2014 Fremantle Dockers Football Club Official Year Book OFFICIAL YEAR BOOK 20 14 www.fremantlefc.com.au $10.95 (INC GST) Thank you to all of our members, fans and sponsors for your support throughout the 2014 season. 2 YEAR BOOK 2014 FREMANTLEFC.COM.AU 2014 OFFICIAL YEAR BOOK OF THE FREMANTLE DOCKERS FOOTBALL CLUB From the President ....................................... 4 From the Chief Executive Officer ................... 6 From the Senior Coach .................................. 8 From the Captain ......................................... 10 Club Operations Report ................................ 12 Honour Board & Club Records . .14 Top 5s.......................................................... 16 20-Year Recognition ................................... 18 AFLPA MVP Awards .................................... 20 AFL All Australian Awards ........................... 21 Doig Medal Wrap ......................................... 22 Doig Medal Winner: Nat Fyfe ........................ 24 Doig Medal Runner-Up: Aaron Sandilands...... 26 Players’ Award: Nat Fyfe .............................. 27 Best Clubman: Alex Silvagni ......................... 28 Beacon Award: Matt Taberner....................... 29 Milestones.................................................. 30 ETAF and New Perth Stadium Update ........... 31 Season Review ........................................... 32 Player Profiles . 58 Staff List..................................................... 74 Sponsors .................................................... 75 2015 Season Fixture ................................... 76 A PRODUCT OF THE FREMANTLE DOCKERS WRITERS COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT Chris Correia, Costa Kastanis, Luke Morfesse, Rosie Duffy FREMANTLE FOOTBALL CLUB LTD Parry Street DESIGN AND PRODUCTION Fremantle WA 6160 AFL Media P.O. Box 381 Fremantle WA 6959 PRINTING Abbott & Co ADMINISTRATION Phone (08) 9433 7000 PHOTOGRAPHY Fax (08) 9433 7001 Fremantle Dockers Football Club, AFL Media MEMBERSHIP © Fremantle Football Club 2014 Phone (08) 9433 7111 All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under Fax (08) 9433 7002 copyright above, no part of this publication shall be Email [email protected] reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, Web fremantlefc.com.au or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) EDITOR without the prior permission of the Fremantle Football Chris Correia Club. Information correct at time of going to print. STEVE HARRIS FROM THE PRESIDENT he club’s 2014 season What you could not doubt is the proved that past effort of the Fremantle Dockers in performance is no an incredibly competitive guarantee of future competition – a competition where success. And it the best keep getting better and was a season that where we need to continually lift Tdemonstrated the importance of our expectations and delivery. having your very best players, fit As always, I want to thank and and available, through the season acknowledge the tireless efforts of and for the finals. everyone at the club. This includes It showed that whatever our football department, led by standard you reach as a team and Ross Lyon, Chris Bond and Brad as a club, there are 17 other clubs Lloyd, our playing group, which out there all doing their best and was again led exceptionally well by continually lifting the standard. captain Matthew Pavlich, and the And that whatever is good enough administration staff, headed up by today, cannot be good enough Steve Rosich. for tomorrow. While we remain a financially It is also important to strong club, we still sit well apart emphasise the positives from from the top five most prosperous 2014. We were able to enjoy and clubs, especially those subsidised experience a wonderful season with pokies revenue, meaning that of football with all the highs and we run our club as a business with lows in what was only the club’s millions of dollars less in revenue 20th season in the AFL. than some of our competitors on We have now qualified for the the east coast. finals three years in a row and in We are also subject to lower four of the past five years. Only distributions and increased fees Hawthorn, Geelong and Sydney and taxes as a result of a revised have also played finals in each of equalisation strategy by the AFL, the past three seasons and those and have made our biggest-ever clubs have won seven of the past payments to the WA Football eight premierships. Commission to grow and support We were also top four in community football. consecutive seasons for the In a tough economy this means first time in club history. It’s that we need to be vigilant and good – but it’s still not good continue to work smarter and harder enough. We need to use this than our competition on and off the experience as a foundation field. More than ever, we need to be from which to build. a great business to be a great club. 2014 BOARD OF DIRECTORS STEVE HARRIS BEN ALLAN DALE ALCOCK GRANT DONALDSON PRESIDENT VICE-PRESIDENT 4 YEAR BOOK 20132014 FREMANTLEFC.COM.AU PRESIDENT It is very pleasing to announce and it will also change the business our board in 2014. I take this as a another membership record in model for the club. sign of confidence of the 2014 – the second year in a row. Our Elite Training and membership with the board and the It’s also worth noting that in 2014 Administration Facility at Cockburn direction we are taking the club and the Fremantle Dockers were the Central West is set to begin I would like to recognise my fellow number one AFL club for sales of construction in 2015. This will have board members for their efforts. on-field apparel – a fact that might our club working and training from I’m incredibly excited about 2015, not surprise anyone who takes one of the best facilities in the AFL as I know all our members and note of the increasing amount of in a community centre with more supporters are. In the change rooms purple around town on game day, WHAT YOU than one million visitors a year. after our last game of 2014, Ross and throughout the year in Perth COULD NOT Our partnership with Peel Thunder Lyon, Chris Bond, Steve Rosich and I and around the country. will go into its second year in started a vigorous discussion about I am incredibly proud that DOUBT IS THE 2015. We feel the $600,000-plus what we needed to be doing better wherever your club plays, at EFFORT OF THE annual investment we have to deliver in 2015. Here we were just home or “anywhere, anytime” committed to the project has off the ground and already planning throughout Australia, we continue FREMANTLE already begun to pay dividends. for next season. We are hungry, we to have the loudest, proudest and DOCKERS IN AN It has given us the opportunity to are relentless and we are focused most passionate supporters INCREDIBLY play as a cohesive group, however on success. in the AFL. we still have a long way to go Our members can expect to see A number of significant long-term COMPETITIVE to deliver success at Peel. It is this attitude and competitiveness projects continue apace. The new COMPETITION. important to remember that it is on the field, and a playing group Perth Stadium is one year closer only our first year. which will continue working without to completion. It will change the STEVE HARRIS Our first-ever Doig Medallist Peter compromise to get better, fitter way we experience football in WA, Mann was re-elected unopposed to and stronger to deliver success. PETER MANN JENN MORRIS BRIAN O’DONNELL STEPHEN O’REILLY FREMANTLEFC.COM.AU YEAR BOOK 20132014 5 STEVE ROSICH FROM THE s we look back and Hayden Ballantyne, who were on 2014, our 20th CEOvery deserving of these high honours. season in the Jon Griffin won the AFLPA AFL competition, Education and Training Excellence it’s important Award for his efforts to ensure a to acknowledge future post-football. This is a credit Aand thank all of the people who to Jon and the system we have contributed to our season, both in place at the club to look on and off the field. after the players’ welfare, both To our members, supporters, during and after their careers. corporate partners and sponsors, There were a number of we thank you for your outstanding important player milestones support and helping us achieve a in 2014. Matthew Pavlich made membership record for the second history by being the first player consecutive year, making it five from either WA AFL club to reach consecutive years of membership 300 games. This was an amazing growth. All but one of our home games achievement and testament to the sold out in 2014 and the club led professionalism that Matthew has the AFL for on-field apparel sales in displayed for such a long period of 2014, which was a fantastic result. time. Aaron Sandilands and David It goes to show we have the most Mundy played their 200th games passionate fans who are proud to for the club, while Paul Duffield wear the Fremantle colours. joined the esteemed list of life To our football department, members by reaching 150 games. led by Ross Lyon, Chris Bond and To our board members and club Brad Lloyd, we thank you for your staff, thank you for your tireless professionalism and dedication. efforts. You all work so hard to Unfortunately, we did not get the service our club and its members. result we had hoped for after our You are the ones driving our desire second consecutive finish in the top to continue to improve to give four following the home and away us the best possible chance of season, but this takes nothing away achieving success. from the hard work each and every We are excited by the challenges member of the football department and opportunities that season put in during 2014. 2015 will present to us. Our home Our players, captained by fixture will offer fans another Matthew Pavlich, put their bodies set of blockbuster games that on the line and never stopped we will be thrilled to be involved working hard and without in with Patersons Stadium filled compromise in pursuit of success.