LESS than six weeks ago, Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir spoke to his players straight after a 49-point loss to the Western Bulldogs about the need to "re-school" the team's contest method and back half ball movement. 

The Dockers had just been given a lesson in both by the Bulldogs and their season was on the brink of being wasted if they could not turn those areas around. 

As Fremantle now turns to the bye at 6-5 and on a four-game winning streak, Longmuir and his players have clearly hit the classroom and got to work, orchestrating a stunning in-season turnaround.

They have not only fought their way back into the season, they have turned those early weaknesses into strengths and become one of the AFL's trendsetters over the past month.

Stats from Champion Data reveal the six keys to the Dockers' turnaround, which has put them firmly back on track for a repeat of last year's top-eight finish.

WINNING THE CONTEST

Fremantle has ranked No.1 in the AFL over the past four weeks for clearance differential (+6.0), with its main ground-level combination of Andrew Brayshaw, Caleb Serong and Jaeger O'Meara clicking and Nat Fyfe joining the rotation. 

It's a significant rise from the first seven rounds when the Dockers ranked 15th for clearance differential (-2.3) and had turned to supporting their midfield with a forward to the detriment of their structure. 

When it comes to contested ball differential, the Dockers ranked last (-11.6) across those early rounds but have turned that around too to now rank No.5 (+6.8) in the past month. 

While the Brisbane game was a turning point in some ways, the Dockers were still beaten up around the ball and conceded eight goals from clearances in the second half. 

Since then, they have been the most damaging team in the AFL at scoring from stoppages, ranking No.1 for points from clearance differential (+21.5).  

TAKING THEIR CHANCES  

It took a month of excellent performances before young forward Jye Amiss received his AFL Rising Star nomination, but the impact of the teenage goalkicker has not been missed by the Dockers.  

Amiss has booted 11.2 in his past four weeks to play a key role in the Dockers ranking No.1 in the AFL over that period for shot at goal accuracy (up from No.7 in the first seven rounds). 

With a functioning forward line that has also included talls Josh Treacy and Luke Jackson, who have kicked six goals each in the last four weeks, the team has also ranked No.1 for points for (101.3) and goals per inside 50 (29.2 per cent).

Suddenly, the lack of a mature key forward that had Longmuir concerned after the Bulldogs loss is less of an issue, even with Matt Taberner still sidelined with a back injury. 

The Dockers took eight marks inside 50 to the Bulldogs' 16 in that game, with Jackson and Amiss kicking one goal each. 

'PLAYING TO WIN'

A new mindset was the key reason behind the Dockers' turnaround, according to Longmuir when he was asked after the club's round 11 win against Melbourne.  

"We're playing to win. We're not playing not to lose," the coach said. "We're playing to win, which is a lot of different things and it's a pretty broad topic, but we've just embraced the chaos of the game and understood that the next moment is your most important moment." 

This is perhaps best illustrated in the numbers by the Dockers' ability to avoid getting stuck in their back half and turn their rebound 50s into inside 50s more regularly.  

"I feel like a few of our players are getting caught up in thinking that's not helping them perform. Mainly based around outcome and form and scoreboard," Longmuir said before the Brisbane game in round seven, which saw the Dockers revitalise their ball movement.   

From that point on, the team has been winning much more of the ball and then transitioning it from defensive 50 to attack with efficiency and even a bit of attacking flair.   

BECOMING THE AFL'S BEST PRESSURE TEAM  

For the past month the Dockers have been the AFL's pressure kings, ranking No.1 for both pressure rating and forward 50 tackles, which have typically been a key to their game under Longmuir and part of the forward line's identity. 

It started against Hawthorn when Fremantle dominated tackles inside 50 (12-4) and continued against Sydney (19-9), with small forward Lachie Schultz the leader this season with an average of 2.1 a game.  

Their increase in pressure is significant, with clubs using Champion Data's pressure rating as a key indicator of performance, measuring the pressure points accrued by a team through acts like chasing, corralling, and tackling for every 100 chances they have to apply pressure. 

"When we play our best footy, we fight for everything," Longmuir said after the Melbourne win, which saw the Dockers lay another 15 tackles inside 50 and scrap hard for the important win. 

GETTING THE BEST OUT OF THEIR STARS  

Fremantle's two most improved players over the past month when compared to the first seven rounds are star midfielder Andrew Brayshaw and young forward/ruck Jackson. As two of the club's most important players, that fact alone goes a long way to explaining the Dockers' turnaround. 

Champion Data's official player ratings show Brayshaw's average points have increased from 10.7 in the first seven rounds to 16.0 in the past month. The 23-year-old is back to the form that won him the AFL Players' Association MVP last year and the Dockers' club champion award. 

Brayshaw had a game-high 11 groundball gets against Melbourne, taking it upon himself to fix that early weakness for the Dockers, and he has averaged 31.6 disposals, 6.0 clearances and 10.5 contested possessions for the past month – all above his 2022 season averages. 

Jackson, meanwhile, has gone from an average player rating of 9.8 in the first seven rounds to 15.7 in the past month – the biggest increase at Fremantle – with his ability to play as a key forward, ruckman and ground-level midfielder on show. 

Star midfielder Caleb Serong has been consistently excellent all season, leading the Dockers for disposals (30.3), inside 50s (5.1), contested possessions (13.3) and clearances (7.2), playing his role in the turnaround.   

NAILING THEIR ROLE PLAYERS' ROLES 

Bailey Banfield and Ethan Hughes have spent their careers knowing they need to fight for every game and be flexible to what the team needs on any given week. 

In Banfield's case, that has previously meant long stints as the substitute, where his ability to play multiple roles has been an asset. For Hughes, it has meant adding depth to a strong backline and playing as a wingman. 

This season, however, both have become important in their understated ways and secured positions in the Dockers' best 22.  

Banfield has been among the more creative and efficient forwards at Fremantle for the past month and is averaging 5.0 score involvements this season while also playing accountable roles on opposition defenders.

He has booted 6.4 in the past month and kept Jake Lever to just one disposal in the 40 minutes he spent matched up on the intercepting Demon. 

Hughes, meanwhile, looks more settled in defence after some early time on the wing, using the ball with greater efficiency and holding Melbourne's Bayley Fritsch goalless in 38 minutes matched up on the dangerous goalkicker.  

With only three players on the Dockers' injury list, there is significant competition for spots, which could be a factor in the excellent form of those players who have grown accustomed to being nervous at selection time.