Former AFL forward Daniel Menzel is tipping Fremantle to drop out of the top eight next season.
Last season saw the Dockers secure a finals berth for the first time since 2015, taking out the Bulldogs in a qualifying final before falling to Collingwood in the semi.
Despite this return to form for the club, Menzel isn’t expecting Fremantle to make it back-to-back top eight finishes.
“I have them dropping out of the eight this year, I have them finishing in 10th,” he told Sportsday SA.
“Now that might seem low… I’m worried and concerned about the health of (Sean) Darcy, (Nathan) Fyfe and (Michael) Walters, we’ve seen that over the last few years.
“They also have the most difficult draw in the competition for finishing in the top six last year, they play Brisbane, Geelong, Sydney and the Bulldogs twice, plus the Eagles who you never know in a derby over there.”
For Menzel, a key area concern for the club is their forward line.
“Last year, they finished fifth on the table, they were 12th in offence, it shows they need more avenues to goal,” he said.
“They brought in Luke Jackson so potentially he can help out but they need others who can stand up.
“They’ve got to improve their inside-50 efficiency as well, that certainly let them down at times last year in 2022.”
Despite tipping them to miss finals, Menzel wouldn’t be surprised if they made a strong run to the top, looking towards Sean Darcy as the key to unlocking the side.
“Sean Darcy for mine, if Fremantle is going to contend this season, he needs to be the one who performs,” he said.
“If he can stay fit and healthy, and that is the big question, what it does is enables Luke Jackson to play permanently as a forward, potentially with a fit and healthy Nat Fyfe in the forward line.
“Then you’ve got (Andrew) Brayshaw, (Caleb) Serong, Will Brodie and the incoming O’Meara, there’s plenty of options there if Darcy can give them first use.”
Even if the Dockers do fall out of the finals hunt this season, Menzel believes the club has a bright future ahead.
“They have the fifth youngest list in the comp… which is pretty incredible considering they won a final last year,” he said.
“They’ve still got a lot of improvement with their youth, they’ve got (Alex) Pearce, Clark (Jordan), (Luke) Ryan, (Nathan) O’Driscoll, Jackson, (Matt) Taberner, Brayshaw, Darcy and Serong that are still only in their mid to early 20s, so they’ve got plenty of time.”
“They’ll be good for a number of years.”
With the pre-season supplemental selection period ending on February 15, the Dockers will be looking to fill their one open spot and finalise their list over the next month.