IT HAS been a big off-season at Fremantle.

The club was one of the biggest movers and shakers throughout October and November, bringing a total of 12 new Dockers in through both the trade and draft period.

Ross Lyon oversaw two players recruited via trades, eight more who were drafted and two more who were handed a second chance in last week’s rookie draft.

Now, he’ll face the difficult task of integrating the majority into the side’s senior team.

Finals Week 1

Young duo Andrew Brayshaw and Adam Cerra were both top five picks in the national draft and are more or less ready-made prospects who could have an immediate impact.

Their additions could give Lyon the freedom to play captain Nat Fyfe more as a forward, having witnessed the damage Dustin Martin and Patrick Dangerfield did inside 50 last season.

The club also picked up some draft steals, with Mitch Crowden and Tom North both strong inside ball winners and rookie Stefan Giro also a chance to feature early in the year.

Nathan Wilson was recruited from the Giants and should go straight into a position across half back, while ex-Sun Brandon Matera will push for a place as a small forward early in the year.

Sam Switkowski was picked up from VFL side Box Hill and will also compete for his place.

The welcome return of the talented and versatile Harley Bennell from two years of consistent injury setbacks should also give Lyon more options in the midfield throughout 2018.

They’ll all add to the promise some of the club’s younger players — including Connor Blakely, Brennan Cox and Ethan Hughes — all showed during last season.

The eight youngsters Fremantle picked up in the national draft. Source: Getty Images

THE LOCK

He’s back. After an injury-plagued couple of years, Nat Fyfe began to show signs he was back to his best in 2017. With another full pre-season under his belt, expect him to return to his Brownlow form consistently next year. Fyfe was superb in the International Rules Series and could benefit from the club bringing in a couple of midfielders during the off-season. That could mean more time forward of the ball, where he could prove incredibly damaging. Dockers fans should be super excited about what they’ll see from their captain in 2018.

THE BUBBLE

After playing only eight senior games last season, Matt Taberner will be hoping to see more senior action next year. But he’ll likely start behind Shane Kersten and Brennan Cox in the pecking order up forward. It appeared as though Ross Lyon favoured Kersten last season, with the former Cats forward playing 20 games and kicking 24 goals. That could mean Taberner will have to bide his time. But strong WAFL form will equate to more opportunity — he kicked 41 goals from 16 games with Peel Thunder last year and will need to repeat that.

THE RISING STAR

It’s been a promising couple of years for Connor Blakely. After earning more senior opportunities in 2016, the 21-year-old enjoyed a breakout campaign last season playing across half back. Blakely averaged 23.9 disposals, providing plenty of run and dash across half back. He’s a natural ball winner who has no problems finding the footy. Expect him to take another giant leap in his development next season, particularly with Nathan Wilson coming on board.

Nat Fyfe is back — and hopefully better than ever. Source: Getty Images

IT’S A BIG YEAR FOR ...

Maybe this is finally the year for Harley Bennell at Fremantle. He missed the entire 2016 season with a calf problem and played only two games last year. But fully fit coming into this campaign, perhaps he can finally start having an impact at his new club. The classy ball winner is only 25 years of age, so he’s still got plenty of time on his side. But has hasn’t been able to demonstrate his quality since arriving at Fremantle. He’ll add plenty if he can get a consistent run at it — and the Dockers will be praying that’s the case in 2018.

BEST 22

B: Michael Johnson, Joel Hamling, Luke Ryan

HB: Connor Blakely, Brennan Cox, Nathan Wilson

C: Harley Bennell, Nat Fyfe, Bradley Hill

HF: Michael Walters, Cam McCarthy, Stephen Hill

F: Hayden Ballantyne, Shane Kersten, Brandon Matera

FOLL: Aaron Sandilands, David Mundy, Lachie Neale

I/C: Andrew Brayshaw, Ethan Hughes, Griffin Logue, Lee Spurr

EMG: Alex Pearce, Adam Cerra, Darcy Tucker

OTHERS: Michael Apeness, Mitch Crowden, Sean Darcy, Hugh Dixon, Brady Grey, Scott Jones, Ed Langdon, Lloyd Meek, Tom North, Danyle Pearce, Tom Sheridan, Cameron Sutcliffe, Sam Switkowski, Matt Taberner

ROOKIES: Bailey Banfield, Taylin Duman, Stefan Giro, Ryan Nyhuis, Luke Strnadica