Fremantle have become the longest-kicking team in the competition as part of a dramatic transformation of their game style.

Coach Ross Lyon has made good on his pre-season pledge for quicker, more direct ball movement across the opening six weeks of the season, with the Dockers jumping from 16th in the AFL for long kicks last season to No.1 in 2019.

Fremantle have kicked long an average of 73 times a game, well clear of the next most direct teams Geelong (66.7) and Brisbane (64.5).

The Dockers’ kick-to-handball ratio has lifted from 1.27:1 (12th) last season to 1.53:1 (4th) so far this year.

Fremantle are getting their drive off half-back, with chief rebounders Nathan Wilson and Luke Ryan both in the top five for long kicks.

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Both of them have kicked long more times this season than West Coast superboot Shannon Hurn.

The more direct ball movement has meant the Dockers are hugging the boundary line, going along the boundary 44 per cent of the time (4th), up from 37 per cent (11th) last season.

Fremantle signalled their intent this season by destroying North Melbourne in the season-opener at Optus Stadium by 82 points.

Camera Icon Nathan Wilson and the Dockers have cashed in on a longer approach. Credit: Getty Images

The home side generated a whopping 42 inside 50s in the first half, for 20 scoring shots.

Decorated Docker Paul Hasleby described it as the most attacking Fremantle had been under Lyon, while legend Matthew Pavlich said his old side’s huge number of scoring shots was “hard to believe”.

Fox Footy analyst David King described the Dockers’ organised forward press as “the old Fremantle” and lauded their confident ball movement.

“It is a sight for sore eyes. We haven’t seen them move the ball like this for a long time,” King said.

Now at 4-2, Fremantle are riding their best start to a season since 2015 ahead of today’s meeting with the Crows at Adelaide Oval. The Dockers will know far more about whether their revised game style will stand up by the time of the mid-season bye, with the Crows to begin a testing run followed by Richmond (home), Essendon (away), Brisbane (home) and Collingwood (away).

The swifter ball movement has been backed up by a harder edge in the contest, which has resulted in increased supply to the forwards.

Fremantle have gone from 16th to fourth in contested ball and 16th to seventh when it comes to generating inside 50 entries.

The addition of tall targets Jesse Hogan and Rory Lobb has given the Dockers the confidence to kick long to contests this season, but the availability of Matt Taberner has been the key.

The Dockers are now among the top five clubs for both contested marks and marks inside 50, having been bottom-five in both categories last season.

Taberner, restricted to just nine games in 2018 due to a foot injury, is the team’s leading player for contested marks with 17.

It placed him third in the AFL leading into this weekend’s round, behind only Carlton’s Harry McKay (25) and Hawthorn ruckman Ben McEvoy (19).

Taberner’s 18 marks inside 50 are as many as the next two Dockers combined, with high-profile recruit Hogan (10) and Cam McCarthy (8) the next strongest targets.

Fremantle is standing up defensively, conceding the second-fewest points. While Wilson and Ryan are charged with providing the bounce, anchor defenders Alex Pearce and Joel Hamling have continued to enhance their reputations for their lock-down capabilities.

The back-line repels opposition inside 50 entries without conceding a goal 81.2 per cent of the time. It places them first in the competition for rebound 50 rate, ahead of Geelong and Collingwood.

The Dockers’ rebound 50 rate last season was 15th, when they survived only 73.8 per cent of opposition attacks.