ROSS Lyon needed to get creative.

He moved the magnets, shuffled some pieces and formed a more competitive Fremantle.

But in a year where the Dockers have experimented with a host of new ideas, none have worked more successfully than the switch that has seen Michael Walters move into the midfield.

Predominantly a small forward prior to his shift, Champion Data logged Walters spending just 14 per cent of games in the midfield between Rounds 1 and 6.

Round 18

However, in the weeks since, he has spent 49 per cent of his time as a permanent midfielder, becoming one of the game’s most influential and damaging players as a result.

Walters has proved a valuable point of difference in a Dockers on-ball group otherwise filled with inside ball winners, giving the team outside class to penetrate in the forward half.

He has the second-lowest contested possession rate of any Fremantle midfielder, while he has applied the least pressure acts since making the move a more permanent one in Round 7.

That has been left to the likes of Nat Fyfe, David Mundy, Lachie Neale and Connor Blakely.

Instead, Walters’ role has been to gain territory and impact on the scoreboard from a more influential position on the field. He has the most metres gained of any Fremantle midfielder, has the highest kick-to-handball ratio and has kicked 15 goals from his last seven games.

Numbers courtesy of Champion Data. Source: FOX SPORTS

Although his form has been strong for quite a while now, it has been particularly evident over the last three weeks — where he is not only finding the footy, but impacting on the scoreboard.

His performance in a narrow loss to St Kilda at Subiaco a fortnight ago — where he amassed 32 disposals, 18 contested possessions and kicked six goals — was truly extraordinary.

“He’s a remarkable young man in the way he applies himself,” Lyon said after that match.

But such a strong individual performance wasn’t a one-off, rather it was reflective of the entire period in which Walters has been playing in the midfield.

According to Champion Data, only gun duo Patrick Dangerfield and Dayne Zorko have averaged more than 25 disposals and 1.5 goals per game throughout this season.

But Walters is quickly putting himself into that elite bracket. Since his midfield move, he has averaged 25.1 disposals and 1.7 goals per game.

Michael Walters against St Kilda. Source: AAP

Of course, the sample size for Walters is significantly smaller. However, he has showed no signs of slowing down — quite the opposite in fact — improving as his game continues to adjust.

Surprisingly, despite his time in the forward line being limited from 86 per cent in the first six weeks to just 51 per cent recently, Walters is also hitting the scoreboard more often.

His goals per game have gone from 0.7 to 1.7, his score assists have gone from 0.7 to 1.8 and his score involvements have gone from 4.0 to 8.1.

“It’s just a new lease on my career,” Walters said of his midfield move in May this year.



“It’s somewhere I played as a kid and really enjoyed because you get that sort of freedom.

“Playing in the forward line, you always get someone to play on you — someone that’s riding you pretty tight. But to go in the midfield and have the freedom to run around is good.”

From a player that kicked 80 goals in the two seasons prior to this year, such versatility is invaluable. And it has made Walters one of the league’s most damaging footballers.

He is likely to come into All-Australian consideration as a result. He is almost certain to at least be named in the squad of 40 — a feat he also achieved after bagging 46 goals in 2013.

But making the final 22 is not out of the equation, particularly if his scintillating form streak out of the middle of the field continues in the side’s last seven games.

If it does, such an honour would be a deserved one for one of the AFL’s most talented players.