FORMER AFL star and Channel Seven commentator Cameron Ling has swiped Fremantle captain Nat Fyfe for failing to know the names of freshly drafted stars at the Dockers.

Fyfe admitted he could name only one "first year" player out of a group of eight draftees during a pre-season event in his "fourth or fifth" year at the club.

"They were there for six weeks and I could only name one full name," Fyfe said on the Captain's Call podcast last week.

"I was a real wake-up call for me. At that point I thought I could help this organisation by preparing with a ruthless intensity, and if I do that the (club) will benefit. But after that incident I realised that there was so much more I could be doing in building relationships with other players."

Ling labelled Fyfe's faux pas "unacceptable", "unbelievable" and "extraordinary" and claimed it reflected the culture that lost the Dockers the 2013 grand final.

Fyfe admitted he was close to quitting footy after the demoralising loss to Hawthorn in that grand final but was able to bounce back with more ferocity after a summer break.

"In my head I was (thinking) this is enough for me. I don't need to be driven and motivated and getting back to a grand final," he said.

"I was in a van surfing with a mate and my mind was basically made up that I'd had enough.

"I'd played at a high level of footy, I'd been paid well, I'd enjoyed it but now I was pretty keen to get back to the simple life."

- AAP