Who are the greatest Fremantle Dockers players of all time? From Matthew Pavlich, Nat Fyfe and David Mundy to Caleb Serong and Luke Jackson, The Sporting Base ranks the top 25 Fremantle Dockers players since the club’s AFL debut in 1995.
Fremantle has never been closer to a first flag than it was on 26 September 2026. The Dockers led Brisbane by 17 points with under five minutes left in the Grand Final, only for the Lions to kick the last four goals and win by seven points, 14.12 (96) to 12.17 (89), as the AFL.com.au match report detailed. It capped a season that brought the club’s second minor premiership, a club-record 14-game winning streak, a club-record five All-Australian selections and a Norm Smith Medal for Shai Bolton. With the purple haze still lingering, it is the perfect time to rank the greatest Fremantle Dockers players.
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How we ranked them
This list is TSB’s opinion, weighed on individual honours, longevity, peak form, leadership and impact in the purple jumper. Games and goals are Fremantle matches only, to the end of the 2026 season, taken from AFL Tables. Doig Medal history and the club’s 25 Since ’95 team, named in 2019 for the 25th anniversary, guided the shortlist, but the order is ours.
25. Sean Darcy (2017-present)
Fremantle games: 134 (51 goals)
Key honours: Doig Medal 2021; 22under22 team 2018, 2020
The 203cm ruckman won the 2021 Doig Medal, finishing ahead of David Mundy and Andrew Brayshaw, and twice made the 22under22 team. Darcy followed Aaron Sandilands as the club’s big man in the middle and remains a key part of the ruck group.
24. Dale Kickett (1995-2002)
Fremantle games: 135 (24 goals)
Key honours: Doig Medal 1997; Doig runner-up 1995, 1996; 25 Since ’95 team (half-back)
Kickett shares the record for playing with the most VFL/AFL clubs (five), but his best football came in purple. He was runner-up in the club’s first two best and fairest counts before winning it outright in 1997.
23. Antoni Grover (1999-2012)
Fremantle games: 202 (27 goals)
Key honours: Doig runner-up 2007; 25 Since ’95 team (back pocket)
Elevated from the rookie list, Grover became a durable, strong-marking defender. In round 22, 2011 he became the fifth Docker, and the first Indigenous player, to reach 200 games for the club.
22. Alex Pearce (2015-present)
Fremantle games: 162 (9 goals)
Key honours: Fremantle captain 2023-present; Players’ Award 2024, 2025, 2026
Pick 37 in the 2013 national draft, Pearce fought through injury-interrupted seasons to become the key defender and captain who led Fremantle to the 2026 minor premiership and Grand Final. His teammates have handed him the Players’ Award three years running.
21. Jordan Clark (2022-present)
Fremantle games: 121 (11 goals)
Key honours: All-Australian 2025, 2026; 22under22 team 2022
Originally drafted by Geelong, Clark has become one of the competition’s best running defenders since crossing to Fremantle. Back-to-back All-Australian blazers in 2025 and 2026 put him in rare company at the club.
20. Jeff Farmer (2002-2008)
Fremantle games: 131 (224 goals)
Key honours: 25 Since ’95 team (forward pocket)
‘The Wizard’ arrived from Melbourne and kicked 224 goals in 131 games for Fremantle. Across his career he became the first Indigenous player to kick 400 AFL goals, and his magic around goal still gets talked about in Perth.
19. Ryan Crowley (2005-2014)
Fremantle games: 188 (116 goals)
Key honours: Doig Medal 2012; 25 Since ’95 team (interchange)
Crowley was the specialist tagger in Ross Lyon’s defensive machine, routinely handed the opposition’s best midfielder. He won the 2012 Doig Medal and finished fourth in 2013, the year Fremantle reached its first Grand Final.
18. Luke Jackson (2023-present)
Fremantle games: 94 (92 goals)
Key honours: Doig Medal 2026; All-Australian 2026; joint Player of the Finals Series 2026
A 2021 premiership player with Melbourne, Jackson crossed to Fremantle and has quickly become one of the best ruckmen in the game. In 2026 he played every match, averaged 26.5 hitouts and 4.9 clearances, kicked 29 goals and won the Doig Medal with 269 votes, according to the club. At 25, he could climb this list a long way.
17. Shaun McManus (1995-2008)
Fremantle games: 228 (95 goals)
Key honours: Co-captain 2000-2001; 25 Since ’95 team (centre line)
One of the most popular Dockers ever, McManus came back from two knee reconstructions, co-captained the club and became just the second Fremantle player to reach 200 games. He was the last member of the inaugural 1995 squad still playing when he retired.
16. Hayden Ballantyne (2009-2019)
Fremantle games: 171 (254 goals)
Key honours: All-Australian 2014; Goal of the Year 2011; club leading goalkicker 2014
Fiery, fearless and box office, Ballantyne arrived with a Sandover Medal from Peel Thunder and became one of the league’s most dangerous small forwards. His 2014 season brought 49 goals and an All-Australian blazer.
15. Lachie Neale (2012-2018)
Fremantle games: 135 (67 goals)
Key honours: Doig Medal 2016, 2018; Doig runner-up 2017; 22under22 team 2015
Neale’s greatest days came after he left, with two Brownlow Medals (2020, 2023) and three premierships at Brisbane, and he is set to join Collingwood. But he was already an elite ball-winner in purple, winning two Doig Medals in three years.
14. Stephen Hill (2009-2020)
Fremantle games: 218 (112 goals)
Key honours: AFL Coaches Association Best Young Player 2010; Doig runner-up 2016; 25 Since ’95 team (centre line)
Hill’s elite speed and polish on the wing made him a fixture through the Lyon era. He finished top four in the Doig Medal four times, including second in 2016.
13. Shane Parker (1995-2007)
Fremantle games: 238 (11 goals)
Key honours: Doig runner-up 1997, 2005 (equal); 25 Since ’95 team (back line)
An inaugural Docker, Parker was a rock in defence for 13 seasons and held the club games record at the time of his retirement. He finished in the top five of the best and fairest five times.
Read more: Brisbane Lions Players: Top 25 of All Time Ranked
12. Paul Hasleby (2000-2007, 2009-2010)
Fremantle games: 208 (131 goals)
Key honours: AFL Rising Star 2000; All-Australian 2003; Doig runner-up 2000, 2004
Hasleby burst onto the scene as the 2000 Rising Star, then grew into a tough, ball-winning midfielder. He was an All-Australian in 2003, the year Fremantle played its first finals series.
11. Luke Ryan (2017-present)
Fremantle games: 205 (3 goals)
Key honours: Doig Medal 2020; All-Australian 2020, 2024
Ryan is one of the best intercepting half-backs of his era, a dual All-Australian and the 2020 Doig Medallist. Three goals in 205 games says everything about his role: he wins it back and sets up the attack.
10. Michael Johnson (2005-2018)
Fremantle games: 244 (68 goals)
Key honours: All-Australian 2013; Doig third 2012, 2013; 25 Since ’95 team (half-back)
Composed, skilful and rarely beaten, Johnson was the ball-user who made Ross Lyon’s defence click. His 2013 All-Australian season ended in Fremantle’s first Grand Final.
9. Luke McPharlin (2002-2015)
Fremantle games: 244 (112 goals)
Key honours: All-Australian 2012; Mark of the Year 2005; 25 Since ’95 team (half-back)
Recruited from Hawthorn, McPharlin became one of the league’s best key defenders, strong in the air and rarely beaten one-on-one. His job on Lance Franklin helped Fremantle beat Hawthorn in the 2010 elimination final.
8. Michael Walters (2009-2024)
Fremantle games: 239 (365 goals)
Key honours: All-Australian 2019; club leading goalkicker five times; Doig runner-up 2019
Only Pavlich has kicked more goals for Fremantle than Michael Walters. The small forward led the club goalkicking five times and earned a deserved All-Australian blazer in 2019.
7. Andrew Brayshaw (2018-present)
Fremantle games: 197 (65 goals)
Key honours: Doig Medal 2022; All-Australian 2022; Leigh Matthews Trophy 2022; Doig runner-up 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026
Brayshaw’s 2022 season brought the Doig Medal, an All-Australian jumper and the AFL Players’ Association MVP award. Since then he has finished runner-up in the Doig Medal four years in a row, a measure of his relentless consistency as co-vice-captain.
6. Caleb Serong (2020-present)
Fremantle games: 151 (48 goals)
Key honours: Doig Medal 2023, 2024, 2025; All-Australian 2023, 2024, 2025; AFL Rising Star 2020; Goal of the Year 2021
Serong won the Rising Star in his first season and three straight Doig Medals from 2023. He was joint Player of the Finals Series in 2026 and polled Norm Smith votes in the Grand Final. Still only in his mid-20s, he could finish near the very top.
5. Peter Bell (1995, 2001-2008)
Fremantle games: 163 (130 goals)
Key honours: Doig Medal 2001, 2003, 2004; captain 2002-2006; All-Australian 2003; Australian Football Hall of Fame 2015
Delisted by Fremantle after the inaugural season, Bell won premierships with North Melbourne in 1996 and 1999 before returning home. He became the club’s first great leader, winning three Doig Medals and captaining the side for five seasons before his Hall of Fame induction.
4. Aaron Sandilands (2003-2019)
Fremantle games: 271 (98 goals)
Key honours: All-Australian 2008, 2009, 2010, 2014; Doig Medal 2009, 2015
At 211cm, ‘Sandi’ is the equal tallest player in AFL history and was the dominant ruckman of his generation. A rookie-list pick-up, he won four All-Australian selections and two Doig Medals across 17 seasons.
Read more: AFL: Zac Bailey’s Grand Final Goal Under Scrutiny Over Serong Fend
3. David Mundy (2005-2022)
Fremantle games: 376 (161 goals)
Key honours: Club games record holder; Doig Medal 2010; All-Australian 2015; captain 2016
No one has played more games for Fremantle than Mundy, and his 376 matches place him in the top 10 of the VFL/AFL games record list. Smart, durable and calm under pressure, he finished in the Doig Medal top five 11 times.
2. Nat Fyfe (2010-2025)
Fremantle games: 248 (178 goals)
Key honours: Brownlow Medal 2015, 2019; Leigh Matthews Trophy 2014, 2015; All-Australian 2014, 2015, 2019 (captain); Doig Medal 2013, 2014, 2019; captain 2017-2022
Fremantle’s only Brownlow Medallist won it twice, along with two AFL Players’ Association MVP awards and the All-Australian captaincy in 2019. At his peak Fyfe was the most damaging contested midfielder in the game. His final match was the one-point elimination final loss to Gold Coast in 2025.
1. Matthew Pavlich (2000-2016)
Fremantle games: 353 (700 goals)
Key honours: Doig Medal 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2011; All-Australian 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008; captain 2007-2015; Australian Football Hall of Fame 2022
Six Doig Medals, six All-Australian selections, eight club goalkicking awards and a club-record 700 goals. Pavlich captained Fremantle for nine seasons, kicked a club-record 72 goals in 2007 and in 2014 became the first player from a Western Australian club to reach 300 AFL games. He is TSB’s No.1 Fremantle Dockers player.
Honourable mentions
Shai Bolton (2026 Norm Smith Medal, the first Docker to win it and the first from a losing Grand Final side since Chris Judd in 2005), Josh Treacy (2026 All-Australian), Murphy Reid (2025 Rising Star, 2026 All-Australian), Troy Cook (2000 Doig Medal), Clive Waterhouse, Michael Barlow and Tony Modra, who holds the club record of 10 goals in a game.
Fremantle is still chasing that elusive first premiership, but after a record-breaking 2026, the current group of Jackson, Serong, Brayshaw, Clark and Bolton is pushing hard to join the club legends above. For more club rankings, see our top 25 Collingwood Magpies players and the biggest trades in AFL history.
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