FREMANTLE'S tall forwards made a statement against a weakened West Coast defence on Saturday morning, with young tall Jye Amiss kick-starting his year with a bag of four goals in a 28-point win. 

Amiss played with authority during a match simulation against the Eagles at their Cockburn training base, marking strongly as the Dockers' deepest forward and kicking accurately ahead of his fifth season. 

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Fellow forward Pat Voss booted three goals in an eye-catching performance, while Josh Treacy roamed up the ground and put on a marking show as the Dockers fine-tuned their game ahead of a practice match against Adelaide next Saturday. 

West Coast showed encouraging signs in a competitive start but suffered an injury blow late when small forward Noah Long was caught awkwardly in a tackle from Karl Worner. The 21-year-old clutched at his left leg and was helped from the ground by two trainers.  

Fremantle, meanwhile, will monitor the fitness of key defender Brennan Cox, who came from the ground in the third quarter and emerged later with ice on his left calf. Coach Justin Longmuir later said the important backman had copped a knock to the area and was removed as a precaution. 

Defender Brandon Walker was among the standouts in the 12.9 (81) to 8.5 (53) win as he looks to bounce back from a year hampered by a shoulder injury, with the 23-year-old providing plenty of dash to mount his case for round one selection. 

Rising Star Murphy Reid was terrific in the midfield as he builds momentum heading into his second season, rotating between centre bounces and his customary half-forward role.  

Midfielder Neil Erasmus was also impressive as he builds on an outstanding pre-season, holding down a wing and getting involved in centre bounces while using the ball well. Star oballer Caleb Serong was the most consistent ball-winner. 

With ruckman Sean Darcy sidelined, Luke Jackson played a prominent ruck role with support from Mason Cox, rather than shifting into the ground-level midfield role he has played during the pre-season. 

Longmuir said the Dockers had deployed Jackson in the ruck as a way to build his conditioning in the role in case he is needed there during the season. 

"He played large minutes as a mid last week in the Origin game, so it was a good opportunity to give him some ruck time this week," he said. 

"If we don’t give him enough ruck time across the pre-season and then all of a sudden we have an injury and he needs to be that No.1 ruck, it makes him vulnerable to the heavy contest work and heavy change of direction that the ruck demands."

The Eagles' young talent was on show after a bumper draft, with No.1 pick Willem Duursma kicking the opening goal of the game and impressing with his composure and ball use as a winger. 

Ruck/forward Cooper Duff-Tytler was also exciting, kicking an early goal and showcasing his athletic traits with an excellent rundown tackle on Jackson. Defender Josh Lindsay played as a half-back and gave every indication he will also debut as early as round one.

"All the boys who played their first game for the club we thought did really well," midfield coach Sam Radford said. 

"Willem was obviously fantastic and has put together a really good training block, as have Josh Lindsay and Cooper."  

The Dockers named a strong team that was arguably missing only three players from their best line-up. The Eagles, meanwhile, were severely weakened in the backline, with five of their first-choice defenders missing.  

They made a highly competitive start though, pressuring well, forcing turnovers, and racing to a 25-point lead after goals from Duursma, Duff-Tytler, Long, Tom McCarthy and Jacob Newton. 

A strong wind was favouring the Eagles' scoring end and Fremantle took advantage in the second quarter, with its tall forwards asserting themselves in the air, led by Amiss, while Treacy worked up the ground well.

The Dockers also turned turnovers into quick transition on a number of occasions as they look to embed a quicker game style coming out of defence. 

The third quarter was more even, with Harley Reid snapping a nice goal in traffic and young forward Jobe Shanahan taking a strong contested mark in one of his highlights. 

Hayden Young, who rotated forward regularly, converted a 50m set shot in a game that saw him get through unscathed after an injury-interrupted 2025. 

The Dockers raced away late, kicking four goals to one in the final quarter as the Eagles rested their key defenders. 

Young guns
Willem Duursma looked right at home on the wing and was into the action quickly, putting together a strong case to debut in round one. He was clean with the ball, composed in traffic, and landed the first goal of the game from long range, looking every bit a No.1 pick. Fellow draftee Cooper Duff-Tytler also hit the scoreboard early after a free kick in a marking contest and was involved in bursts. Josh Lindsay showed glimpses of his skill and was trusted with the ball coming out of defence. For Fremantle, Tobyn Murray applied strong pressure as a forward and worked hard into space to win the footy through the third quarter. Chris Scerri was injected into the game during the second half after earning a contract this week. First pick Adam Sweid was not playing during the main match. 

Switching positions
After a season wiped out by knee and ankle injuries, it was terrific to see Elliot Yeo back in action and the dual All-Australian spent significant time forward while rotating in the midfield. Summer standout Tom McCarthy switched from his half-back role to the midfield and looks likely to play a prominent role in centre bounces. Pre-season recruit Harry Schoenberg joined the forwards group. For Fremantle, the only notable switch was the amount of time star midfielder Hayden Young spent forward. 

Injury watch
Fremantle lost key defender Brennan Cox during the third quarter, with the experienced big man talking with medical staff as he headed to the rooms and later emerging with ice on his left calf. The Eagles might have suffered a more significant blow, with young small forward Noah Long helped off the ground by trainers after his left leg was caught awkwardly in a tackle from Karl Worner. Long suffered a season-ending knee injury in 2024 and was restricted to 10 games last year as he rebounded from the length lay-off. Plenty of Eagles were missing on Saturday, with Reuben Ginbey (foot soreness), Liam Duggan (concussion protocols), Brandon Starcevich (calf), Brady Hough (ankle) and Jack Graham (hamstring) all sidelined. Fremantle ruckman Sean Darcy (calf) watched on from the sidelines.  

Fantasy tempter
The Eagles rotated a group of players through the midfield, but all eyes for Fantasy coaches were on Deven Robertson (MID/FWD, $232,000). He's a popular on-field selection in the forward line of Fantasy Classic sides and his performance didn't let anyone down. His tackling and ability to get the ball was on show. The midfield time is real for Tom McCarthy (DEF, $876,000) and will offer some value for Draft leagues. Willem Duursma (MID, $350,000) and Cooper Duff-Tytler (RUC/FWD, $338,000) were busy early hitting the scoreboard and could be profitable cash cows. CDT enjoyed a run as West Coast's ruck later in the game. With no Sean Darcy, Luke Jackson (RUC, $995,000) impressed as the main ruck, showing that his flexibility as a player will suit the new ruck rules and in turn, Fantasy scoring. - Warnie from the Traders

FREMANTLE                     1.1   5.3   8.6   12.9 (81)
WEST COAST                  5.2   5.3   7.5   8.5 (53)

GOALS
Fremantle: Amiss 4, Voss 3, Reid, Jackson, Young, Treacy, Bolton
West Coast: Duursma, Duff-Tytler, Long, McCarthy, Newton, Reid, Cripps, Shanahan  

FREMANTLE

2. Jaeger O'Meara, 3. Caleb Serong, 5. Heath Chapman, 6. Jordan Clark, 8. Andrew Brayshaw, 9. Luke Jackson, 10. Shai Bolton, 11. Tobyn Murray, 16. Murphy Reid, 17. Judd McVee, 18. Mason Cox, 20. Patrick Voss, 21. Oscar McDonald, 23. Karl Worner, 24. Jye Amiss, 25. Alex Pearce, 26. Hayden Young, 28. Neil Erasmus, 30. Nathan O'Driscoll, 31. Brandon Walker, 32. Michael Frederick, 34. Corey Wagner, 35. Josh Treacy, 36. Brennan Cox, 44. Matthew Johnson, 45. Chris Scerri

Absent: Sam Sturt, Sean Darcy, Hugh Davies, Luke Ryan, Jeremy Sharp, Adam Sweid, Leon Kickett, Charlie Nicholls, Toby Whan, Cooper Simpson, Ollie Murphy, Josh Draper, Jaren Carr, Sam Switkowski, Ryda Luke, Bailey Banfield, Aiden Riddle, Isaiah Dudley

WEST COAST

1. Willem Duursma, 2. Jake Waterman, 5. Josh Lindsay, 6. Elliot Yeo, 8. Elijah Hewett, 9. Harley Reid, 11. Tim Kelly, 13. Noah Long, 15. Jamie Cripps, 18. Tom McCarthy, 20. Tylar Young, 21. Cooper Duff-Tytler, 22. Archer Reid, 23. Ryan Maric, 25. Matthew Flynn, 26. Bo Allan, 28. Tom Cole, 29. Clay Hall, 33. Rhett Bazzo, 34. Jack Williams, 35. Jobe Shanahan, 37. Malakai Champion, 38. Hamish Davis, 40. Deven Robertson, 41. Sandy Brock, 42. Harry Edwards, 43. Tyrell Dewar, 45. Fin Macrae, 46. Jacob Newton, 48. Harry Schoenberg

Absent: Liam Baker*, Brandon Starcevich, Reuben Ginbey, Tyler Brockman, Sam Allen, Liam Duggan, Jack Graham, Brady Hough, Harvey Johnston, Tom Gross, Harry Barnett, Lucca Grego, Bailey Williams, Tylah Williams, Matt Owies, Fred Rodriguez, Jack Hutchinson

* Played in AAMI AFL Origin on Saturday