IN THE aftermath of Fremantle's crushing elimination final loss to Gold Coast last season, Justin Longmuir handed each of his players a link from a chain to take with them in their off-season, accompanied with an important message that would set up their record-breaking 2026.

In the Dockers' inner sanctum, the anchor has long been the cornerstone of their identity under Longmuir. It underpins their values and actions as a team and is captured in their motto, 'for the anchor'. But any anchor is useless without a chain.

So after a season that came undone in 15 second-quarter minutes of football against the Suns, Longmuir wanted his players to know that the team was only as strong as the weakest link in its chain, and everybody needed to come back stronger.

As the Dockers enter a finals series better positioned for a maiden premiership than at any point in club history, it is clearly a message the players took in, setting up a season where connection, discipline and sacrifice have typified the minor premiers.

"You do different things every year, and at the end of last year I gave everyone a link in a chain. Connection is a big part of our trademark, and that connection is represented by the chain connecting the anchor to the boat," Longmuir explained to AFL.com.au during an in-depth interview on the eve of his third finals campaign as coach.

"Our trademark is underpinned by 'for the anchor', but without that connection, the anchor is useless.

"So after the disappointment of the Gold Coast game, I just said it's everyone's job to strengthen their link over the off-season. 

"We're only as strong as our weakest link, so make sure that link comes back stronger than when it leaves."

What has followed from Longmuir has been the coaching performance of the season so far, leading his team through a club-record 19-win campaign, including a dominant 14-game winning streak that showcased the new scoring power of the minor premier.

Freo's introverted leader has grown more comfortable in his skin as a senior coach this year, more connected to his players, and he is reaping the rewards for staying true to his core football beliefs. 

While his move to distribute links in a chain might have been the symbolic moment that got players thinking, the real growth has happened in the program that the 45-year-old and the Dockers' head of leadership Andrew Sturgess then set up for 2026.

Sturgess, who is a former VFL player, senior coach at Coburg, and Calder Cannons coach, joined the Dockers in 2023 as a development coach and has become an important figure in his dual role as head of leadership and opposition strategy.

Longmuir asked the ex-teacher to work on the club's 'for the anchor' days, which are training days in the club's Fremantle heartland but also opportunities for players and staff to learn more about the history of their club and city.

Sturgess used the chain links that players had been sent away with in their off-season, setting up sessions where every player and staff member chose a word that represented their link in the chain. They then presented to the group on "what that word means to them, why it's a strength, and why they're going to bring it every day".  

Most players and staff have now presented to the group, but someone had to kick things off and set the example, no matter how challenging that might have been. It made sense for it to be the senior coach.

"I get up in front of the players all the time and talk footy and X's and O's and setting focuses and all that type of thing. But when you're talking about yourself and your background and where you come from, it does become a little bit more daunting," Longmuir said.

"I tried to lead off down at Freo over the pre-season, and it's been great to get to know certain aspects of people that you wouldn't have known if we hadn't have done this.

"I think it's had a big impact, but you can't measure it. It takes a lot of time and a lot of work and a lot of commitment to build connection, and I feel like this exercise has helped deepen that."

The sessions draw some parallels with Richmond's famous 'HHH' talks from 2017, which saw players, coaches and staff gather weekly to share personal stories with the themes of hardship, highlight and hero.

Many of those sessions were emotional during the Tigers' premiership run, and the same has been true at Fremantle. 

"Some of them have been. I mean, it's difficult, right? It was difficult for me to get up there and talk," Longmuir said.

"It was difficult for some of our leaders too, just because it's daunting to be able to talk about yourself in a different way and let others in.

"But I feel like everyone who has done it has shared something with everyone that we probably didn't know about them, which has been great.

"And then that creates different conversations off the back of that, and people check in. So it's created a number of conversations between people that might not have been there otherwise."

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LONGMUIR is in his seventh season as a senior coach, having led a young Freo team to a finals win in 2022 – his third season in charge – and setting a high bar that led to a burden of expectation that the team struggled to deal with at times through 2023 and 2024.

A fork in the road arrived in round eight last season, when a 10-goal loss to St Kilda in Melbourne prompted a series of meetings involving leaders, including a players-only session where some home truths were shared.

Longmuir faced a decision between intervening with more "barriers around the players" or handing more ownership to the group. He chose the latter, and the message to emerge was "we're going to treat you like men and the responsibility is that you show up and play like men".

It is an approach that contributed to an improved environment through a 12-2 end to the home and away season, with star forward Josh Treacy highlighting the increased trust that now flows both ways between the players and their coach.

"He's let the group go a bit more and be themselves, which I think he's gained a lot of trust from," Treacy told AFL.com.au.

"There's a lot more trust in the playing group, which has allowed a bit more freedom amongst the team and allowed guys to express themselves more.

"He's created an environment that guys are happy to be in and happy to be underneath his coaching, that's for sure.

"When we work, we work. But we can have fun along the journey as well and he's been a big pusher in that."

The trust that Longmuir has put in his players off the field has been mirrored on the field this season, particularly in comeback wins where his calm nature during breaks has given the players the belief needed to claw back deficits.

The coaches box has remained calm, according to assistants, and there has been a constant belief in the players' ability to turn games back in their favour.

The round 18 win against Sydney was the most prominent example, with the Dockers going goalless in the first half but responding to Longmuir's even-tempered address at the main break to put 100 points on the board in the second half in a 38-point win.

According to Treacy, that calm presence and Longmuir's organisation are the two traits of the coach that are most reflected in his players in 2026.

"He could easily have come in at half-time or quarter-time in some games this season and really given it to us, but he hasn't," Treacy said.

"His ability to stay calm in those moments has reflected strongly in some games that we've played where he couldn't have put any more trust or belief in us. That just allows guys just to go out and flourish."

An example during the week of the trust Longmuir has put in his players is the final team meeting before game day, which involves the on-field leaders presenting to the group on the match-up ahead.

The week is framed up by Longmuir, but by the end of the week there is an expectation that the players are the ones who should be presenting back about how the upcoming match is going to be attacked.

"My basic philosophy is that at the start of the week it should be the coaches telling the players and at the end of the week it should be the players telling the coaches. I feel like we're there now," Longmuir said.

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SOME players have reflected this season that Longmuir has felt more like a mate at times than a coach, increasing his one-on-one time with players and having an influence on performance through his direct relationships.

One player found himself in a form slump early in the season but emerged to play a key role in the run to finals after Longmuir cut a highlights package of the best things the player had done in a Freo jumper this season and called him into his office to watch it.

Jordan Clark had a similar experience, questioning his form at times this season after taking on more defensive responsibilities, but lifting with some guidance to earn back-to-back selection as an All-Australian.

"Even halfway through this year when you can get caught focusing on outcomes and you feel like you're not playing that well, he just really strips it back for you and simplifies the game," Clark said.

"He said don't compare yourself to anyone else, you're a completely different player, no one in your position is the same sort of player as you. You're all different.

"Conversations like that that really help you strip things back and go, I am a good footballer actually. I haven't forgotten how to play and stuff like that.

"He just really simplifies the game, so I really love JL as a coach, and just as a guy who can also guide you through life at times."

For Longmuir, building those personal relationships with a diverse group of players is the "joy" of coaching and something that the people around him have seen evolve with each year in the job.

While Longmuir entered the senior ranks with one of the sharpest tactical minds in the game, coaching the person has become just as important as coaching the system across 154 games in charge. 

"It's a challenge, but it's a joy as well, because we're not all made the same," Longmuir said.

"I like getting to understand different personalities and ways that they think, and we do make a lot of assumptions at times.

"But once you get to know people, you sort of get to understand how they tick and how they might react in different situations. You put all the pieces together and try and work out the best way to coach them. 

"A great part of being a coach is understanding that you want everyone to fit within a team and do what's best for the team … but you want everyone at the same time to be able to be themselves and make sure that they rock up every day trying to be authentic to who they are as a person.

"It's a balance, but we need to make sure that we keep finding that balance because AFL football is too hard for people to come to the club and try and be something that they're not."

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IF CHANGE and evolution has been an important aspect of Longmuir's coaching in some areas, then so has conviction in his core football beliefs and a determination to stay true to them.

A student of the late Phil Walsh during his formative seasons as an assistant coach at West Coast, Longmuir has a core DNA of team defence and contest in his coaching that has seen the Dockers finish a clear No.1 for points conceded in 2026 (72.4 a game).

The Dockers have also made the jump from averaging 85.7 points for last season to 99.4 in 2026, utilising their tall forwards and dynamic midfielders like Shai Bolton and Murphy Reid to add an enhanced attacking edge to their game.

The shift this season, according to Longmuir's sidekicks, has more to do with the team executing for longer within games than any dramatic change in style.  

"He's probably been unfairly criticised on the attacking [side of the game], and it becomes a narrative," forward coach Jaymie Graham said. 

"He's always a big believer in roles and having a very role-driven team, but allowing players to use their strengths within those roles. He never stifles any of that.

"What's helped this year is someone like Shai Bolton is playing his role but still bringing his strengths. 'Bruce' (Reid) is still playing to his strengths but playing a role within the team.

"So he's allowing those guys to express themselves, and that's probably a reflection of JL's coaching that he's been able to get those boys to express themselves, but still within role."

Another example of Longmuir's strength in his convictions is the Dockers' preference to play two rucks, even in the face of external criticism, with most teams now following since the introduction of the five-man bench.

"He doesn't fold to outside noise," one club leader said, with his consistency and reliability within the Dockers' program seen by colleagues as his superpower.

Believing in the work he has done through 28 years in the game is the reason Longmuir said he had little trouble staying true to his football beliefs and backing himself in his role.

"I don't find it difficult, no. And the reason why I don't find it difficult is because I think my beliefs as a coach haven't been formed overnight," he said. 

"I felt like I did a decent enough apprenticeship in terms of length and experiences, and I've been able to do a lot of professional development and learn from a lot of different environments and people who have helped me form these beliefs.

"So I've got strong beliefs in the way I think footy is supposed to be played, and there's a lot of factors that go into that. I feel like I've been able to identify those factors and stick to my guns along the way, and I'm not necessarily going to get swayed by what an expert commentator says."

Longmuir believes others are best placed to comment on how he has changed as a coach, highlighting his comfort in the role as the biggest factor for him.

For his players, however, the increased vulnerability the coach has shown stands out and has set an example for everyone at Fremantle to follow.

If all of his players strengthened their link in a season of significant improvement, then there is no doubt that Longmuir did likewise, connecting with his team on a new level in 2026.

"Talking in front of big groups is probably not his favourite thing to do, and [showing] emotion at times is probably not a strong point for most of us. But he did do that and showed vulnerability as well," Clark said of Longmuir's talk to the players during the pre-season.

"He got up in front of the group and did his, and that opened the floor for people who I wouldn't have thought would have got up in front of the group and actually spoke to the floor.

"No players are the same and everyone has a different story, and he encourages us, along with Andrew Sturgess, to actually spread your wings and tell your story and tell people why you are who you are.

"In this tribe, you can be whoever you want to be. And that just brings a whole new layer to this group that everyone does belong, and he's been a big driver in that."