Nat Fyfe believes Fremantle would be better off going to the draft to boost their tall forward talent, leaving the two-time Brownlow Medallist to maximise his impact in the midfield.
The Fremantle captain told 3AW that he’s been impressed with the WA-based tall forward stocks heading into the draft, which includes the likes of Jye Amiss (East Perth), Jack Williams (East Fremantle), Jacob van Rooyen (Claremont) or NGA product Eric Benning.
“Our hope is that we can bring in some tall-forward talent locally through the draft this year,” Fyfe told 3AW.
“We’ve got some high picks and that’s what we’ll be trying to do because I’ll play where I’m required to play and give our club the best chance of playing September action but at the same token, I’ve spent 12 years on my craft on becoming a really high-quality midfielder and that’s where I play my best footy.
“To rob Peter to pay Paul as a leader is something I’m willing to do but as a player, is something I’d rather not do.”
Fremantle are likely to have a strong hand in the draft following Adam Cerra’s request to be traded home to Victoria.
Fyfe said he was disappointed to see Cerra leave.
“I've probably moved on from it now but I was really disappointed initially because he’s such a great young player and a really good young man,” Fyfe said.
“He’s put a lot of work into our club over four years and I guess frustratingly as a senior player, Dave Mundy and myself have stepped aside to try and grow some of these young players and it does bite when they pick up and head back home, which is their right to do.”
Nat Fyfe said Fremantle can see significant improvement in 2022 with a better run on the injury front.
"Injuries have really been a frustration point for all of our supporters. For five years we've been in the bottom three or four clubs through games missed through injury," Fyfe said.
"We just haven't quite got a good run, the upside to that is if we do get a good run, then we should be a far more competitive team.
"We won 10 games this year with one of the youngest sides in it. It's no secret that we've invested heavily in the draft, we've got some genuine young talent in who want to stay at Fremantle and help us win games.
"Their natural maturing, along with JL's game plan, should put us around the mark."
