RATHER than prove Essendon wrong when he takes on his former club on Thursday night, Fremantle livewire Pat Voss will be focused on continuing to prove the Dockers right as he makes the most of his second chance in the AFL.
Voss, who has booted three goals in back-to-back games, is emerging as a barometer for Freo this season, with his competitive and energetic style having a big impact during a 4-0 run.
The 21-year-old's emergence has come almost two years after he was delisted by the Bombers, failing to play a game in his two seasons as a rookie pick-up but starring at VFL level to catch the Dockers' attention.
Rather than showing the Bombers they made wrong call, Voss wanted to continue assuring the Dockers they had made the right decision when they secured him as a pre-season selection last year.
"I've had a few conversations this week with people around, in my head, there's probably a bit more noise surrounding it, but it's just another game," Voss said on Monday.
"I don't have a point to prove to anyone there. I've got a point to prove to people here that they made the right choice in picking me up.
"I'm grateful for my time at Essendon and more than anything, I think without my time there, I wouldn't be here in the first place. They were a massive part of my development.
"(But) the main one for me is proving the people right at Freo that they made the right choice."
Voss has fought his way into Fremantle's best forward line this season having previously earned games when the team was missing one of its tall forwards or ruckmen.
Now the powerful big man is one the Dockers' main three targets, alongside Josh Treacy and Jye Amiss, allowing Luke Jackson to play effectively as a midfielder when he is not in the ruck.
Set-shot goalkicking has been an area of focus for the key forward, who booted 7.11 last year and 13.13 so far this season, refining his routine during a three-match suspension for striking earlier this season.
"Everyone's got a plan when they're having a set shot, and I thought my plan was pretty consistent. But then when you get in front of 50,000 people and you've missed two set shots and you go in for your third, the plan goes out the window," he said.
"It was just over the time that I got suspended for those three weeks where I did a bit of work on the consistency with that set shot kicking.
"Now I've got a really clear focus and I'm really confident in it, so every time I have a set shot now I'm trying to knuckle down on that."
Voss shapes as an important player against the Bombers after his back-to-back three-goal efforts, with the goals drying up in recent weeks for Treacy, who still had a big impact against North Melbourne, and Amiss.
A win against the injury-hit Bombers would represent the first time since early 2022 that the Dockers have won five consecutive matches.
Both teams will be on a five-day break for the Thursday night clash at Optus Stadium, with Fremantle able to explore several options to freshen up their squad if needed.
Dual Brownlow medallist Nat Fyfe has played as the substitute for the past two matches and performed strongly, potentially pitching for longer minutes if he is fresh.
Hard-running wingman Nathan O'Driscoll and talented small forward Isaiah Dudley both performed in the WAFL and could also be considered, with Sam Switkowski under a cloud with a hamstring issue.
