Ross Lyon flags an active trade period for the Dockers after finishing season in 14th

[Ulquiorra]

ROSS Lyon declared Fremantle had a need for speed ahead of October’s trade period after the Dockers ended their season with a plucky nine-point loss to top-four finisher Collingwood at Optus Stadium yesterday.

The Dockers finished 14th with an 8-14 record for the second straight season and have now finished 16th, 14th and 14th over the past three years amid their painful rebuild.

Fremantle said goodbye to retiring trio Michael Johnson, Lee Spurr and Danyle Pearce, with Johnson and Spurr given an emotional farewell on the field after yesterday’s game as Pearce played for Peel.

Experienced pair Tommy Sheridan and Cam Sutcliffe are out of contract and in danger of being delisted. Defender Ethan Hughes, forward Brady Grey and rookie-listed trio Stefan Giro, Ryan Nyhuis and Luke Strnadica are also uncontracted ahead of crucial player exit meetings this week.

Lyon flagged an active trade period, saying he was only after quality and any players brought in must be part of the team’s best 22 next season.

But Fremantle are hamstrung and will also be forced to trade out, given they have already traded away their second, third and fourth-round picks in November’s national draft and want to get back in.

“We’re not the quickest, we’d like some speed and skill,” Lyon said.

“But we want multi-positional players that can play midfield, forward and back. If you look around the best teams, they are multi-positional. We’d like some wingers that could play back.

“But you’ve got to be quality. You’ve actually got to come and be in no doubt that you can play in our best 22. If we’re bringing you in, that’s my view.”

Lyon said captain Nat Fyfe’s decision to sign a long-term extension last year should give supporters heart for the future. But he made no predictions about climbing the ladder next season.

“Fyfe doesn’t sign a six-year contract when he could walk for million-dollar offers elsewhere, if he doesn’t believe in the people and the club. He could easily have not been here,” Lyon said.

“So we’re all in. I’m all in. I’m in and I’m committed and we’re going to keep building regardless of what anyone thinks. We’ve got plenty of improvement to do, but you’d like to minimise the ups and downs that we’ve had this year.

“We’re on a journey, we’ve got a strategy, we’ve got a structure wrapped around that. Clearly we need to improve every moment we can.”

Lyon said last weekend’s record hammering against Geelong was not the real Fremantle and the effort to push the Magpies yesterday sent off Johnson in style.

“When you’ve got retiring players you want the effort to be commensurate with the esteem you hold them in. It’s not about whether you win or lose, but we certainly ticked that box with our effort,” he said.

“I didn’t think last week was typical of our year. I thought it was a really strong performance today against a quality team.

“There was good method, good competition, run and intensity. Just a little bit frustrated we didn’t take opportunities that looked golden. I thought at certain times in the game we could have put a real gap on them.

“(We lacked) just that little bit of finish – it might be dropped marks, missed handballs, some of those basics. But strong method – some good deep entries, some good pressure, strong clearance work.”