Longmuir confident Dockers can handle expectations amid second-best start to an AFL season
Justin Longmuir has guided the Dockers to their second-best ever start to an AFL season. (AAP Image/Richard Wainwright)
Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir says he is having fun coaching the high-flying Dockers, after guiding them to eight-straight wins and into the AFL's top two.
The comments follow a throwaway line at Fremantle's season launch, when Longmuir declared there was no fun in his life.
His words were then revived in a cheeky banner by West Coast ahead of the Western Derby in April.
"There is plenty of fun in my life at the moment," Longmuir told ABC Perth's Sports Talk program on Saturday.
"I'm loving going to work every day and loving coaching this group. Let it continue."
The Dockers stormed home to beat another premiership fancy in Hawthorn on Thursday night, booting the final five goals to win by 15 points.
Michael Frederick celebrates after kicking a goal during this week's match against the Hawks. (AAP Image/Richard Wainwright)
A crowd of 54-thousand was at Perth Stadium, and was treated to Fremantle's famous "Wharfie Time", which sees the stadium's lights dim and the gong from AC/DC's Hells Bells rings out, lifting the crowd into a frenzy.
Longmuir says he cannot hear the sound from the coaches' box, but thinks it helps his side.
"I think it doesn't necessarily give our players a lift, because I think they're already getting a rise out of the crowd," he said.
"But I think it could spook the opposition, and some opposition players."
Games crunch
Fremantle played four games in 18 days, but now has a long break until next Sunday's clash with Essendon at Docklands.
The Dockers face Essendon next Sunday, before hosting St Kilda five days later. (AAP Image/Richard Wainwright)
The Dockers then have a five-day turnaround before a huge home clash with St Kilda, which could set a new unbeaten streak record for the club if they win both upcoming matches.
Despite the tight fixtures, Longmuir is reluctant to rest players for the trip to Melbourne.
"We haven't really got a lot of sore players and we've been able to manage players really well throughout the week," he said.
"The five-day break is tricky, but we've also been able to manage players in-game as well with the five on the bench.
"Some of our players probably aren't playing as much game time as they would have played last year."
A notable absence from next Sunday's game will be captain Alex Pearce, who suffered a low-grade knee injury in the win over the Hawks and will miss at least a week.
"It's too early to say, but if it's not one, we're expecting it to be no more than sort of three matches," Longmuir said.
Fremantle captain Alex Pearce suffered a minor knee injury in the final minute of Thursday's win over the Hawks. (AAP Image/Richard Wainwright)
"I know Alex has had his issues, and sometimes he's not the best one to go off an average game range.
"He's an important player to us, not only the way he plays — which is really proactive and physical — but also his leadership has been outstanding."
Managing the hype
The Dockers' 8-1 start to the 2026 season is its best under Longmuir, bettering a 7-2 start in 2022.
The team's best-ever result was nine straight to open 2015.
The catchphrase "Flagmantle" was referenced heavily following the win over the Hawks, as the Dockers knocked off a difficult opponent to sit alongside Sydney at the top of the ladder.
But despite the outside noise, Longmuir was confident his side could handle the increased expectation.
Longmuir is confident his team is not being distracted by the growing media hype. (ABC News: Kenith Png)
"Every time I bring it up that the lid might be off, and this and that, they don't really know," he said of his players' attitude to the hype around them.
"Modern-day footballers are not footy heads, so they're not reading footy content as much as players might have done in the past, which is holding us in good stead.
"It is an internal mantra of making sure we just win each day and be where our feet are.
"In the past, we've let ourselves down when we haven't valued the right things, or we haven't respected the opposition as much as we should have. And I think that speaks to our record last year.
"Our record last year against the best teams was really good. The best in the comp almost. But we let ourselves down against some teams we probably should have beaten, and that's through probably not respecting them or valuing the right things going into those games."
Despite the Dockers' lofty ladder position, Longmuir said there was still room for improvement.
"I said to the players after the game last week that we were going at about 85 per cent," he said.
"We're not going to play periods of the game all the time like we did in that last quarter. But those types of moments should be the cream on the top.
"Too often this year we've had quarters like the second quarter, where we've given the opposition a couple, we haven't quite made the most of our [opportunities] and all of a sudden it's a four-goal turnaround."