Nat Fyfe is confident the AFL stars are aligning for Fremantle, but for the Dockers to return to the finals they must make Optus Stadium a fortress where opposition teams fear to tread.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Including an away local derby and a match that Gold Coast sold the rights to, Fremantle played 13 games at their home ground in 2018 for a return of just seven wins.
That ratio has to improve if Ross Lyon's men are to play finals for the first time since 2015.
"We do need to make it a fortress," Fyfe said.
"It's hard to travel over to Perth.
"There's a reasonable time difference, so it is difficult to travel over, get acclimatised and then play against 50,000 Fremantle fans who are the best in the business at what they do.
"If we can win the majority of our home games and then a couple on the road then you're a sniff for finals from there."
Of course, no level of crowd noise will help a mediocre team beat a good one.
The former has been an apt description of the Dockers over the past three years but Fyfe is confident there is enough evidence to suggest they can shed that tag.
Lachie Neale's exit for Brisbane hurts but Fremantle have added star power and experience to their crop of talented youngsters in Jesse Hogan, Rory Lobb, Reece Conca and Travis Colyer.
"I'm always optimistic so it's hard to measure that year on year but I think there are tangible differences this year," Fyfe said.
"We've got Hogan and Lobb who allow us to structure up differently.
"We'll get a bit more development out of Sean Darcy, Connor Blakely, Ed Langdon, Adam Cerra and Andy Brayshaw.
"So there are reasons to think that we will go better than we did last year.
"We've had eight wins the last two seasons, so our fans should expect that we improve on that."
Australian Associated Press
