‘Biggest flop in the AFL’: Freo torn to shreds as big coaching names loom large in potential shake-up

Fremantle has been dubbed the “biggest flop in the league” after its damning loss to St Kilda as questions are set to come over Justin Longmuir.

The Dockers’ were torn apart by the Saints by 62 points at Marvel Stadium last Friday night as Longmuir’s side fell to 4-4 to continue an underwhelming start to the season.

That comes despite Fremantle going into the campaign as a genuine flag fancy after it added Shai Bolton to a star-studded list, but the club currently sits outside the top eight with only one win away from home so far.

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MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - MAY 02: Justin Longmuir, Senior Coach of the Dockers looks on during the 2025 AFL Round 08 match between the St Kilda Saints and the Fremantle Dockers at Marvel Stadium on May 2, 2025 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images) Source: Getty Images

Speaking on Fox Footy’s The First Crack, chief Herald Sun reporter Jay Clark didn’t hold back in his assessment of the club’s inability to live up to increased expectations.

“I’m going to call them ‘Flakemantle’ after their performance on Friday night. They are the biggest flop in the league at the moment,” Clark said.

“It’s not just this season, go back to Round 20 last year — they sat third on the AFL ladder and were staring at a double chance. They lost their last four, missed the top eight and loaded up in the trade period.

“(But) They have been awful out of the block so far this year. It’s the weight of expectation.

“You look at the list, they lack nothing. They’ve got everything.

“It’s not the talent and capability, it’s the weight of expectation for ‘Flakemantle’. As soon as you started to expect something from this football club, they melt.

“We can’t trust Fremantle because they can’t trust themselves.”

'These performances can cost coaches' | 08:34

Hawthorn legend Jordan Lewis over the weekend expressed fears that the loss to St Kilda could cost Longmuir his job as the Dockers boss now stands as one of the most under-pressure coaches in the league ahead of a defining few weeks.

That comes despite Fremantle CEO Simon Garlick before the Saints defeat emphatically backing Longmuir to be coaching the Dockers into next season.

Longmuir earlier this year agreed to an ongoing employment agreement with Fremantle into 2026 with no fixed end date.

However Clark pondered how some big names being available on the coaching market could impact things.

“The conversation this week about Fremantle is going to become about the coach,” Clark continued.

“There’s some big names sitting on the bench — Adam Simpson, Luke Beveridge has said he’ll either coach the Bulldogs or nowhere, John Longmire.

“Adam Simpson is fascinating. Can Fremantle take a (former) coach of West Coast?”

"Club should be questioning themselves" | 08:34

Kangaroos legend David King believes Fremantle simply isn’t playing to its full potential.

“The challenge only gets harder with (Hayden) Young going down. I look at all their games and think: ‘Yeah, they should win that one, that should win that one, they should be in that one’,” the dual premiership Kangaroo said.

“They should just be a better version of what they are right now. But it’s disappointing.

“Even to hear Justin put himself in line with the group was a wise thing to do. But you can only say that so many times before the heat genuinely comes.”

Meanwhile Saints great Leigh Montagna suggested the Dockers haven’t responded well when other teams have aggressively come at them.

“They’ve just been inconsistent. They play great footy, then don’t sustain it,” he said.

“I think there’s an issue when teams throw punches at them and bring the heat, they haven’t been able to stand up and absorb it and withstand it.

“The problem is teams scouting Fremantle are going ‘If we throw punches at Fremantle, let’s find out whether can stand up and throw them back’.

“We’ve seen from the Geelong game at the start of the year, the Melbourne game and then what St Kilda did to them, Fremantle hasn’t been able to absorb it.”

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