FREMANTLE president Dale Alcock says the club is united behind a four-year plan, backing coach Ross Lyon to build a premiership-winning list before his contract expires in 2020.

The Dockers are looking to rebound from a horror four-win season in 2016 – their worst since 2001 – but they have declared it could take another four seasons before they are premiership contenders.

Alcock said the club had a long-term focus under Lyon, who he backed to develop young players and build the list with a new generation of stars.  

"We’re absolutely committed to what we've signed on for," Adcock told The Sunday Times.

"If we achieve success earlier than anticipated, that's a bonus.

"If we were in the top eight at the end of this season, we'd say that that's a major step forward on the journey to that sustained success.

"If it's better than that, it would be a bonus."

Lyon used his recent season launch address to declare the club was aiming to play finals in 2017.

He has described a "dual narrative" for the Dockers this season, which has them aiming high in the short term but committed to a "four-year rebuild".

"We all signed off on a four-year rebuild last year," he said after the club's opening JLT Community Series loss to West Coast.

"Really restump, rewire, replumb, and that hasn't changed from list manager, president, CEO, coach, football operations manager and our leadership group.

"But it still means in the near term we're aiming to play better footy than we played today.

"That's going to be going on from now until the next four years."

Alcock said Lyon was the right man to rebuild the club, having signed a contract extension to the end of 2020 in March last year.

"What we see him doing in terms of the way that he embraces those new players that are coming into the club, he's a very giving person in terms of nurturing those people," Alcock said.

"So in terms of where he's been with mature lists, and then turning back to his ability to encourage younger players, he's absolutely all over it.

"They're the things that we see ... that maybe those outside don't necessarily see."