FREMANTLE superstar Nat Fyfe has defiantly defended his confrontational leadership approach, claiming his demanding style is exactly what the club needs at the moment.

With a broken leg sidelining him for most of the 2016 season, Fyfe remained heavily involved at the Dockers, spending time with the coaching staff and working closely with players in a coaching capacity.

However there have been rumblings throughout the season that teammates have struggled to work with Fyfe due to his demanding nature and alleged struggles to unify the group.

Fyfe, an aspiring Dockers captain, admitted some of the commentary and criticism on his leadership style had been hard and “unfair at times”, but said it was the nature of the business.

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“It’s certainly been a new experience for me. But as an organisation that is underperforming, the blowtorch was always going to come on us,” Fyfe told Fox Footy’s AFL 360.

“I won’t shy away from being a demanding leader, but the relationship I have with all the players and coaches is really healthy.

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“As a high-performing organisation that’s what we need of our leaders and players.”

Last month Fyfe, who is out of contract at the end of the next season, left the door ajar for a potential move to another club, saying it would be “remiss” of him not to explore his options and rights as a free agent.

Following those comments — and the panic raised because of them — Fyfe moved to quell speculation he wanted out of Fremantle, claiming a week later that he was committed to signing a new deal with the Dockers.

But asked on Tuesday night if he would be a Docker for life, Fyfe admitted it was “not a question I can answer”.

“In an ideal world yes, in an ideal world I’m part of the first premiership team at Fremantle. And that’s what all my focus is going towards at the moment,” he said.

Nat Fyfe from Fremantle Dockers at the AFL Players’ MVP Awards. Picture: Ellen Smith Source: News Corp Australia

The 24-year-old said he was “really optimistic” he could return to his best form as he commences his “slow build back to Round 1” in 2017.

But Fyfe admitted a conversation with fellow Brownlow Medallist Greg Williams had encouraged him to assess how to best approach the next phase of his career, which could include a different approach to preparation and training loads.

“It has been frustrating (this year), but it has given my body a chance to recover and reheal, not just my leg, but my back, my groin — all areas. So hopefully that gives me some longevity,” Fyfe said

“I spoke to Greg Williams tonight, he won a Brownlow eight years apart from his first one and spoke about the back-half of his career and how he had to slightly change the way he trained and prepared. That’s something I’m going to have to do.

“But I’ve got confidence I’ll be back to my best, if not better.”