FREO LEGEND CALLS FOR FORMER SIDE TO BE CUTTHROAT AT THE SELECTION TABLE
Former All-Australian midfielder Paul Hasleby has called for Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir to make changes to his side after a disastrous start to the 2023 season.
Having made their first finals series in seven attempts last year, the Dockers were expected to be fighting for a top four spot for the majority of this season.
Now most pundits expect them to miss finals.
Heading into the season the Dockers were expected to beat an undermanned St Kilda, as well as North Melbourne at home, West Coast comfortably in a home derby and a young Adelaide side.
Instead, their only win has come in unconvincing manner against an injury ravaged Eagles.
Hasleby was strong in his criticism of his old side as he said the exciting Fremantle outfit of 2022 was nowhere to be seen this year.
“‘Flagmantle’, replace it with ‘Freezemantle’ or ‘Slowmantle’, take your pick at the moment,” Hasleby said on SEN WA’s The Run Home.
“It was ugly again for the Fremantle Dockers (against the Crows), the ground ball belting they copped, contested possessions losing that for the fourth time in a row. The speed of the ball, they always want to go sideways, every other team wants to go quickly forward and give their forwards a chance.
“Fremantle’s forward line isn’t great but it’s probably better on paper than St Kilda’s at the moment, they’re (St Kilda) four and zip, and when they go, they go, and they’re giving a chance to their forwards.
“And just that inside forward 50 efficiency, they’re actually number three or four in the competition for the number of inside 50s. So, they are building it up, but it’s the way they are doing it.
“They got belted in so many facets of the game on the weekend.”
Hasleby believes that the Dockers talls haven’t worked well together so far this year and asked his former teammate in Longmuir to go back to what helped the Dockers succeed last year by playing a smaller forward line that is based on pressure and causing turnovers.
“Matt Taberner, he won’t play (against Gold Coast), he’s flown back with that back injury. I think this might actually help them, it’ll force them to do something different,” Hasleby said.
“They can bring in another player, they can bring in another tall, or they could go with Sam Sturt who has flown over there and that’s the direction I would be heading. Give this kid a go.
“Bit more speed injection into the game I’d be heading that way.”
After their poor performance against Adelaide over the weekend, the Dockers are expected to swing the axe at the selection table for their clash against Gold Coast at Norwood on Friday night.
Hasleby called for the selection spotlight to be shone on a former top-10 pick who he believes hasn’t offered much across the first four matches.
“Liam Henry. I think it’s time for him to go back to the reserves,” he added.
“He was given a good opportunity, four weeks, but he just turns the ball over too often and when you don’t bring other facets, and I asked myself about Liam Henry, is he a goal kicker? He’s not kicking goals. He’s not that crafty around goals.
“Is he good at pressure and defensive running? Probably not his strong suit. So he has to be great at decision making and skills, he’s not doing that at the moment. “Because he’s not doing it, he makes himself vulnerable and the team vulnerable. So I’d be surprised if he remains in the team.”
Another player Hasleby believes should be under pressure to keep his spot is Fremantle’s prized midfield recruit Jaeger O’Meara.
“We’ve talked a lot about Luke Jackson.
Jaeger O’Meara’s year one, very early into I think a four-year deal at Fremantle and that just hasn’t worked to this point,” he said further.
“He’s been forced out (of the midfield) at times, Will Brodie loses his spot because of Jaeger O’Meara and the fact that he’s come in.”
Fremantle will be looking to secure their second win of the season against the Gold Coast Suns in Adelaide in the AFL’s first edition of the Gather Round.