HE’S teased Fremantle fans in the past, but this could finally be the year for Matt Taberner.

At 24, Taberner has flirted with having breakout campaigns in the past. Yet he’s frustrated Dockers fans in equal measure with his inability to string together consistent performances.

However, throughout the JLT Series, Taberner thrived in a more clearly defined role and all but secured his place in Fremantle’s side to play Port Adelaide in Round 1.

With young ruckman Sean Darcy sidelined through injury, Taberner deputised to the experienced Aaron Sandilands in the ruck and played higher up the field as a forward.

Round 18

In doing so, he was able to demonstrate his strong work ethic and his capable contested marking abilities — getting high up the field and working hard back to goal.

Taberner played as the deepest Fremantle forward in a narrow JLT Series loss to Adelaide.

The imposing 199cm forward finished with 16 disposals, seven marks and three goals, with three of his marks contested and three more claimed inside the forward 50.

In the side’s convincing win over West Coast, he spent more time the ruck.

It resulted in 23 disposals, 12 marks, seven hit-outs and two goals. But again, five of his marks were contested and five more were taken inside 50.

It left goalkicking great Jonathan Brown excited for what Taberner can produce this year.

“He’s obviously starting to get some confidence in his base,” Brown said on Fox Footy.

“He was probably a bit flimsy in his early days, but I like the way he stands there, sets himself a nice base and reaches for the Eagles player.

“He’s got to go into games thinking he’s got to take two or three contested marks and have his three or four shots on goal.”

Taberner played only eight games last year, struggling with form issues throughout the season.

However, according to St Kilda great Leigh Montagna, performances like the ones delivered throughout the JLT Series will give both him and his teammates a host of confidence.

“He’s going to go into Round 1 with a lot of confidence,” Montagna said.

“That will fill the rest of the team with confidence, knowing you’ve got a key forward in form. As a midfielder, it’s always nice to know you’ve got your key forwards in form.

“You can confidently kick the ball to them and know they’ll get you out of trouble.”

TABERNER’S PRE-SEASON FORM

* 39 disposals (No.1 for key forwards)

* 19 marks (No.1 in the JLT Series)

* 8 contested marks (No.1 in the JLT Series)

* 5 goals (No.3 in the JLT Series)

* 5 score assists (No.4 in the JLT Series)

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JOHNNO’S TAKE

Brad Johnson gives his view on Fremantle heading into the 2018 season.

“In the past, Ross Lyon has made a lot of young guys earn his trust to play consistent football in their line-up.

“They lost Lachie Weller with the run, so they’ve gone to the draft to try and replace him with both Adam Cerra and Andrew Brayshaw — who is already a player that can have a consistent impact this year.

“They’ve dropped away, they’ve drafted well and now it’s about where that rise comes from. They’re well and truly into their next phase of their development and getting to that point where by 2019 and 2020 they’ll be having a real impact in the competition again.

“There will be plenty expected of Nat Fyfe and Aaron Sandilands, but Bradley Hill and Michael Walters are genuine, out-and-out stars and will be better than last year.

“If Michael Johnson can stand up, all of a sudden Fremantle will start to win a lot more games than expected.”

THE BURNING QUESTION

Will the Dockers start attacking?

Fremantle scored just 73 points per game last season, the second fewest in the competition.

However, in their JLT Series clash with the Eagles, the Dockers looked as though they wanted to take the game on more often through the corridor with braver ball use.

It paid dividends. Fremantle had 31 scoring shots from 61 entries and played the best footy we’ve seen from Ross Lyon’s team in a long time.

With more youth in their line-up, hopefully we see that more often.

THE BLOWTORCH

Harley Bennell.

He’s only played two games in two years, so it’s time for Harley Bennell to make an impact.

The classy Fremantle midfielder is battling yet more calf problems going into the campaign, meaning he will face a delayed start to the season for the third straight year.

When he does ultimately get on the park, he’ll be one of Fremantle’s most important players.

Therefore, it’s essential he gets his body right to play the type of footy Freo recruited him for.

THE PASS MARK

Eight wins.

Fremantle won eight games last year and will be looking to replicate that number in 2018.

Nathan Wilson and Brandon Matera are handy pick-ups from rival clubs, while Andrew Brayshaw and Adam Cerra are both top-five picks who have strong long-term futures.

With a fully-fit Nat Fyfe at their disposal and continued growth from the youngsters handed opportunities last season, the Dockers should hopefully improve this season.