FREMANTLE completed one of its toughest match committee meetings under coach Justin Longmuir last week, with the incredible health of its list forcing the coaches to drop players who hardly deserved to be out of the team. 

With an empty rehab group and only forward Sam Sturt unavailable for selection with a knee and quad issue, the Dockers were forced to drop versatile midfielder Corey Wagner for the first time this season and leadership group member Jaeger O'Meara. 

It is a luxurious position for the Dockers to be in as they sharpen their game ahead of finals, sitting one-game clear in top spot and three-and-a-half wins clear of third-placed Hawthorn. 

They have the healthiest list in the League and sit clear atop the 2026 'injury ladder', having used an AFL-low 30 players and with 12 players who have played every game this season. 

That list includes stars Josh Treacy, Luke Jackson, Shai Bolton, Murphy Reid, Jordan Clark and Jye Amiss, as well as reliable pair Sam Switkowski and Heath Chapman, and the much-improved Neil Erasmus, Karl Worner, and Isaiah Dudley. 

Recent history suggests that a team with an injury record like the 2026 Dockers will make the Grand Final, with Geelong (2025) and Sydney (2024) both finishing atop the 'injury ladder' in the past two seasons. 

Over the past 20 seasons, the team that uses the fewest players for the season has made the Grand Final 11 times, with only North Melbourne (2013 and 2018) and Hawthorn (2019) missing finals altogether. 

Fremantle is finals bound for the second straight season under coach Justin Longmuir, with the challenge now looming to hold on to the top-two spot they have earned through a dominant season so far. 

Longmuir spoke about the selection squeeze the Dockers are navigating after his team beat Geelong by nine points last Thursday night, highlighting the positive mindset omitted players had displayed. 

"It's tough. They're hard conversations for me to have, but they're harder for the player to hear because they're in good form," Longmuir said. 

"I think sometimes players realise that they're in the team because of injury, and that may be the case with Oscar (McDonald) who's come in and done a really good job. 

"But the other two that missed out (O'Meara and Wagner), they were stiff. 

"They've both been playing their roles really well, but we've got a lot of players through the middle of the ground who are performing and a lot of players on the list who are playing really good footy.

"So it's a good position to be in as a club, but some of those players had to swallow a tough one. I thought they handled it really well."

Sydney is the most recent team to finish the season with the best injury record and then win the premiership, back in 2012, with Hawthorn (2008) and Geelong (2007) also winning flags after terrific injury runs. 

Geelong and Sydney both sit high on the injury ladder this season, although the Cats were without key players Tom Stewart (concussion) and Bailey Smith (illness) for their clash against the Dockers. 

The Swans have also been without key midfielder Errol Gulden all season, with defender Tom McCartin (concussion), Justin McInerney (hamstring) and Tom Papley (calf) currently on the sidelines. 

At the opposite end of the injury ladder sits Richmond and West Coast, who have each used a League-high 39 players as they rebuild and expose new talent. 

The Tigers have only had three players – Seth Campbell, Steely Green and Ben Miller – be available and selected for every game, with some of their prized youngsters among those missing extended periods. 

West Coast, meanwhile, has fought through setbacks to key players Brandon Starcevich, Harry Edwards, Deven Robertson and Jack Graham, among others, with seven players able to play every game this season. 

Among the top 10 teams who have been forced to dig deep into their lists, the Western Bulldogs stand out after using 38 players after round 15 and having nine players feature in every game.