FREMANTLE vice-captain Andrew Brayshaw believes dual Brownlow medallist Nat Fyfe can still be the club's best player when fully fit, with the former skipper looking to rebound from two years heavily impacted by injury in 2024.
Fyfe is steadily building into the pre-season with a managed workload, but the champion midfielder has shown flashes of his class when rotating through the main training group since the summer program started.
Brayshaw said the 32-year-old, who played 16 games across the past two seasons, remained important for the Dockers' midfielders both as a leader and a big-bodied contributor who can improve the team's stoppage performances.
"I'm still of the opinion that when he's at his fittest, he's our best player, so hopefully we can get him out there," Brayshaw said on Monday.
"I see him as a midfielder. Big, strong, and he helps out blokes like me and Caleb (Serong) because he's massive and a physical presence and just pushing blokes around. Doing the things he does, it's pretty special."
Fyfe is returning from a serious bout of plantar fasciitis that restricted him to nine games in 2023, with a stress fracture in his left foot ending his season after round 16 before a planned operation on a finger injury was brought forward.
Shoulder, back and hamstring injuries restricted the three-time All-Australian, who this year signed a contract extension through to the end of 2025, to seven games in 2022.
"He's been managed and is slowly building into the pre-season, but when he does get his opportunities with the main group, he's really strong and his body is in really good nick at the moment," Brayshaw said as Fyfe plans a return to the midfield following a forward line experiment in recent seasons.
"Although he's not captain anymore, he still seems like one of the best leaders in the group and offers a lot of advice to these young guys coming through. Hopefully we can see him out on the park in 2024."
On his own prospects in 2024, Brayshaw said he was targeting more consistency after falling away from the relentless standard he set on-field in 2022, winning the AFL Players' Association MVP and Doig Medal as Freo's club champion.
The 24-year-old is also being managed through the early weeks of the pre-season but is increasing his workload and is due to join main training by next Wednesday before the players break for the Christmas holiday period.
"I think there's a lot of areas for myself to improve based off last year. My consistency wasn't as good as the previous year," Brayshaw said.
"My best was still really strong, but similar to the team, we had games where I wasn't stepping up to my full height, whether that was inside being strong and clean with the ball, or being damaging on the outside.
"I am excited and next year gives us another chance to have a crack at it. I'll be working closely with Caleb, Sean (Darcy), and some of these new guys as well that are coming in.
"It's an exciting time. But I definitely want to improve again from last year."
Brayshaw highlighted draftee Cooper Simpson as a player that had impressed him since arriving at the club with his ability to play as a small forward and midfielder with skills on both sides of his body.
Former Gold Coast wingman Jeremy Sharp had also made a statement through his running performances as several players set their sights on securing a wing role in 2024.
"There's a few guys who know that spot is up for grabs," Brayshaw said.
"It's a really important role for us and there's a few guys who are really fighting for it. At the moment, Jeremy Sharp is one that's leading the race for that.
"He's shown his fitness and his ball-use is looking really good on the track. If he keeps training the way he has, I'm sure he'll be out there round one.
"Everything I've seen of him, both on the track and then catching up with him outside the club, he's just a great bloke and he trains as hard as anyone, so I feel really fortunate that we've got him."
