Fremantle’s midfield logjam could push Hayden Young back to defence.

Fremantle’s midfield depth has improved so dramatically over one summer that Hayden Young, a big bodied midfield saviour at the back end of the 2023 season, may be pushed back to the half back line as the Dockers try and squeeze more midfield talent onto the park.

The one qualification that must be put on this is that it is early - just one interclub practice match in and in Fremantle’s case that practice match was played against anticipated cellar dweller West Coast.

But the return of a fit Nathan Fyfe to the Dockers engine room at the weekend produced 20 odd possessions in half a game. Suddenly a midfield that was considered too small and too young last year looked big and formidable again with Fyfe back in it.

And it wasn’t just the dual Brownlow Medalist either. Matt Johnson, 20 and in his debut season last year, has added a year and several kilograms to a 193cm frame. Neil Erasmus, , the same age as Johnson and 190cm, shone after half time against the Eagles.

The depth on the inside meant Jaeger O’Meara, Johnson and Andrew Brayshaw were all pushed to wing roles at times. Will Brodie, a very capable big bodied AFL midfielder in 2022, now looks two out and two back from playing AFL football.

And Young spent a quarter at half back against West Coast at the weekend to create some midfield time for the likes of Brodie and Erasmus.

Young was considered a rising star at half back in 2022 but with the Dockers losing the size and experience of David Mundy and Blake Acres from their engine room and Fyfe playing only nine games as a forward, the Dockers got clubbed 37-28 by St KIlda in round one at stoppage and 45-30 against North Melbourne in round two. It produced a 0-2 start from games they were expected to win which put an early season wobble on a season which was expected to produce a second successive finals campaign.

As the Dockers faded from finals reckoning and looked to salvage something from the season and inject some size into the centre Young went midfield late in the year with very good results.

In the last five weeks he averaged 23 disposals per game with four inside fifties, four clearances and seven tackles. His 29 disposals with 15 contested possessions, 10 tackles and seven clearances against Brisbane opposed to Lachie Neale in round 21 earned him two Brownlow votes and almost pinched a win for the Dockers against the eventual grand finalists.

Fremantle’s executive general manager of football Joe Brierty welcomed the fierce competition for midfield spots and said the Dockers knew Young was capable of either role.

“It only makes the players get better in the way they go about it,” he said on SEN.

“In terms of flexibility we have seen James Aish go to the half back line. We saw Jaeger O’Meara play on a wing at the weekend and Youngy played off half back in the third quarter. It is going to be about what is the best mix at different times and how you approach that.”

“We know the talent that Hayden provides off half back. We can also see what he has done as an inside mid and as a left footer he can provide something a bit different when you are coming out of stoppage as well.”

It is great to have flexibility and have players coming off half back and going through the midfield or whether they are playing on a wing or playing inside mid.”

O’Meara said the fierce competition had been reflected in some match simulation that got heated at Fremantle but he had rarely seen better midfield depth at a club.

“We have got a number of guys who can go through the midfield and we have got a fair depth list there which we haven’t had in the past. It is a really good position to be in. There are a number of guys that are probably going to have to roll through a number of different positions which is good.”

Young would be equally welcome at half back or midfield, he said.

“I think the defenders would like him back there but we love him in the midfield. That is the thing about Hayden Young. He can play in both of those positions.”

‘He did a very good job for us at the end of last year and did some nullifying jobs on some opposition midfielders. He has got a few strings to his bow which is a really good thing for us,” he said.

Brierty said Fyfe’s midfield time would be determined on a case by case basis but the early signs on his body were good.

“We know the calibre of the player. He has obviously had some really frustrating years with the continuity of his body. He has been very open with myself and JL about feeling really good with his body and being given the opportunity to focus solely on his midfield craft,” he said.

Fyfe was able to use his contested ball winning talent to allow other Fremantle mids to hold width from the contest against the Eagles which enabled several clear getaways.”

“He is a bit of a beast in the way he goes about it. It is just making the others around him out there walk a bit taller. It just gives other players the chance to get to the outside when he is getting to the contest and opening up different angles. That has been a big focus of our contest method.”

O’Meara predicted a “tough time” for the coach to select a round one team.

“In our intraclubs the midfield battle has been really solid and we have been going at each other. We have some good depth there which is a nice position to be in.”

But he also said the Dockers had plenty of room for improvement.

“We also need to get better at our contest and our team defence. We finished 13th on the ladder last year so there are a number of things we want to improve on,” he said.