FREMANTLE captain Nat Fyfe is a "man in a hurry", according to coach Justin Longmuir, as he targets a round one return from injury and prepares to be injected straight into the Dockers' engine room.
Fyfe's recovery from multiple shoulder operations and off-season setbacks has gathered pace in recent weeks, most notably with his ability to recover muscle mass and strength.
The dual Brownlow medallist was left noticeable trimmer last December after being unable to run for a period of at least four months and undergoing antibiotic treatment in November.
He is yet to take part in match practice, but has been a man on a mission with a laser focus on returning to full fitness in recent weeks, according to those close to him.
He is expected to return to full training later this month and appears on track to meet the goal of playing in round one that he identified when mapping out his recovery plan in December.
"He is a man in a hurry, and he's doing everything possible to get himself right for round one," Longmuir told AFL.com.au.
"But he's doing everything he can to set a great example for how professional athletes handle themselves both at the club and away from the club.
"I've been super impressed with the way he's gone about dealing with the setback and getting back to work and giving himself the best opportunity he can to get back fully fit and in the best shape he can be."
Fyfe's role in recent seasons has been the subject of intrigue, given his obvious strengths in the air and suitability as a versatile marking target.
Asked where Fyfe sat as part of the club's forward plans this season, however, Longmuir was emphatic.
"He's a midfielder," the coach said.
FYFE IN STRIFE Dockers star suffers yet another setback in injury recovery
"We'll continue to push him forward at the right times and I think he can hit the scoreboard and help us score. But if you look at the majority of the games last year, he played 20 minutes midfield, four minutes forward, and spent six minutes on the bench.
"He will resume his midfield stuff and try to be the best he can be at that. We'll look to get him forward at the right times where he can have maximum impact."
Without Fyfe not figuring in his forward plans, Longmuir indicated his preferred model would be for three talls in attack and speed around them at ground level.
Leading goalkicker Matt Taberner (37 goals in 2021) again shapes as the central figure in attack, with Rory Lobb and Josh Treacy the obvious tall support.
"I like the three talls, but if you play the three talls you need to make sure they're surrounded by speed at ground level," Longmuir said.
"One of the positives to come out of our pre-season is our small forwards are going really well … (assistant coach) Jaymie Graham has worked hard with them to be real threats in offence.
"We just need to make sure our forward structure helps us score, but on the flip side helps us lock the ball in our front half.
"There's a bit more to that, but if you had to ask me, I like the three talls."
Longmuir was confident the Dockers' forwards had done sufficient work on their goalkicking to improve conversion in 2022 after inaccuracy cost the team repeatedly last season.
The Dockers ranked 15th for goals kicked last season, averaging 9.5 a game, and kicked more behinds than goals in 15 of their 22 games.
"I think we've provided ample platform for our goalkicking and we're trying to get better at our execution altogether," Longmuir said.
