Craig O’Donoghue: Fremantle Dockers have one incentive to sign that most other clubs can’t match

You only get one chance to be first. You only get one chance to genuinely create history. You only get one chance to become immortal. When Fremantle captain Alex Pearce signed on for another two years on Friday, he joined the impressive list of Dockers who are locked in until at least 2027 and are determined to achieve success as fast as possible. Fremantle have a strong belief that this is the group to take them to the promised land and they’ve done a brilliant job in selling the story to their players that being part of an inaugural premiership will be more rewarding than anything they can experience elsewhere. But one big signature remains – Andrew Brayshaw. He’s the A-grader on the list who they don’t have a commitment from. He’s the star who is out of contract at the end of this season. Brayshaw is the important piece of the puzzle that they need to get locked away and imagine the lift the team would get if it happened before round one. Everyone has heard him say he wants to stay. Brayshaw said it in July. “I consider Perth my home now. Me and my fiancée, we own a house in East Freo and we love it here. We’ve got a little dog and got our own little family going here. Whilst we still have family in Victoria, we definitely call Perth home,” he said. He repeated it in August “I’ve said I’ll finish off the season and go from there. Nothing has changed. I’ll finish off this season and look to sign from there. I call WA home. My fiancee and I love it here.” Then in October, he declared he hoped a contract would be finished soon. They’re great signs. But it’s now January. The longer a player remains unsigned, the more opportunities other clubs have to make godfather offers. Crazy things happen. Offers will come. Then offers will increase. But there is one thing that Fremantle can offer that doesn’t include a dollar sign right now, and that’s the chance to become immortal. West Coast’s 1992 team are idolised. All of the premiership players from 1994, 2006 and 2018 are loved. But that 1992 team has an extra spark to them. They broke the mould. They were the first. Adelaide’s 1997 team own their unique slice of history. Port Adelaide’s 2004 units are also one of a kind. They all get to talk themselves up forever because they handed their clubs their first piece of silverware. The clubs who were already part of the VFL don’t get the same type of adulation. Breaking a drought certainly helps. We’ve seen that with the Western Bulldogs in 2016, Richmond in 2017 and Melbourne in 2021. But nothing tops being the first. Hayden Young talked about that providing him with motivation for signing with the Dockers until 2033. “The opportunity to be one of the first players to win a premiership with the club is something which is really appealing to me. Going to another club and chasing that, you wouldn’t get the same satisfaction,” he said. “I want to be one of the first players to hold up the cup.” When Fremantle appointed Pearce as captain, he reflected on what it would mean to be the club’s first premiership skipper. Nat Fyfe had the same inspiration when he became captain in 2017. Every player wants to win a premiership during their career. Some are lucky to win multiple flags. But only a tiny amount can say they won a club’s first premiership. The Dockers’ build has been fascinating. Their entire backline is signed up. Pearce, Luke Ryan, Heath Chapman, Brandon Walker and Josh Draper are contracted until the end of 2027. Jordan Clark’s deal expires in 2028. Brennan Cox is locked away until 2030. Ruck pair Luke Jackson and Sean Darcy are contracted until 2029 and 2030. Jackson will also work in the forward line with Jye Amiss, Josh Treacy and Shai Bolton who each have lengthy deals. Caleb Serong is signed until 2027, but Fremantle would like to lock him away for longer. Knowing that Young, Serong, and Brayshaw are all contracted long-term would give the club an even bigger base to build on. But Fremantle’s time is now and they fully appreciate that the clock is ticking. Time waits for nobody. Opportunities disappear in the blink of an eye. The 2022 finals series feels like an eternity ago. Losing the last four games of 2024 was a savage way to miss the finals. Fans should be excited about the idea of Kossie Pickett or Chad Warner potentially joining the club for the 2026 season. They have immense skill and would give Fremantle the explosive pace they need. But don’t get sucked into always living in the futures market. Stay in the now. Right now, Brayshaw is the contract that needs to get locked away. Right now this group of players are the ones that can create history and become immortal. Then the club can focus on bringing in more stars to build a legacy. There’s no time like the present.