In mid-January of 2010, the Fremantle Dockers sent their first-year players aboard the Leeuwin II for an overnight sail as part of the club’s development strategy.

Among those on deck were mature-age recruits Michael Barlow and Alex Silvagni. One young man who stood out straight away was a quiet kid from WA country named Nathan Fyfe. There wasn’t much to him physically; he was very skinny, but although he was quiet, there was an unmistakable confidence about him.

The instructor was showing all how to climb up the ropes to the top of the boat – a daunting proposition. He asked if anyone was game enough to try it. Up went Fyfe’s hand and he fearlessly hooked himself up and began to climb towards the top of the boat, as though he’d done it his entire life.



It was clear that the lad from Lake Grace was driven by challenges. While most teenagers were riding their bikes or skateboarding, Fyfe was learning to control large trucks for his father’s business back home. He also began training in 2010 to become a helicopter pilot.

Bigger things to come for milestone man Fyfe

When the 2010 season began, Fyfe was not in the AFL team. All it took was one game for his WAFL club Claremont to convince the match committee to give him a go at the top level. He debuted on Anzac Day in round 5 against Richmond. A brilliant goal made people in the industry take notice of the young forward’s explosive abilities and undoubted potential.

Fyfe continued to grow over the course of the season. Watch the tape of his Rising Star nomination from the round 9 game at the SCG against Sydney and you’ll see a talented young forward suggest he was destined for greater things.

It became apparent during the 2011 pre-season that Fyfe had improved markedly after one year in the big league. Not many witnessed his first match in the 2011 pre-season. It was an un-televised NAB Challenge match against the Western Bulldogs in the south-west WA town of Bunbury. Those who saw the game were left with no doubt Freo had a special one in its midst. Fyfe had not played to that point because of injury, so the club eased him into the game by playing him for only a half. That was enough for him to compile 25 disposals. Fyfe then gained 29 disposals in the club’s round 1 win in Brisbane, playing a fair bit of his football further up the ground. That set the tone for 2011, a year in which Fyfe, now playing almost exclusively in the midfield, was only denied a remarkable club champion award in his second season by the greatest player to ever pull on a Fremantle jumper, Matthew Pavlich.

The 2012 season brought the first major hurdles for Fyfe to get over in his AFL career. A shoulder injury saw him sit out rounds 6 to 17, but in his return late in the year, against Port Adelaide at AAMI Stadium, he had 18 disposals in the first half. This prompted the club’s new coach, Ross Lyon, to label his gun midfielder a ‘monster athlete’. Lyon is not one to throw out compliments lightly.

Fyfe truly emerged as an elite player in the league in 2013. He was pivotal in the club’s run to the 2013 Grand Final. He threatened to take over the decider in the early stages, save for some inaccurate kicks at goal. Being the extraordinarily competitive person that he was, Fyfe was visibly shattered. Despite the team disappointment, he won the Doig Medal for the first time, and everyone knew it wouldn’t be his last.

If Fyfe entered the AFL superstar conversation in 2013, he confirmed his status as one of the best in the league in 2014 with a stunning season. Many experts considered Fyfe the heir apparent to Gary Ablett Jnr as the pre-eminent player in the game. He was simply superb; another Doig Medal, All Australian selection, the AFL Players’ Association MVP and the second-most votes in the Brownlow Medal despite missing four games through suspension.

Now, in 2015, he has taken his game to another level. Ablett has been out injured, leaving no doubt that Fyfe has been the best player in the AFL in the first seven rounds. There’s an aura about him. Every time a ball is kicked long in his direction the crowd’s excitement levels rise, as they do for the television and radio commentators. There’s an expectation now that Fyfe will take the big mark or simply out-will his opponent to win the football.

On Saturday night, the boy from Lake Grace will play his 100^th AFL game. An exclusive few can claim to have performed as well in their first 100 AFL games as what Fyfe has. He’s not skinny anymore. Those who have stood next to him are often wowed by his size and athleticism. Fremantle’s supporters love him. Pavlich’s status as the most popular player among the Freo faithful has never been in question, but Fyfe is gaining, and by the end of his career he may even rival the legendary skipper as the best player in Fremantle Dockers history.

For the time being, just as he did when he put that harness on and begun climbing the rungs on the Leeuwin II, Fyfe will continue ascending to dizzying heights in his AFL career. Enjoy the ride.