FOR all the talk of the Magpies falling off in the second half of the season, the true story of 2015 was how Fremantle fell from flag favourites to a preliminary final loss.

But even making it to the third week of finals footy made the Dockers’ end of season form sound better than it actually was, given how they just got past fellow faders Sydney at home in their qualifying final.

The optimist says Ross Lyon’s experienced team put the cue in the rack in order to save their best for finals, but they simply ran into the juggernaut Hawks and couldn’t get past them.

But the pessimist looks at the numbers and says a group that is the oldest in the AFL for a third year running in 2016 fell off in almost every key statistical area.

Round 18

The simple argument against the Dockers has been about scoring, but it’s more than that – because an elite defence along with an above average offence (a flag winning combination) turned into an above average defence and below average offence after Round 9 last season. The two are intrinsically linked.

There’s no-one better than Lyon at coaching for the now – his track record is to use a club’s assets, current and future, to give them their best chance at a flag while he’s there. Even if they fall off afterwards, he’s not there anymore – see St Kilda.

The risk for the Dockers is if they don’t finally win it all in 2016, they might not have a real shot at it for a long while.

Although a certain Brownlow Medallist may have something to say about that.

2015 WAS…

A HISTORICALLY successful year that still felt like a disappointment.

The Dockers from Round 1 to 9 last season were the best team in the league and perhaps the best they’ve ever been as a club since their inception.

They allowed just 62 points per game (ranked first) and scored 94 (ranked sixth), a pace which would’ve likely been enough to return them to the grand final.

It came from dominance at the stoppages and clearances, with Aaron Sandilands, Nat Fyfe, David Mundy, Lachie Neale and Stephen Hill combining to make the Dockers the best in the AFL in hitout, hitout-to-advantage and scores from clearance differentials.

They were able to control the footy and therefore control the structure of their games, but then teams appeared to figure them out.

The key for opponents was putting pressure on the Dockers, with Champion Data rating their pressure received between Rounds 1 and 9 at 11th in the competition. But for the rest of the season Fremantle felt the most pressure - arguably both on and off the field - of any club.

That also saw their scores from turnovers, which ranked fifth in the competition from Rounds 1 to 9, fall to 14th from Round 10 onwards. In each of the last nine seasons the ability to score from turnovers has led to premiership success with the premiers ranking either first or second in the stat.

But all of these numbers simply show what was obvious – the Dockers were flag favourites. And then suddenly they weren’t.

PASS MARK

FOR a number of reasons, including age, experience and talent, the Dockers need to make the grand final for 2016 to be at all a success.

Club legend Matthew Pavlich wouldn’t have gone around again if he didn’t think Fremantle could finally win that elusive flag and with some slight improvements, such as the recruitment of Harley Bennell, they’ll be contenders again this season.

Whether they win on that one day in October is another matter but simply making it is crucial.

DAVID KING SAYS....

“I expect Fremantle to change their game radically. I think they will score more freely, they will play a more aggressive brand of football. It’s now or never for Fremantle. They’ve got some ageing stars, there’s a couple that left last season but they’ve got some absolutely superstars in the midfield and forward line. I’d expect them to be right in the firing line come September, but it’ll be an exciting Fremantle this season.

CHAMPION DATA SAYS…

“FOR the time being, Fremantle’s midfield is why they will again remain dangerous. It has the No. 1 rated midfield group in the competition … with the acquisition of Bennell joining the already elite Michael Walters, (they) will boast a very potent half-forward line.

“We know they will again compete and be a chance for a top-four finish, but the concerns are growing ever so slightly by the year” - AFL Prospectus.

THE TRADE PERIOD

“Harley Bennell is a star, there’s no doubt. We are aware of the limitations he’s got and the discipline issues he’s had a long the way. If he can just get himself back under control.. in terms of his application to the game then they’ve picked up an absolute star there. I can understand why they’ve taken the gamble...Apart from that, they were very quiet. I was a bit surprised they didn’t nail a key position player. They really do need key forwards and key backs” - Chris Pelchen.

Hayden Ballantyne and Michael Walters are a dynamic forward pairing. Photo by Paul Kane. Source: Getty Images

THE COACH

IF you want to be a top four contender, Ross Lyon is the man to coach your football club.

For eight of the past 10 seasons, Lyon’s teams have ranked in the top three of the AFL for age.

He loves an experienced side and he famously loves a defensive one with Lyon perhaps being the best coach in the land at giving his players a structure that ensures even if they’re beaten, it won’t be by much.

Lyon’s Dockers have given up 100 points or more in a match just eight times in the last three seasons, with two of those being irrelevant end-of-season games where the majority of the best 22 was rested in both 2013 and 2015.

But of course then there is scoring, and Lyon’s Dockers have kicked more than 18 goals in a match just once in the past two seasons.

Much of that is a lack of forward targets to go along with the 34-year-old Matthew Pavlich, but for Lyon to truly prove himself as the best coach in footy, he needs to engineer more goals in 2016.

A contract extension until the end of 2020 displays the level of faith the Dockers have in Lyon.

That should give him time to find replacements for the club’s older stars for another run at the flag, even if the Dockers dip after this season without Pav.

THE GUN

THE stats around Nat Fyfe’s Brownlow victory proved just how good he is – not that the award itself didn’t do that.

His nine best on grounds equalled Greg Williams’ 1994 record for the most three-vote games in the history of the count – and he did it in just 13 weeks.

Fyfe polled 29 out of a possible 36 votes between Round 2 and Round 14, the best streak of form in VFL/AFL history based on the Brownlow Medal, while becoming the first player in 85 years to win the award while missing four games.

The first 100 games of his career saw him collect 106 Brownlow votes. The next best? Joel Selwood on 77.

Nat Fyfe is an extremely, extremely good football player.

NEXT BIG THING

HE certainly looks the part as he looks to become an AFL star, but Lachie Weller has the chance to do what very few young players do in Ross Lyon sides in 2016 and cement a spot.

The 20-year-old has the pace that the Dockers need and played three partial games at the end of last season, averaging 10 disposals.

Taken with pick 13 in the 2014 national draft, Weller will likely play even more this season and will be one of the beneficiaries of the lack of a substitute vest.

Tom Sheridan has been a shining light for Fremantle in the pre-season competition. Photo by Daniel Wilkins. Source: News Corp Australia

BEST 22

B: Lee Spurr, Zac Dawson, Garrick Ibbotson

HB: Stephen Hill, Michael Johnson, Cameron Sutcliffe

C: Nick Suban, David Mundy, Danyle Pearce

HF: Matt Taberner, Chris Mayne, Harley Bennell

F: Hayden Ballantyne, Matthew Pavlich, Michael Walters

FOLL: Aaron Sandilands, Nat Fyfe, Lachie Neale

I/C: Hayden Crozier, Michael Barlow, Thomas Sheridan, Alex Pearce

EMERGENCIES: Tendai Mzungu, Lachie Weller, Matt de Boer

OTHERS: Michael Apeness, Harley Balic, Connor Blakely, Zachary Clarke, Samuel Collins, Brady Grey, Jonathan Griffin, Jack Hannath, Ethan Hughes, Ed Langdon, Clancee Pearce, Alex Silvagni, Darcy Tucker, Shane Yarran

ROOKIES: Joshua Deluca-Cardillo, Anthony Morabito, Ryan Nyhuis, Tanner Smith, Matthew Uebergang, Sean Hurley

IT’S A BIG YEAR FOR

WE know Harley Bennell has the pure talent. What we don’t know is if he can put it all together, on and off-field.

With the exception of a tall forward, a player like Bennell was exactly what Fremantle needed to kickstart their scoring in 2016.

Rated as an elite mid-forward by Champion Data, the West Australian is particularly strong at winning the ball and having an impact on the scoreboard with it.

Now back at home and in an experienced side Bennell needs to show more to finally be taken seriously as the talent his numbers say he is.

SUPERCOACH MUST HAVE

MICHAEL Barlow ($505,300, MID/FWD) won 50 per cent of his disposals in the forward half of the ground in 2015 and correspondingly saw his SuperCoach average fall from 109 to 92.

He now has dual position status and looks likely to spend more time back in the midfield, making him a prime candidate for your forward line.

DID YOU KNOW

ROOKIE Matthew Uebergang, before focusing on footy, was a competitive eSports player.

He teamed up with his brother David to play League of Legends, a team-based real-time strategy game, in one of Oceania’s best teams.

Uebergang could’ve made some real cash if he stuck with it, with a $US2.13 million prize pool for the 2015 League of Legends World Championship.

WHY SHOULD IT BE YOUR SECOND CLUB?

FREMANTLE might be the most likeable team in flag contention based on their history alone.

The Dockers finally winning a premiership would be a brilliant story – as would Ross Lyon finally getting his hands on the cup after so many missed opportunities.

Their colour scheme is original and nice to look at and what, do you want Hawthorn to win it again or something?