fremantle football club: What You Need to Know (September 2026)
Fremantle Dockers Are Back — And They Mean Business in 2025
Search interest in the Fremantle Football Club has doubled this week, and it's not hard to see why. The Dockers just delivered one of their most convincing performances of the season, dismantling Carlton by 32 points at a packed Optus Stadium on Saturday. The win lifts Fremantle to a 7-3 record through ten rounds, sitting seventh on the AFL ladder and firmly inside the top eight.
What made the result particularly satisfying for coach Justin Longmuir was the timing. Fremantle had dropped a frustrating loss to Brisbane the previous week, and questions were already circulating about whether they had the consistency to be genuine finals contenders. Saturday answered that in no uncertain terms.
The Engine Room Fires Up
Caleb Serong was the standout on the day, collecting 36 disposals and kicking a goal in a midfield display that reminded the competition just how damaging he can be when he's running hot. Andrew Brayshaw complemented him perfectly with 31 disposals as the Dockers dominated the clearance count — an area that has been central to their identity under Longmuir.
The inside-outside connection between Serong and Brayshaw has become one of the most reliable midfield partnerships in the competition. When both are firing together, Fremantle can dictate the tempo of a game in a way few other clubs can match. Carlton, who had kicked 16 goals in their previous outing, were held to just 10, which speaks to how disciplined Fremantle were defensively as well.
Jye Amiss: The Forward Line Solution
One of the bigger storylines of Fremantle's 2025 campaign has been the emergence of Jye Amiss as a genuine first-choice key forward. He booted three goals against Carlton, continuing a run of form that is making opposition coaches increasingly nervous at selection time.
Amiss provides something the Dockers have often lacked — a tall, physical target in the forward 50 who can both mark and create for others. Paired with Josh Treacy, who offers pace and pressure, Fremantle's forward structure now looks far more balanced than it did in recent seasons when they relied heavily on midfield-driven scores.
Why This Team Is Different in 2025
Several factors separate this Dockers side from the one that underperformed in 2024:
- Greater defensive discipline — limiting oppositions consistently to lower scores than their previous form suggested
- A more experienced midfield group that can manage games rather than just win them in bursts
- Clearer forward structure with Amiss and Treacy providing a credible two-pronged attack
- Longmuir's tactical adjustments between rounds, evidenced by the sharp response after the Brisbane loss
At 7-3, the Dockers are not just making up the numbers in the top eight. They're the kind of team that could cause real damage in September, particularly at Optus Stadium where their record has been strong.
What Comes Next
The road gets harder from here. Fremantle travel to Adelaide Oval in Round 11 to face the Crows — a venue where the Dockers have historically struggled. How they handle life away from Perth will go a long way to defining their season. Interstate results have been the soft underbelly of many promising Fremantle campaigns over the years, and that narrative will be watching closely over the next month as the fixture throws up several tricky road trips.
For now though, the Dockers have earned the attention. A 32-point demolition of a Carlton side still harbouring finals ambitions is the kind of performance that shifts perceptions. Fremantle are no longer a team people are waiting to see fall off — they're a team people are starting to watch with genuine excitement.