What went right?

Mark Harvey doesn't like to call them kids, and the way recruits Nic Suban, Stephen Hill, Greg Broughton and Matt de Boer have stepped into AFL football you can understand why. Broughton and de Boer came off the rookie list to have massive impacts, while prized draft picks Hill and Suban vindicated Fremantle's recruiters. The club got exceptional value out of its first-year players and rookies.

Chris Tarrant's move to defence was a masterstroke from Harvey and turned the 28-year-old's career around. After stalling in the forward line, Tarrant moved to full back this season and beat Brendan Fevola, Cameron Mooney, Mark LeCras and a host of others. Paul Duffield also emerged in the back half.

After years of dominating the hit-outs yet conceding big clearance numbers to its opposition, Fremantle moved towards breaking even in the centre square.
Paul Hasleby's return from a knee reconstruction had a big say in that, as did ruckman Aaron Sandilands' continued emergence as the game's dominant ruckman.

What went wrong?

Rising star Rhys Palmer backed up his award-winning 2008 season in rehab after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in round five. A week later, chief tagger Ryan Crowley's season was shot down with torn ligaments in his right foot. A steady stream of serious injuries to key players haunted the club thereafter, but these were the two that really stung.

With the midfield rebuild underway, Fremantle needed to see something from its second-tier key position players. But Ryan Murphy, Daniel Gilmore and Adam Campbell didn't fire a shot all year. Marcus Drum may have saved his career in the last month of the season, but the club's key position stocks are low and need addressing.

It seems a while ago now, but Fremantle's start to the season, including dismal showings against Essendon and St Kilda, sapped supporters of any belief they may have had and led to outside calls for the club to find a backbone and to trade skipper Matthew Pavlich. The football world's glare was fixed on Fremantle until it won its first game in round five.

Most valuable player

Sandilands has become the AFL's dominant ruckman in Dean Cox's absence and his career-best numbers don't lie. The 211cm big man has had more hit-outs, disposals, tackles and goals than ever before. And by working on his kicking and therefore handballing less, the All-Australian fancy has become more dangerous when winning possessions around the ground.

Coach's award for one-percenters

Tarrant would be a worthy club champion, but the converted full-back's impact won't show up on the stats sheet. In a position that was foreign to the former spearhead, he beat forwards both tall and small and led Fremantle's young defence.

Needs a big pre-season

Marcus Drum played in round one, was dropped straight away and had to wait until round 19 for a recall – all while Fremantle debuted 11 players. His last month may have saved him but the No.10 draft pick will need to find a spark in 2010 to hold his spot. At 22, Drum's career could still go either way.  

Overall grade: D+

The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.