1. The new coach knows what he's doing
When Ross Lyon took on his first coaching gig at St Kilda, it took him more than a year to get the Saints winning games, and they missed the finals in his first season. History seemed to be repeating when Fremantle slipped out of the top eight after losing five of its six games between rounds eight and 14. The form slump saw Lyon's defence-focussed game-plan come in for plenty of criticism, but a grinding home win over the Western Bulldogs in round 15 ignited a surge. Freo won nine of its last 11 matches, finished seventh, then toppled Geelong in an elimination final at the MCG, which was the club's first finals win outside WA.

2. Some harsh but fair lessons
When Lyon arrived at Freo, Clancee Pearce was about to be delisted and Michael Walters was regarded as a player with plenty of talent but no work ethic. Lyon banished Walters back to his WAFL club during the pre-season after he turned up overweight, and he delivered a few home truths to Pearce as well. But the tough love worked wonders. By the end of the season, Pearce was one of the most improved midfielders in the competition and Walters had established a new reputation as one of the most eye-catching and dangerous small forwards in the game.

3. Matthew Pavlich is still a gun
After struggling through the first half of the season, during which he split his time between the midfield and the forward line, Pavlich came to life after being permanently moved into attack. In fact, the 30-year-old skipper was the driving force behind Fremantle's resurrection (although he was overlooked by the Four'N Twenty All Australian selectors). He ended up finishing equal second in the race for the Coleman Medal, then booted six goals in the elimination final victory over the Cats.

4. There's plenty of life left in Luke McPharlin as well
The 30-year-old finished fourth in Freo's 2011 best and fairest, and he cemented his place as one of the AFL's elite key defenders with another brilliant season in 2012. Almost always given the job on the opposition's most dangerous key forward, McPharlin played so well that he was named at full-back in the All Australian team.

5. The Ross and Zac show lives on
Plenty of people shook their heads when Lyon took key defender Zac Dawson with him from St Kilda to Fremantle. But the decision proved a wise one when Dawson stepped up after McPharlin was suspended late in the season. McPharlin's suspension meant Dawson had to play on hulking Geelong star Tom Hawkins when Freo took on the Cats in their elimination final. In a remarkable effort, Dawson kept Hawkins goalless.

6. Freo can win away from home
Before Lyon took over, Fremantle's record away from home, and especially in Melbourne, was diabolical. But under Lyon, Freo has developed an ability to play well anywhere. This year the team won five of its six games in Victoria, defeating St Kilda (Etihad Stadium), Richmond (MCG), Melbourne (Etihad Stadium), North Melbourne (Etihad Stadium) and Geelong (MCG).

7. Freo needs its emerging superstar to stay fit
Nat Fyfe started the 2012 season in blazing fashion, with best on ground performances in the club's first two matches. But he then missed a dozen after shoulder surgery, and Freo looked a far weaker side without him. However, the purple army breathed a sigh of relief when Fyfe was straight back into top form after returning late in the season, although the 21-year-old did miss one game in the lead-up to the finals because he sprained his ankle after tripping over a suitcase.

8. Back to his best
Midfielder Michael Barlow played nine games last year after returning from the horrific broken leg he suffered in 2010, but he understandably struggled to capture his best form. This season, however, he was back to his best, playing in all 24 matches and averaging a touch over 24 possessions per game.

9. The annoyances
Fremantle already had one of most combative players in the game. But small forward Hayden Ballantyne has a side-kick on that front now that Lyon has turned Ryan Crowley into the type of close-checking tagger that star midfielders hate. Crowley riled many players during the season, but none more so than Gold Coast captain Gary Ablett, who took to Twitter to voice his displeasure at Crowley's tactics. Ablett described Crowley as a "#joke". On the other hand, Lyon could not have been happier with Crowley's contribution during 2012.

10. How long can Aaron Sandilands keep going?
The 211cm giant remains an extremely influential player ... when he's out on the park. The problem is that injuries are taking their toll on the biggest of the big men. Sandilands played only 14 games in 2012, and Freo really needs Jon Griffin and Zac Clarke to step up in the next couple of seasons because Sandilands, who is now 29, is getting close to the end of his decorated career.

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