Brownlow Medallist Slams ‘Selfish’ Dockers and ‘Uninspiring’ Coach as Star Recruit Delivers a ‘Riot Act’ Lecture

Brad Hardie has launched a scathing critique of Fremantle, branding the team “selfish” and describing coach Justin Longmuir as “uninspiring”, in the wake of the club’s dismal 10-goal defeat to St Kilda on Friday night.

The Dockers only managed to put up 33 points in ideal conditions at Marvel Stadium, continuing a wretched run of away performances this season, which has seen them suffer defeats against Melbourne and an absolute thrashing from Geelong.

The Brownlow Medallist’s assessment of the club has been particularly piercing, indicating that the coach may be out of his depth, while also pointing a finger at the performance of star recruit Shai Bolton this season.

“Justin (Longmuir) has been at the helm for six years now, and they’ve only made the finals once. The club has claimed they had all the pieces in place, including the acquisition of Shai Bolton this year, but it hasn’t panned out,” Hardie told 3AW.

“There have been instances where Bolton had to be brought in and given a stern talking-to about his conduct, especially considering he’s earning big bucks and is a key figure within the team.”

“Fremantle have multiple issues, and I’m fed up with the same old excuses. Longmuir has stated on three occasions this year that the team has been a bit soft, and even said on Friday, ‘we weren’t up for the contest’. Seriously? You just lost by 10 goals.”

“He’s a decent bloke and a good assistant coach, but some individuals are simply better suited to specific roles. In my opinion, he’s rather unimpressive.”

“That was a disgusting and pitiful performance on Friday night.”

The Dockers traded away picks 10, 11, and 18 to acquire Bolton, along with pick 14 in last year’s trade period. Since joining, the 26-year-old has averaged 16.9 disposals and 3.3 marks per game, contributing eight goals in total.

However, Hardie doesn’t limit his criticism to Longmuir and Bolton, broadening his remarks to the entire squad for appearing to prioritise personal achievements over team success.

“Unfortunately, they’ve got egocentric players. They don’t seem to form a cohesive unit; instead, they come across as a self-serving group of talented individuals more focused on their own stats than on moving the ball effectively,” the prominent sports commentator expressed.

“We’ve occasionally witnessed glimpses of brilliance from them in the past, but those moments are too infrequent. Under pressure, they tend to revert to their old habits: short, sideways, and backwards passes. Luke Ryan passes to Jordan Clark, back to Luke Ryan, and then a short pass to Caleb Serong.

“I can assure you, it’s not an inviting environment for a forward player.”

Fremantle were once seen as pre-season contenders, with many tipping them to jump from outside the top eight to land inside the top four.

They boast two elite ruckmen, rising young key forwards, a trio of elite midfielders, a distinguished backline, and Bolton as the icing on the cake.

Hardie believes the Dockers have been all talk but struggling to deliver results.

“They certainly don’t hesitate to build themselves up. The titles ‘Flagmantle’ and ‘we’ve got all the pieces’ are pretty matter-of-fact,” he added.

“The new chairman, Chris Sutherland, made a clear statement: stop talking and start taking action. CEO Simon Garlick is a savvy operator, yet a few years back, he vowed to secure two premierships—one in the AFLW and one in the men’s competition—before 2025. As it stands, they have yet to claim the women’s title, and their chances in the men’s competition seem as bleak as they’ve been for the past decade.”

Fremantle won’t have much time to regroup as they prepare to face Collingwood at Optus Stadium on Thursday night, followed by another demanding away fixture against GWS the week after at ENGIE Stadium.