THE LAST time Fremantle played in a primetime Thursday or Friday night slot, they were coming to terms with one of the most dramatic collapses in recent history and tentatively starting a rebuild that is finally bearing fruit.
It was five years ago to the day, on July 15, 2016, with coach Ross Lyon in charge of a team that had finished on top of the ladder in 2015 and earned primetime exposure the following year.
The problem for the Dockers was they had fallen off the cliff in the most dramatic style, losing their first 10 matches of 2016 and entering their second Friday night clash for the season with a 3-12 record.
Given two Friday night clashes in a three-week period on the expectation they would be contending again, they lost those games to Collingwood at the MCG and then Geelong at Subiaco Oval and sealed their primetime fate for the next five years.
Players remaining at Fremantle from that last Friday night game are Connor Blakely, Stephen Hill, David Mundy, Matt Taberner and Michael Walters.
Brownlow medallist Lachie Neale (Brisbane), Sam Collins (Gold Coast), Hayden Crozier (Western Bulldogs) and Chris Mayne (Collingwood) have all found new homes.
19TH SEASON Veteran on verge of new deal with Dockers
Star midfielder Patrick Dangerfield earned three Brownlow Medal votes for his 30 disposals and four goals, while champion defender Corey Enright starred with 30 possessions in his final season.
The Dockers' rebuild, which was declared as a four-year project at the end of that disastrous season, has since taken place exclusively on Saturdays and Sundays – and mostly day timeslots – with the exception of Monday and Wednesday games in the COVID-impacted 2020 season.
But the emergence of an exciting team with a young core of top-end talent in 2021 has finally been rewarded with primetime exposure.
Coach Justin Longmuir said the prospect of playing on Thursday night at Optus Stadium against a top opposition was exciting for the club.
"We need to improve against the better sides and it's another opportunity to see how much we've progressed," the coach said this week.
"We've had good moments against top-eight sides, we just haven't been able to sustain it.
IS MAX GONE? Three reasons why Docker could claim AA ruck spot
"That's the challenge ahead of us and it's the next progression for our side."
It's a clash that will kick off a six-week stretch that will determine the Dockers' finals fate, holding seventh spot and facing matches against Sydney, Richmond, Brisbane, West Coast and St Kilda after the Cats.
Win enough games to secure a finals spot for the first time since 2015 and a return on a more permanent basis to primetime could be on the cards for the Dockers.
