Fremantle was good at home and pitiful on the road during another mediocre season in 2018. Photo: AFL MEDIA

FREMANTLE
2018 record: 8 wins, 14 losses (14th)
List age ranking (oldest to youngest): 15th
List experience ranking (most to fewest games): 12th
Footyology draw ranking (easiest to hardest): 12th

THE INS
Jesse Hogan (Melbourne), Rory Lobb (GWS), Reece Conca (Richmond), Travis Colyer (Essendon), Sam Sturt (Dandenong Stingrays), Luke Valente (Norwood), Lachlan Schultz (Williamstown), Brett Bewley (Williamstown), Tobe Watson (Swan Districts), Jason Carter (Peel Thunder)

THE OUTS
Lachie Neale (Brisbane Lions), Lee Spurr (retired), Danyle Pearce (retired), Michael Johnson (retired), Tom Sheridan (delisted – GWS), Cam Sutcliffe (delisted), Brady Grey (delisted), Luke Strnadica (delisted), Michael Apeness (retired)

THE BEST 22
B: Luke Ryan, Alex Pearce, Reece Conca
HB: Nathan Wilson, Joel Hamling, Stephen Hill
C: Bradley Hill, Connor Blakely, Ed Langdon
HF: Brandon Matera, Rory Lobb, Michael Walters
F: Hayden Ballantyne, Jesse Hogan, Brennan Cox
R: Aaron Sandilands, Nat Fyfe, David Mundy
Inter: Harley Bennell, Bailey Banfield, Andrew Brayshaw, Adam Cerra
Emerg: Sean Darcy, Darcy Tucker, Cam McCarthy, Stefan Giro

THE PROGNOSIS
Fremantle became the proverbial “home-track bully” last year, winning seven of its eight victories at its new Optus Stadium home, and a pitiful one from nine outings on the road.

The Dockers were also notably lacking in resilience, too often belted by big margins once they struck trouble.

Both tendencies were completely at odds with the coaching persona built by Ross Lyon in his dozen years at the caper with St Kilda and Freo. But then much changed about the nature of the club he coached to top of the home and away ladder only four seasons ago.

Once a fortress defensively, Fremantle has finished bottom five for fewest points conceded each of the past three seasons. The one constant has been an unwanted one, difficulty scoring.

Even when it topped the ladder in 2015, Fremantle ranked only 11th for scoring. Since then, those rankings have been a dismal 16th, 17th and 16th again in 2018.

It’s been a chronic flaw, one which the Dockers have now hopefully finally addressed in meaningful fashion with the recruitment of a pair of potential star key forwards in Jesse Hogan and Rory Lobb.

They comprise half a quartet of native West Australians returned home, former Tiger Reece Conca and Bomber Travis Colyer adding some more senior depth to a squad which will nonetheless be the fourth-youngest in the competition in 2019.

One thing which can’t be disputed about the Dockers is the extent of their list turnover since those heady days of 2015. Only 11 players from that season remain on Freo’s books. And in just the last two, the Dockers have debuted no fewer than 15 players, second only to North Melbourne.

There’s been some considerable finds among them, Luke Ryan, Griffin Logue, Brennan Cox, Bailey Banfield and top 10 draft picks Andrew Brayshaw and Adam Cerra.

Beyond that, Ed Langdon has come on, as was Connor Blakely before his injury last season, Joel Hamling and Nathan Wilson proved successful trade-ins, and Brad Hill is capable of returning to his 2017 levels fully fit.

Yet the fact remains Freo’s best and fairest winner of last season, Lachie Neale, has departed, second-placed David Mundy is 33, and Nat Fyfe, third, remains the only out-and-out superstar the Dockers have, certainly in the middle of the ground.

Not just one but several of those emerging talents mentioned before are going to need to step up a level or three in 2019 in order not simply to replace Neale, but to give Fyfe the sort of support he desperately needs in midfield, a chronic weakness.

They also need desperately to recapture the steely edge the versions under Lyon from 2013-15 had, this model too often outgunned for contested ball, clearances, pressure and simply getting its hands on the football.

If Fremantle can’t fix that up before attending to anything else, the arrival of Hogan and Lobb will be a moot point, as they won’t have enough opportunities to do enough scoreboard damage anyway.

THE PREDICTION
15th. Change has come to Fremantle, but it’s only slow progress thus far. The Dockers have won eight games and finished 14th the last two seasons now. There’s scope to improve, but perhaps there’s also now more opponents capable of improving more quickly.

THE LADDER SO FAR (click on team to read)
15. FREMANTLE
16. CARLTON
17. ST KILDA
18. GOLD COAST