team?
On his day James Aish can be a good player for a good team, and since coming over to Freo in 2019, he seemed to settle in as the teams “Mr. Fix It’ with insane versatility to play as a winger, tagger, defender and a inside/outside midfielder. However, since being taken out of the side in Round 22, it’s become questionable whether he is still best 22 material and if so, where does he fit?

Substitution:
My choice for the substitution was actually pretty straight forward. Walters was brought into a game as the sub on 7 different occasions in 2024, by far the most of any Freo player. I believe this is the year Walters will fully embrace his role as leader, with his most valuable trait being the experience he will offer to the other forwards rather than his on-field performance. But Sonny won’t give up his spot in the team without a fight, so whoever fills his spot in the team, will truly have to earn it.

The Wildcard: Murphy Reid
There’s only been a handful of training sessions and even less match-sims for our new draftee Murphy Reid, but according to talks online from fans, Reid has been absolutely killing it at training “seeing Bruce (Murphy Reid) in action was beautiful, his disposal is what will get him into the team” a fan said on BigFooty. We know how talented of a prospect he is, and if he can get a phenomenal preseason under his belt, he has a legitimate shot to crack the best 22.


Tough Calls:

• As I stated earlier, Draper would be a starting 22 lock for just about every team in the comp. But unfortunately for him, Fremantle are just way too loaded and his competition for spots is against all-Australian caliber players, so as great as he was in 2024, his peers are just several tiers ahead of him, for now.

• I believe 2024 was the sign that Fremantle have no interest in playing Will Brodie, even when Fyfe was unavailable, Freo would prefer to play Erasmus or Johnson. So despite my love for Will Brodie, it would be unrealistic to put him in the side as I don’t believe he will be playing unless some catastrophic injuries unfold in that midfield group.

Great picks and discussion thank you.
My main difference would be Johnson for Erasmus. Jonno was clearly ahead in 2024 and I don't know what Ras has shown at this stage for him to have topped Jonno.
Draper is hard to leave out. TBH Chapman/Cox/Pearce all have above average injury profiles so he will probably play most weeks in 2025.
Frederick is great for X-factor but he could be under pressure if he doesn't get more involved than he averaged in 2024.
I'm big on Drizzy but TBH he needs to be more consistent in his availability. I hope it works for the lad, I love those huge booming L foot goals on the run from the boundary. They really get the whole team going, not to mention the fans.

 

[theGav56]

O'Driscoll averages 46% time on ground. That needs to sit above 75% if he plays wing. Sharp almost 90%. Johnson 76%.

So far he has projected more as a burst player than an endurance athlete, but when he is on he really looks the part.

For this season both will rotate midfield/wing I reckon: O'Driscoll more wing, Johnson more midfield, and in my dreamworld, both covering for Young/Serong slipping.

 

[bellie4pm]

Best 26 for 2025
B: L.Ryan A.Pearce B.Walker
HB: J.Clark B.Cox H.Chapman
C: J.Sharp H.Young N.O’Driscoll
HF: S.Bolton J.Treacy M.Frederick
F: S.Switkowski J.Amiss L.Jackson
R: S.Darcy C.Serong A.Brayshaw
INT: S.Sturt N.Fyfe N.Erasmus C.Wagner
E: (Sub) M.Walters J.O’Meara M.Johnson J.Draper


Decisions:

Wing Battle: The reason I chose O’Driscoll is because he is a pure winger and gives us exactly what we need from that position, unlike Raz and Jonno who spend their time training as an inside/outside midfielder with the versatility of floating forward. O’Driscoll has far more experience playing in that position and clearly thrives in that spot when given the opportunity.

The Big Question Mark: Where do the Veterans Fit?
I suspect that at least one of our veterans (Fyfe, Walters and O’Meara) will be demoted out of the starting 22. Fyfe still has a critical role as leader and the big body in our midfield so i don’t think

The Unknown: Does James Aish Fit into this team?
On his day James Aish can be a good player for a good team, and since coming over to Freo in 2019, he seemed to settle in as the teams “Mr. Fix It’ with insane versatility to play as a winger, tagger, defender and a inside/outside midfielder. However, since being taken out of the side in Round 22, it’s become questionable whether he is still best 22 material and if so, where does he fit?

Substitution:
My choice for the substitution was actually pretty straight forward. Walters was brought into a game as the sub on 7 different occasions in 2024, by far the most of any Freo player. I believe this is the year Walters will fully embrace his role as leader, with his most valuable trait being the experience he will offer to the other forwards rather than his on-field performance. But Sonny won’t give up his spot in the team without a fight, so whoever fills his spot in the team, will truly have to earn it.

The Wildcard: Murphy Reid
There’s only been a handful of training sessions and even less match-sims for our new draftee Murphy Reid, but according to talks online from fans, Reid has been absolutely killing it at training “seeing Bruce (Murphy Reid) in action was beautiful, his disposal is what will get him into the team” a fan said on BigFooty. We know how talented of a prospect he is, and if he can get a phenomenal preseason under his belt, he has a legitimate shot to crack the best 22.


Tough Calls:

• As I stated earlier, Draper would be a starting 22 lock for just about every team in the comp. But unfortunately for him, Fremantle are just way too loaded and his competition for spots is against all-Australian caliber players, so as great as he was in 2024, his peers are just several tiers ahead of him, for now.

• I believe 2024 was the sign that Fremantle have no interest in playing Will Brodie, even when Fyfe was unavailable, Freo would prefer to play Erasmus or Johnson. So despite my love for Will Brodie, it would be unrealistic to put him in the side as I don’t believe he will be playing unless some catastrophic injuries unfold in that midfield group.

Love your work

Its getting clearer, more and more of the teammare picking themselves

Only questions for me:

• johnno or erasmus?
• walker not a lock imho - disposal a key to this happening. So for some teams, draper in, chapman plays smaller, and walker out may make more sense.
• freddie not a lock either - gotta get involved more - though not sure how things could change if he is out?
• final one - jackson - midfield role? Sturt takes his place? But who misses?

Never felt so confident in our list since scotty edwards sheared a sheep when our very first jumpers were given out to the team!!!

 

[theGav56]

Is Frederick 'involved more' an issue for him as a player or for the club as a strategy?

Probably a bit of both, but I think we have advanced our forward line strategy particularly well

 

[Purpletown]

Best 26 for 2025
B: L.Ryan A.Pearce B.Walker
HB: J.Clark B.Cox H.Chapman
C: J.Sharp H.Young N.O’Driscoll
HF: S.Bolton J.Treacy M.Frederick
F: S.Switkowski J.Amiss L.Jackson
R: S.Darcy C.Serong A.Brayshaw
INT: S.Sturt N.Fyfe N.Erasmus C.Wagner
E: (Sub) M.Walters J.O’Meara M.Johnson J.Draper


Decisions:

Wing Battle: The reason I chose O’Driscoll is because he is a pure winger and gives us exactly what we need from that position, unlike Raz and Jonno who spend their time training as an inside/outside midfielder with the versatility of floating forward. O’Driscoll has far more experience playing in that position and clearly thrives in that spot when given the opportunity.

The Big Question Mark: Where do the Veterans Fit?
I suspect that at least one of our veterans (Fyfe, Walters and O’Meara) will be demoted out of the starting 22. Fyfe still has a critical role as leader and the big body in our midfield so i don’t think

The Unknown: Does James Aish Fit into this team?
On his day James Aish can be a good player for a good team, and since coming over to Freo in 2019, he seemed to settle in as the teams “Mr. Fix It’ with insane versatility to play as a winger, tagger, defender and a inside/outside midfielder. However, since being taken out of the side in Round 22, it’s become questionable whether he is still best 22 material and if so, where does he fit?

Substitution:
My choice for the substitution was actually pretty straight forward. Walters was brought into a game as the sub on 7 different occasions in 2024, by far the most of any Freo player. I believe this is the year Walters will fully embrace his role as leader, with his most valuable trait being the experience he will offer to the other forwards rather than his on-field performance. But Sonny won’t give up his spot in the team without a fight, so whoever fills his spot in the team, will truly have to earn it.

The Wildcard: Murphy Reid
There’s only been a handful of training sessions and even less match-sims for our new draftee Murphy Reid, but according to talks online from fans, Reid has been absolutely killing it at training “seeing Bruce (Murphy Reid) in action was beautiful, his disposal is what will get him into the team” a fan said on BigFooty. We know how talented of a prospect he is, and if he can get a phenomenal preseason under his belt, he has a legitimate shot to crack the best 22.


Tough Calls:

• As I stated earlier, Draper would be a starting 22 lock for just about every team in the comp. But unfortunately for him, Fremantle are just way too loaded and his competition for spots is against all-Australian caliber players, so as great as he was in 2024, his peers are just several tiers ahead of him, for now.

• I believe 2024 was the sign that Fremantle have no interest in playing Will Brodie, even when Fyfe was unavailable, Freo would prefer to play Erasmus or Johnson. So despite my love for Will Brodie, it would be unrealistic to put him in the side as I don’t believe he will be playing unless some catastrophic injuries unfold in that midfield group.

A well thought out post. There is plenty of talent not making the side. That's a nice problem for us to have.

I think Draper should be in the side rather than Cox. Tough on Cox but Draper is a genuine AFL player and still has quite a bit of improvement left in him.

 

[BigRang]

A well thought out post. There is plenty of talent not making the side. That's a nice problem for us to have.

I think Draper should be in the side rather than Cox. Tough on Cox but Draper is a genuine AFL player and still has quite a bit of improvement left in him.

U cray. Cox will be picked ahead of Draper every day of the week.


Sent from my iPhone using BigFooty.com

 

[Dockeroo]

A well thought out post. There is plenty of talent not making the side. That's a nice problem for us to have.

I think Draper should be in the side rather than Cox. Tough on Cox but Draper is a genuine AFL player and still has quite a bit of improvement left in him.

U cray. Cox will be picked ahead of Draper every day of the week.


Sent from my iPhone using BigFooty.com

Seems like people are selecting based on reputations more than anything when it comes to Draper being in or out.

For me it’s not even a debate. Josh Draper is a nailed on, walk-up start in the B22. Barring a return from a long term injury - he shouldn’t play another game at Peel for many many years to come.

He almost dragged us into the finals on his own (along with a handful of others) in that final match v Port, the biggest game the club had player since the 2022 qualifying final v Collingwood. Most of his more heralded colleagues turned in a 7/10 performance at best that day but he was exceptional.


He was also voted in the starting 22 for the afl 22under22 team this year (Heath Chapman didn’t even get nominated in the top 45 players for that award, and I’m a fan of Chappy too).
We would not have beaten Sydney without him either this year.

Draper should 100% be in the 22 and if necessary move Chapman to the wing, drop Cox if it comes to it, wherever it takes to fit Draper in.

I predict he’ll play every game in 2025.
It’s ok to replace a good player with a better player - sign of a strong and improving team.

 

[Schauermann]

O'Driscoll averages 46% time on ground. That needs to sit above 75% if he plays wing. Sharp almost 90%. Johnson 76%.

So far he has projected more as a burst player than an endurance athlete, but when he is on he really looks the part.

46% for last season. When he played only two games, one as sub. 75% in the full game. But he probably was still a bit managed in that game.

He was nearly averaging 82% in his 8 full games last year.