Nathan Fyfe Biography

Sean Darcy and Nat Fyfe are ruled out for the rest of the 2023 season as the pair heads for surgery on ankle and finger injuries respectively.

The decision to call time on 2023 for both comes after a run of four straight losses that have ended Fremantle's chances of a repeat September appearance in a disappointing 2023 campaign.

Nat Fyfe signs a two-year contract extension to remain with Fremantle until the end of 2025.

"I was never going to play anywhere else. I feel like there's been a lot of investment into the club, and the club has invested in me," Fyfe said.

"I like to play long games, I like pay offs in the end, and I'm really hopeful that at the end of this there's a really good story."

Nat Fyfe opens up about his mental health battles amid a difficult 2022 season.

"I had a fair bit to deal with. I had a good hard look at some of the ailments that we all face as humans in life, in terms of anxiety, depression and a bunch of those internal emotional things, which then came out as injuries," he said.

"Internally I was cooked and I was just fighting my way through it, and I just kept breaking down.

"If you can go through that, find resilience out of it, come out the other side, I feel like that's the juice I now need for the backend of my career."

Nat Fyfe steps down as skipper of Fremantle after six seasons in the role.

"Last year was a challenging year for me individually, but a great year for the club and it started to pave the way for a transition. Intuitively, I knew that it was an exciting opportunity for the club for me to step aside and let someone else come through," Fyfe said.

"It took a while for the emotions and my mind to line up with my intuition, it feels like I was letting go of a dream in some ways, but once I connected with that feeling, it opens up the possibility for so much more."

Nat Fyfe will captain Fremantle for a sixth straight year in 2022, heading a five-man leadership consisting of Andrew Brayshaw, Alex Pearce, David Mundy, and newly promoted Caleb Serong.

Michael Walters has decided to step down from the leadership group in 2022 after five years in the role.

Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir expects Nat Fyfe to resume training in February and be ready for the start of the AFL season.

Fyfe was struck down with a bacterial infection in a major setback in his recovery from shoulder surgery and had to be administered intravenous antibiotics in hospital for three weeks.

"He's been able to start sweating after the infection got in there and we seem to be on top of that," Longmuir said.

"All is not lost because he's been a pretty good bank of work under his belt so we expect him to come up to the mark pretty quick."

Nat Fyfe's 2021 season is officially after undergoing shoulder surgery.

Fyfe dislocated his right shoulder in the round 12 loss to the Western Bulldogs on June 6, but was keen to delay surgery until after the season in a bid to be part of his team's finals push.

On the cusp of his 200th game, Nat Fyfe admits there was a time where he didn't think he'd reach the milestone.

"As I've gotten older, I've wanted to be more efficient and smarter on how I go about it," he said.

"Mostly, it's about picking and choosing your moments to go into the carnage. It hasn't quite come to life for me still this year. I've had a concussion, a loose shoulder, and a number of other little niggles. My game is my game and I think it makes sense to stick to your strengths."

Luke Ryan wins his first Doig Medal as Fremantle's best and fairest for 2020 with 207 votes, winning by a significant margin of 40 votes from captain Nat Fyfe with 167 votes.

After returning to the field just 14 days after suffering a hamstring strain in round four, scans reveal Nat Fyfe has sustained further damage to his hamstring that is expected to keep him out for multiple weeks.

Nat Fyfe will continue as captain for the fourth straight season after the Dockers named an unchanged leadership group for 2020.

Fyfe will be supported by veteran David Mundy, star Michael Walters, key defenders Alex Pearce and Joel Hamling, and Reece Conca.

"I think it's a great decision by the playing group to stick with the exact leadership group in 2020," Fyfe said.

"It shows that what the guys delivered in terms of setting the standards and leading in the right direction was on track.

"I think the six guys that we've got in there with Michael Walters, David Mundy, Joel Hamling, Reece Conca, Alex Pearce and myself, there's good touch points across the whole group."

Nine players received more than $1 million in the 2019 AFL season, with Dustin Martin and Nat Fyfe the standout earners.

It is believed Martin and Fyfe each earnt more than $1.3 million on 2019 accounts, well clear of the game's other million-dollar players headed by West Coast's Jeremy McGovern, GWS's Jeremy Cameron and Sydney's Lance Franklin.

Others in, or near, the million-dollar club include the Giants' Josh Kelly, Collingwood's Scott Pendlebury, Geelong's Patrick Dangerfield, Dog Marcus Bontempelli, Eagle Andrew Gaff, and Carlton's Patrick Cripps.

At the end of night one of the NAB AFL Draft, West Australian midfielder Deven Robertson was the only player invited who wasn't picked up. By his own admission, it was an embarrassing situation.

He almost flew back home but a message from dual Brownlow medallist Nat Fyfe, just one of many that came flooding in, helped him overcome the negative emotions after what he would have expected to be among the best nights of his life.

"He sent me quite a lengthy text and just said it's a little bump in the road and the really good players in the AFL breeze straight over it," Robertson said.

24 hours later, Robertson was picked by Brisbane with pick No.22 though he still admits it was difficult sliding down the order at the time.

"Being the only person left in the room and seeing all the other boys walk out on stage and not being up there obviously and having to go up to the hotel and do it all again today was very hard, but I'm on top of the world now. I can't wipe the smile off my face," Robertson said.

Nat Fyfe with his third Doig Medal to go with his second Brownlow Medal after being named Fremantle's club champion for 2019.

In a runaway result, Fyfe polled 272 votes, well clear of Michael Walters (238) and Bradley Hill (207).

Fyfe averaged a career-high 29.2 disposals per game in 2019 and kicked 16 goals, with his 33 Brownlow votes – including 16 in losses – illustrating his consistency.

Nat Fyfe credits a spiritual Pilates teacher for his 2019 Brownlow medal.

Fyfe had just torn his hamstring in Fremantle's round 15 loss to Brisbane in 2018, when a Pilates instructor named Trudy recognised the Dockers skipper and introduced herself.

"She was at a café," Fyfe explained.

"I was just recently injured and she came up to me – she's a bit of a spiritual person – and she said she had an inkling that I was going to hurt myself in the last week."

Fyfe had looked at her quizzically and asked where she had been to warn him about the potential of the injury the week before, but instead got a surprise invitation in return.

"She said if I was up to it, to come and see her," Fyfe said.

"No charge, one-on-one Pilates lessons, give it a go … I tried it for a month and 11 months later I sit here as a Brownlow Medallist. I'm incredibly grateful for her."

Nat Fyfe stamps his name among footy's elite, becoming just the 15th player in VFL/AFL history to claim multiple Brownlow medals.

Fyfe polled 33 votes in the 2019 count to claim the game's highest individual honour for the second time in his career, six votes clear of Patrick Dangerfield in second place and seven votes ahead of both Patrick Cripps and Lachie Neale in third.

"My role has changed a lot. I'm a lot more wise with how I play. It's no good, me going back with the flight or recklessly jumping into contests and getting injured and then not being able to play the next week. I feel like I'm an older head," Fyfe said while reflecting on 2019 compared to his first Brownlow medal-winning season of 2015.

"I'm less box office, which is probably not as enjoyable for fans to watch. But I can play more hours of footy through the season, which is my most valuable commodity to the team."

Nat Fyfe is named captain of the 2019 All-Australian team.

"You don't want to set out to achieve individual things in a team sport, but it's nice to have some recognition and salvage something from a pretty difficult season at a team level," Fyfe said.

Veteran Docker David Mundy says he and his teammates are ready to step up if Nat Fyfe continues to receive undue attention.

"There are measures the players can take to stand up for our teammates, and ultimately give Nat the ball," Mundy said.

"We don't put it on one or two players to be the enforcers or protect Nathan. I don't think Nat would really want an individual taking too much from their game to do that.

"To my knowledge, Nathan is a bit sore, battered and bruised but will lick his wounds and get back up this week."

Dockers coach Ross Lyon says his Nat Fyfe needs more protection from umpires.

"We'd like him to be looked after more," Lyon said.

"We'll probably have to take it into our own hands, really, if he doesn't start getting looked after. I don't say that lightly, but I've probably had enough of it."

Nat Fyfe will miss Fremantle's first 2019 derby against West Coast after being ruled out due to concussion from a head collision with Saints youngster Josh Battle.

"I've had a lot of injuries over my career and concussion still sits at the top of the list, so I'll be taking this extremely seriously," Fyfe told Channel Seven.

"The hard thing is I might feel fine but not sure what symptoms and damage is being done internally."

Nat Fyfe has never played a full season, but the Fremantle superstar hopes "secret" tweaks to his training regime improves his durability.

"I can't give away too much. I'm hopeful we can have this conversation at the end of the year once I've played 22 (games) … and I can update you on a few secrets that I've done," Fyfe said.

"But it's more that mindset of adjusting the training so that I'm no longer needing to be the fastest, or strongest, or best clearance player in the country, I just need to be durable."

According to official figures to be released by the AFL in its 2018 Annual Report, six AFL players earned more than $1 million in 2018.

Richmond's Dustin Martin, Fremantle's Nathan Fyfe, Sydney's Lance Franklin, Tom Lynch (Gold Coast in 2018), GWS' Jeremy Cameron and Western Bulldogs' Tom Boyd are believed to be the six.

West Coast's Nic Naitanui is likely to have earned more than $900,000, and Collingwood captain Scott Pendlebury, while not earning as much as previous seasons, would also have been around this range.

Nat Fyfe will have surgery in a bid to overcome a niggling elbow injury, but the Dockers expect him to be fit to play at least one game in the JLT Community Series.

"He said it was really painful and when Nat Fyfe says something's painful … he's the guy that played with a broken leg for a game a few years ago for a quarter or so and played really well, so he's obviously got a really high pain threshold," Dockers football manager Peter Bell said.

"I think he would be back into full training really, really quickly and then we'll just manage with how he comes through that."

Nat Fyfe says he is currently training with an inflamed bursa.

"I've got an inflamed bursa on my right elbow, which I'm training with strapped up at the moment," he said.

"It's pretty painful, but not lasting damage. It's just something I'll have to manage for the next couple of weeks."

Nat Fyfe will lead the Dockers for a third season as skipper in 2019, while Joel Hamling joins off-season recruit Reece Conca as a new leader, with David Mundy, Michael Walters and Alex Pearce making up the rest of the group.

Veteran ruckman Aaron Sandilands has stepped aside after a 10-year stint.

Lachie Neale wins his second Doig Medal as Fremantle's best and fairest for 2018.

Neale polled 186 votes ahead of David Mundy (164) and Nat Fyfe (150).

Only Matthew Pavlich (six), Peter Bell (three), Aaron Sandilands (two) and Fyfe (two) – arguably Freo's four greatest players – had won the award more than once before Neale saluted as 2018's best Docker.

"Those names are really special players for this footy club and I don’t see myself in that esteem at the moment, but hopefully I'm building a career that at the end of it all I can look back and be really proud on," Neale said.

"There's some absolute stars that have come through the door and those names I feel very lucky and privileged to be in this position."

Nat Fyfe is expected to miss at least a week after injuring his hamstring in Fremantle's loss to Brisbane at Optus Stadium.

Nat Fyfe reveals he considered quitting the game after the Dockers' heartbreaking 2013 Grand Final loss to Hawthorn.

The Brownlow medallist lost his motivation for football while he was on a surfing trip in the weeks after the grinding 15-point defeat.

"I was in a van, surfing with a mate, and my mind was basically made up that I’d had enough," Fyfe said.

"I’d played to a high level of footy, I’d been paid well, I’d enj­oyed it, but I was pretty keen to get back to the simple life.

"After about 10 days … that desire, motivation and hun­ger was back and stronger than ever.

"I’ve used that as a lesson ever since — staying in and around the energy of the environment keeps you focused, and if you tread too far from that path you can get hazy on what your goals are and you’re not as capable of achieving what you want to achieve."

Nat Fyfe says he has moved on from being suspended and ruled out of Brownlow Medal contention.

"Initially, there was some disappointment and frustration both with missing a week, missing my 150th at home, and obviously the ineligibility," Fyfe said.

"But I moved on pretty quickly from that, and look forward to getting back out and playing against Carlton this week."

Nat Fyfe becomes ineligible for the 2018 Brownlow Medal after receiving a one-match ban from the AFL Tribunal for striking Magpie Levi Greenwood.

Fyfe sought to challenge the ban on the grounds his conduct was careless rather than intentional, while conceding it was low impact and high contact.

Nat Fyfe has returned to his scintillating best in 2018, with Bulldog Marcus Bontempelli left in awe of the Fremantle superstar.

Fyfe amassed a career-high 43 disposals, 21 contested possessions, 13 clearances, seven inside 50s and a goal in the Dockers' 54-point rout of the Bulldogs at Optus Stadium.

"You get an appreciation of how good Nat Fyfe is, and his ability to move from stoppage to stoppage, cover the ground and influence around the ground in marking situations," Bontempelli told RSN Radio.

"I think we're starting see him get back to that (Brownlow Medal) form more consistently throughout this year."

Nat Fyfe says he is motivated by the challenge of regaining recognition as the game's best player in 2018 after a pre-season that has him well placed to produce his elite best.

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't motivated individually by being the best player I can be, and potentially being unanimously recognised as the best player does have some real motivation aspects to it," Fyfe said.

"But as a captain of the footy club it takes somewhat of a backseat to getting our team going and really performing as a team."

Alex Pearce has been added to an expanded Fremantle leadership group in 2018, which will be led by captain Nat Fyfe for the second season.

Bradley Hill the other new addition to the group after an outstanding first season with the club.

Michael Walters, Lachie Neale, David Mundy and Aaron Sandilands retained their leadership roles, while veteran defender Lee Spurr was the only player to make way from the 2017 group.

A record nine players earned more than $1 million in 2017 as the rich got richer under the new collective bargaining agreement.

Lance Franklin is understood to have been one of the competition's highest-paid players last season, with Tom Boyd, Scott Pendlebury, Nathan Fyfe and then Gold Coast teammates Gary Ablett and Tom Lynch widely believed within industry circles to have also earned seven-figure salaries.

It is likely some of 2017's millionaires are on contracts wherein their average yearly salary is less than $1 million, but their deals were front- or back-ended last season to top seven figures. Sources identified Dayne Beams and Michael Hurley as players in this category.

Richmond captain Trent Cotchin and teammate Dion Prestia would also have been among the AFL's top earners in 2017.

Nat Fyfe will have a full house from hosting three Fremantle teammates including Griffin Logue, Alex Pearce and the Dockers' first round draftee Andrew Brayshaw.

Pearce, however, will soon be moving into his own home in a few weeks to make way for the club's new recruit who will make the move from Melbourne.

Mastering the round ball at a Spanish soccer club had Fremantle skipper Nat Fyfe ready for the Virgin Australia International Rules Series.

Fyfe kicked three overs, but the highlight was his goal in the third quarter when he blasted the ball off the goal post and into the back of the net.

"I trained in Spain for a few weeks, so I took a round ball to Spain and trained at a soccer club over there," Fyfe said.

"I honed my skill where I could."

After a strong finish to 2017, Nat Fyfe is confident he can return to his best form in 2018.

"As the (2017) season went on and I spent more time playing and started to understand my body again and what I was capable of, I found I got better and better," Fyfe told Perth radio 91.3 Sport FM.

"I've got some level of confidence going into next season that I've got my fitness and if I can retain that level of touch that I'll be able to get back to that high-level form."

Nat Fyfe says he's not surprised by his 2017 Virgin Australia All Australian snub, admitting he had an inconsistent season.

"Definitely not unlucky at all. I've had a wishy-washy year," Fyfe said.

"I missed 12 months, and that was enough to put me back amongst the pack.

"But I'm starting to figure out what I'm capable of again. The last eight to 10 games I've figured out how to play footy again, and understand my body, and know what's required."

Nat Fyfe signs a significant six-year contract extension with Fremantle that will keep him at the club until the end of 2023.

"Fremantle has been my home since the start of my AFL career and to get some long-term security at the club is something that we've worked hard at," Fyfe said.

"The actual negotiation process was really quick. For me, the delay in the decision was about being comfortable with signing a long-term deal.

"I come out as a 31, 32-year-old man, so to be comfortable with that decision and understand that – given the moving landscape of the AFL – I'm probably going to outlast most players and most coaches on the list currently."

Aaron Sandilands has leapt to the defence of Fremantle teammate Nat Fyfe, saying the 2015 Brownlow medallist is leading the group well despite playing under duress.

Fyfe has struggled to recapture his golden form of 2015 since fracturing his left leg twice within the space of a year.

The first-year skipper is averaging 25 disposals a game this season, compared to 28.8 in 2015.

"It's funny how one person criticises, and then everyone jumps on board," Sandilands said.

"I think Fyfey himself would like to be a little bit better but the way he's led the club and the boys at the moment - we can't fault him.

"It (playing with soreness) probably just shows his mental strength. He puts his hand up even if he isn't 100 per cent, and gets out and delivers."

A Perth radio host claims that Fyfe had "virtually accepted" an offer from the Saints worth $1.5 million a season, and claimed the "massive scoop" had come via a St Kilda board member.

Saints coach Alan Richardson strongly refuted the speculation when quizzed about it.

"(I) don't want to give it much oxygen because it was so far off the mark," Richardson told Fox Footy.

"(It's) pretty disappointing really that there was an accusation that a board member had spoken to someone and so that's the disappointing part.

"The rest of it is just laughable given that we know where it all sits."

Nat Fyfe has dismissed speculation that Fremantle's woeful form could impact his decision to re-sign with the club beyond this season.

"My contractual position is very consistent. I've stated that my intentions are that I see my future at Freo and that I was always going to wait until a time during the year to sign a contract," Fyfe said.

"So wins and losses aren't going to have any effect on that."

Fremantle coach Ross Lyon says the club will keep a close-eye on off-the-ball treatment of superstar Nat Fyfe after Geelong targeted the Dockers skipper in round one.

While Lyon didn't believe the Cats' physicality was untoward, Fyfe was repeatedly checked around stoppages as Geelong tried to restrict his influential combination with Aaron Sandilands.

"If the umpires don't look after him we will," Lyon said.

"We're not playing Scotch, we're playing hard-nosed AFL teams. That's the business, it's the fiercest competition in Australia.

"There's nothing wrong with that, but you need to look after your own."

Lance Franklin and Tom Boyd are widely believed to be among the competition's highest paid players.

Franklin was paid about $700,000 in each of his first two seasons at Sydney, but his salary is understood to have risen to at least seven figures in 2016.

Boyd crossed to the Bulldogs from Greater Western Sydney at the end of 2014 on a seven-year deal worth about $7 million.

The 2013 draft's No.1 pick earned about $140,000 under standardised second-year player wages and match payments in his first year at the Whitten Oval, but that amount spiked markedly in 2016.

Gary Ablett also earned at least $1 million in 2016, while Fremantle captain Nat Fyfe, Collingwood skipper Scott Pendlebury and West Coast ruckman Nic Naitanui were widely seen by industry sources as earning close to that mark.

Nat Fyfe admits that he felt a tad jealous of Patrick Dangerfield in 2016.

"I have to admit I do like the spice of playing with Patrick," Fyfe said at Fremantle's 2017 season launch.

"I watched on with a bit of jealousy last year the way he went about his footy. I'm pretty intent to renew acquaintances."

Nat Fyfe says he is prepared to make an early call on his playing future if speculation begins to affect the team.

"I've stated all along that I see my future being with Fremantle and I've always signed contracts in the mid-to-late part of my last year of the contract and that was always going to be the case (this year)," Fyfe said.

"I'll monitor [the speculation] closely and if I feel at any point that it's affecting me, or more importantly the team or the club, then I'll look to do something pretty quickly."

Nat Fyfe will captain Fremantle in 2017 after succeeding David Mundy as skipper of the club.

Fyfe, Mundy, Aaron Sandilands and Lee Spurr have been joined in the 2017 leadership group by star forward Michael Walters and reigning Doig medallist Lachie Neale.

Veteran defender Michael Johnson has been left out after a controversial off-season incident, which saw him charged with assault in a kebab shop.

"It's just fantastic to get the support of the players, and to also have two new members of the leadership group," Fyfe said.

"It's an exciting time for the footy club and we have an exciting group to lead the club for the next four or five years."

Out-of-contract Nat Fyfe says he won't rush to re-sign with Fremantle in the wake of his appointment as captain.

"I've got to focus on primarily on getting myself back and playing good footy this year and the contract stuff will take care of itself," Fyfe said.

"But I have said publicly nothing has changed and I want to play my football at Fremantle."

Nat Fyfe's impending free agency doesn't fuss Fremantle coach Ross Lyon.

"I think it's reality, I think it generates news, it generates interest and it's going to be an on-going narrative, one that I'm not going to comment on," Lyon said.

"It's not something I sit around and mull about it. I just do what I can do and I've experienced it before. There have been lots of great players that have been out of contract, but I let the cobblers do the cobbling.

"That's between Nat, his manager and the club, and whether they do it at round one, round 26 or in the off-season it's not for me."

Alex Pearce says his strong bond with teammate Nat Fyfe helped him get through the lows of his broken leg earlier this year.

"With injuries like mine, you need a lot of support through different people, and Nat's definitely one who I've drawn a lot from," Pearce said.

"He's helped me a lot by keeping me in a good positive headspace moving forward.

"After surgery, there can be a few tough weeks when you're sitting at home not doing a great deal.

"All through the year we had those conversations about how hungry we were to get back and how tough it is watching.

"That helps drive us during this period of pre-season."

Nat Fyfe says he has been training hard with Alex Pearce in the United States with both players having fully recovered from a broken leg injury.

"Alex and I are doing a two week intensive training camp both coming off end stage rehab for our broken legs," Fyfe said.

"We’ve been turning at a gym designed for MMA, boxing, NHL and NFL athletes, and training at a college facility down the road for our running.

"The training facility’s designed for former and current elite athletes of different codes. I spent some time with NHL athlete Nate Thompson, a former NFL linebacker.

"Just being able to pick their brains and ask a few things about their respective sports has been eye opening."

Kyle Langford is using Brownlow medallist Nat Fyfe as his inspiration for what he hopes will be a breakout 2017 season.

"I got some information off 'Harves' (assistant coach Mark Harvey) and 'Crowls' (2016 top-up player Ryan Crowley) – how he (Fyfe) went from being a normal player to the elite player he is," Langford said.

"I've had a look at that and based my game and my lifestyle off that.

"I spoke with John (Worsfold) just before the season ended and he does see me as a midfielder – a tall mid roaming around the ground.

"Whether that's next year or in the years to come depends on how I train during the pre-season.

"Next year I think I'll (continue to) play that high half-forward and hopefully a little bit through the midfield."

Nat Fyfe says he will continue to be a demanding leader despite some questions being raised publicly about his relationship with some of his teammates.

"It's been hard to take some of the criticisms," Fyfe said.

"I've found it a little bit unfair at times. But that's the nature of the business.

"I won't shy away from being a demanding leader. But the relationship I have with all the players and coaches is really healthy and as a high-performing organisation, that's what we need of our leaders and our players."

Nat Fyfe has hosed down talk he will leave Fremantle, saying it's just a matter of time before he signs a new deal with the Dockers.

"I don't want there to be any doubt that I see my future here at the Fremantle Dockers," Fyfe said.

"We have a strong plan in place, with good people … and recent reports that I would consider a trade at the end of the season are completely false."

Hayden Ballantyne says he loves playing with superstar Nat Fyfe and has laughed off suggestions of a rift.

"I love playing with Nathan Fyfe because he's one of the best players in the AFL and he's so driven for success he drags everyone else and he inspires the team and myself to play good footy," Ballantyne told Perth radio station Mix 94.5.

Fremantle captain David Mundy admits Nat Fyfe's leadership style may put his teammates offside.

However, Mundy defended Fyfe's methods, saying they were necessary to help improve the playing group.

"Nat's clearly a very demanding leader at times, and knows what he wants," Mundy said.

"We love that about him. We respect that and we value that in the football club.

"Sometimes that may get people offside. But Nat especially is coming from a place to help everyone improve. Our group understands that.

"So while there might be moments where myself, Nat, or Ross (Lyon) might get someone offside, it's all for the betterment of the team."

Nat Fyfe says he will look at every option before deciding where his future lies when his current contract at Fremantle runs out at the end of 2017.

"The idea of free agency is that players do have a say in their career and it would be remiss of me not to look at every possible option," Fyfe said.

"But if I see a strong future at Freo then that's where I'll be playing my footy."

Nat Fyfe appears in an Adidas advertisement with Real Madrid superstar Gareth Bale who sends the new 2016/17 uniform via a jet ski to Fyfe

Fyfe then emerges from out of the surf to receive the package, before sending a text message to the Welshman.

Real Madrid tweeted the advertisement out. The ad is also on Fyfe's Facebook page with a comment from Bale saying: "Enjoy the top Nate!!! Hopefully see you in Madrid this season."

Fremantle coach Ross Lyon has warned the club cannot take it for granted that injured star Nat Fyfe will re-sign.

"You have to bring people along for the journey ... they have to buy into the plan," Lyon told Fox Footy.

"So as we finalise it and decisions are made, you have to bring Nathan along.

"If Nathan believes in that plan and he sees success coming his way, he'll be there, I have no doubt.

"But if he doesn't believe in the plan, and we don't bring him along, he'd be a chance to leave."

Nat Fyfe says he won't know until next season whether the decision to take the whole year off to allow his fractured leg to heal properly is the right one.

Fyfe told Channel Seven on Monday night that he feels fit enough to play now but he will have the plate in his leg removed in a couple of weeks. He said time would tell if it is the right decision.

"We won't know until next year, but a year off this year will hopefully give me some longevity in my career and have me ready to really attack next year and return to my best footy, which I've got every intention of doing," Fyfe said.

"I'm fit and strong and if I wasn't getting the plates removed I'd be playing footy by now.

"But the way we've gone, in a couple of weeks I'll have the surgery, have the plates taken out and start again on my rebuild for 2017."

Connor Blakely is the round 11 NAB Rising Star nomination after picking up 25 disposals in Fremantle's first win of the season against Essendon.

Blakely managed just four disposals to half time but says a pep talk from Nat Fyfe during the break helped him turn it around in the second half.

"I hadn't really had that much of an influence on the game but he spoke about how my tackling pressure (four tackles) had been really good and I was right there at the contest yet the ball hadn't really bounced my way," Blakely said.

"Fyfey said, 'Don't be down about that because I know you'll respond.'"

Nat Fyfe has been ruled out for the rest of the season due to his fractured fibula.

"Based on clear medical advice Nat will not be available to play again in 2016," Fremantle football manager Chris Bond said.

"He is due to have the plate removed later in the year and will then undergo a carefully planned period of rehabilitation.

"Our medical advice is that if Nat completes the rehabilitation phase without any setbacks he will be fit and available to start the 2017 pre-season on schedule."

Little-known Docker Ethan Hughes has spent a lot of time playing in the WAFL but that hasn’t stopped Fremantle coach Ross Lyon comparing him to one of the game’s superstars, Nat Fyfe.

Hughes will play just his second AFL game after he was named as one of three changes for Dockers ahead of Saturday night's clash with Greater Western Sydney. And Lyon said Hughes' athleticism was similar to the reigning Brownlow medallist’s.

"He's a really terrific athlete, in the Fyfe mould really," Lyon said.

"Big boy. Runs really well. Competitive winger/half-back. He played against Port last year and really acquitted (himself well). (He's a) clean ball handler."

Nat Fyfe says he has a decision to make about whether to try and play again this year or sit out the rest of 2016 to allow his fractured leg to heal fully.

"I'll have a four-to-six week period of rehab now where I'll get back up to full speed and running, and then we've got some real decisions to make about what the rest of my year looks like," Fyfe said.

"Whether I come back and get the plate taken straight out to prevent any further risk, or whether I try to play on for the rest of the year."

Fyfe revealed that his latest fracture was related to the first one.

"There's pretty good evidence that because of the plate, I've got some weakness above it and that's why it broke," Fyfe said.

"Because the plate makes the old fracture so strong there's a weak point above and below it."

Fremantle coach Ross Lyon says he would love star midfielder Nat Fyfe to play again this season but he will not risk him if he doesn't have to.

"He's critical to us. He loves this club. He wants to build this club, so therefore when we get him back we want him to be in the best shape he can possibly be to play great footy that we know he does," Lyon said.

"I'm not in a position to really comment until he gets back (to Perth) and until the doctors and physios map out his plan. For me it would be great if Nathan played but I would never risk Nathan."

Nat fyfe has had successful surgery to repair his broken leg but there is still no time frame on his playing return.

Nat Fyfe will fly to Melbourne for surgery on a broken leg and says he is hopeful of playing again in 2016.

In the dramatic loss to Carlton on Sunday, Fyfe re-injured the leg he broke during last year's preliminary final, which has since contained a plate on the fibula bone.

Fyfe underwent scans to confirm the damage and will undergo surgery on his fibula from leading sports surgeon Julian Feller, who operated on Fyfe at the end of last season.

"I'll know more after I see the surgeon tonight but I'm really hopeful I'll be able to get back and play some footy this year," Fyfe said.

Fremantle fears Nat Fyfe has re-injured the leg he broke during last season's preliminary final after the Brownlow medallist finished the Dockers' match against Carlton on crutches.

Fyfe sat out the second half on the bench with a large ice pack strapped to the lower part of the leg he fractured during last season's preliminary final.

He limped onto the ground to commiserate with his beaten teammates after the Blues' remarkable four-point win.

Nat Fyfe says he will be spending more time forward for the Dockers in 2016.

"I like playing as a forward," he said.

"We need to kick more goals. So where I can I'll try and get forward and isolate myself and really build into the forward structure that we've got going."

Nat Fyfe faces up to two months on the sidelines after sustaining a ruptured disc in his back from a pre-Christmas training drill.

Fyfe will not need surgery on the injury, but will require a period of rest that is likely to rule him out of Fremantle's first 2016 NAB Challenge game against Richmond.

Scans on the disc showed it was pushing onto the spinal cord and will mean that Fyfe will need to cease pre-season training immediately.

Nat fyfe's transformation from skinny half-forward flanker to midfield beast has inspired teammate Hayden Crozier to add some more size to his frame this summer.

"It's well documented I came in fairly skinny and a little pasty kid from Victoria," Crozier said.

"Seeing a guy like Nat Fyfe, the amount of size he's put on in a couple of years without losing any running ability, it's something to look up to."

Nat Fyfe has taken time out from his holiday in the Maldives to help locals build a bridge.

"I helped out a mate who is a resident on this island to do some bush maintenance," Fyfe wrote on his Facebook page.

"The old bridge had become completely run down and is the only way to get to another island where there is good surf and fishing.

"Probably not going to pass too many safety checks but job done and the locals have access again."

Fremantle ruckman Aaron Sandilands has created a massive boilover in Fremantle's best and fairest, becoming the oldest winner of the Doig Medal on Saturday night.

Sandilands, 32, won his second Doig Medal in a thrilling count by just five votes from midfielder David Mundy.

Brownlow medallist and AFL Players' Association MVP Nat Fyfe finished fourth with Stephen Hill claiming third for the second straight season.

The Dockers' voting system made it difficult for Fyfe to claim his third straight medal. Five coaches give each player a vote from zero to five for each game, meaning the maximum votes a player can tally in each game is 25.

Fyfe led the count after round 17 by 45 votes, with Sandilands sitting fourth behind Mundy and Lachie Neale. But Fyfe missed four of the last six games through injury, and played the preliminary final with a broken leg.

Mundy led Sandilands by five votes at the end of the home and away season but the ruckman polled better in the two finals to win the medal.

"I'm in a bit of shock, to be honest," Sandilands said.

"We've had so many players who have had such great years.

"Fyfey obviously won the Brownlow and David Mundy has had a stellar year and I thought those two would fight it out."

Brownlow medallist Nathan Fyfe returns to a rousing reception in his home town of Lake Grace in a helicopter.

Lake Grace has a population of around 500 and based on photos, most of them turned up to see the arrival of their footy hero.
Fyfe said he was thrilled to be back home and loved seeing the locals.

"Thanks everyone for turning up," Fyfe told the club's website.

"It's great to be back here and see so many people."

Having become his club's first Brownlow Medallist aged just 24, Fremantle superstar Nat Fyfe says he is still determined to take his game to another level next season.

"I'm hungry to get better. Half a year doesn't fulfill me and not playing in a Grand Final or a premiership team doesn't fulfill me," Fyfe said.

"I'll have surgery this week and have a couple of weeks off and dissect the season and reload at the right time and come back and keep striving until we get what we want to achieve as a team. I do think I've got improvement [left] in my game.

"The number one thing for me clearly is getting my body to a position where I can play a full season of footy."

Nat Fyfe is set for surgery on his fractured leg and says he will have to spend more time in attack in 2016.

"Clearly the No.1 issue I've got is my body, being able to get through a whole season unscathed and uninjured - so I will have to build some more tools into my body," Fyfe said.

"The reality is I'm going to have to play more as a forward and kick more goals.

"We've got a midfield that is developed and has got plenty of firepower now so that will be a big focus of mine next year."

Nat Fyfe has created history by becoming the Dockers' first Brownlow medallist after holding off fast-finishing reigning winner Matt Priddis.

Fyfe defied injury, history and Match Review Panel concerns during the season to poll 31 votes to become the Dockers' maiden Brownlow Medal winner since they entered the competition in 1995.

The 24-year-old midfielder set up his Brownlow win with a barnstorming start to the season, claiming an amazing 26 votes in the first 13 rounds of the season.

It was as many as West Coast star Priddis polled to claim the medal in 2015. In a turnaround from 2015, Priddis was this year's runner-up on 28 votes, falling three votes short of back-to-back medals.

"It hasn't really sunk in, to be honest. It's been a bit of a rollercoaster year and a rollercoaster last couple of days," Fyfe said after the count.

"It's just special to be able to share it with the coaching staff, the people of Fremantle, and some of the players.

"This is genuinely a team and Fremantle Football Club medal, and it's great to be able to take it back to the football club."

Fyfe also set a Brownlow record, polling 17 votes in the first eight rounds – surpassing Chris Judd's record from 2010 when he managed 16 votes in the first eight games.

Fremantle reveals that Nat Fyfe fractured the fibula in his left leg early in the first quarter of the Dockers' preliminary final loss to Hawthorn.

After starting the game against the Hawks on the interchange bench, Fyfe received a knock to his troublesome lower left leg in his first contest and was limping during the match.

The Dockers said a specialist had recommended a plate be inserted to aid Fyfe’s healing process.

“It is a fairly minor procedure and, given the duration of the player off-season period, our medical advice at this stage is that the recovery and rehabilitation process will not affect Nat’s 2016 pre-season,” Fremantle’s general manager of football operations Chris Bond said.

Garrick Ibbotson says Fremantle teammate Nat Fyfe playing under duress in the Dockers' preliminary final against Hawthorn was inspirational.

Despite at times looking as if he could barely walk, let alone run, at Domain Stadium as Hawthorn beat Fremantle by 27 points to advance to the Grand Final, Fyfe put in a monster effort to keep the Dockers in the contest.

Fyfe did all he could with 24 possessions (16 contested), nine clearances and six tackles.

"He's a real competitor so he's always going to keep giving everything he's got," Ibbotson said.

"Towards the end there it looked as though he was hardly moving, but he always wanted to play and he showed why he is the star player that he is.

"I thought he was alright going into the game even though he wasn't quite 100 per cent, but he'd come a long way with all the recovery he'd done the last couple of weeks.

"I know that he wasn't perfect but you could see by the end how hard it was for him to keep going."

Nathan Fyfe has been battling inflammation of the left fibula since the round 21 win over St Kilda.

He has played just once since then, in the qualifying final win over the Sydney Swans, and has needed to manage his week-to-week training loads as well as wear a moon boot and walk on crutches at different stages to protect an injury that he described as "similar to shin splints."

Fyfe will play against Hawthorn in Fremantle's preliminary final this week but admits it will be challenge to recover in time for the Grand Final should the Dockers win.

"Luckily we've got medical professionals who have considered all options and have got me in the best hands and should that happen, and hopefully it does, then we'll be ready to go again," Fyfe said.

For the second successive year, the AFL's players have named Fremantle star Nat Fyfe the most valuable in the competition.

Fyfe, the Brownlow Medal favourite, polled 1455 votes to win the Leigh Matthews Trophy as the AFL Players' Association's MVP ahead of North Melbourne ruckman Todd Goldstein (578) and Adelaide's Patrick Dangerfield (364).

Fyfe, 23, is only the third player in the award's 33-year history to win in successive years, following five-time winner Gary Ablett (2007-09, 2012-13) and Michael Voss (2002-03).

"It's such an honour to have been awarded the Leigh Matthews Trophy two years in a row. Having the respect of your peers is one of the highest accolades we can hope to achieve as players – I'm truly humbled," Fyfe said.

Nat Fyfe will miss the next two weeks with inflammation in the fibula in his left leg.

The Brownlow Medal favourite has endured injury problems since receiving a nasty cork in his right leg from Hawthorn's Sam Mitchell in round 15.

He played the following two weeks before missing rounds 18 and 19 with a groin problem that was related to the cork. On the weekend he gathered 21 touches but only managed five kicks.

He will now be rested for the matches against Melbourne and Port Adelaide ahead of the finals to allow the inflammation to settle. The Dockers are confident he should be fit for the qualifying final.

Fremantle coach Ross Lyon says the team must do more to protect Nat Fyfe.

"We'll get better as a team supporting him. I think we need to do more," Lyon said.

"It's like Ryan Crowley. He used to go to tag, but he used to come off black and blue.

"So if you're going to play on Nathan you should come off black and blue."

Fremantle coach Ross Lyon says he has contacted the AFL umpiring department to seek clarification about holding and blocking tactics that opposition midfielders have employed on Nat Fyfe in recent weeks.

"Teams are rolling up more players around the ball," Lyon said.

"There is a lot more attention going into players. We've certainly made contact with the umpiring department about what's legal and what's not legal.

"Obviously a lot of time has gone into Fyfe."

Sam Mitchell concedes he must stop lifting his knee to protect himself from oncoming opponents after copping a fine from the Match Review Panel.

Mitchell accepted a $1500 fine for raising his knee and 'corking' Nat Fyfe during Hawthorn's thumping 72-point win over Fremantle.

It was the second time this year that the Hawks veteran has come under scrutiny for raising his knee, after he made contact with Crow Taylor Walker in round 12.

Mitchell was cleared by the MRP after the Walker incident, which later forced the Adelaide captain to be substituted out of the match.

But he said industry feedback from the Fyfe clash indicated he had to change his approach.

"I looked at the vision that the MRP look at and I can understand why it's not a good look and it's not a good thing for the game," Mitchell said.

"Although it's not my intention in that situation to hurt the other person – it's purely just to protect myself – I guess the game has given me the feedback that I need to change the way I go about doing that.

"I'll work on some techniques over the coming weeks and do it differently. But it's just an instinct thing that I've done for a long period and something that I now need to change.

"I have to do it differently, I need to find a new way to protect myself and get out of that habit, if you like, of putting my knee up. I need to turn to the side or whatever."

Nat Fyfe is sent to the bench with a corked thigh after being collided into by a raised knee from Hawk Sam Mitchell.

The incident raised the eyebrow of Adelaide's Taylor Walker who suffered a similar fate following a collision with Mitchell earlier in the year.

"you wouldn't believe it.. Lightning strikes twice!!!" Walker tweeted.

An online bookmaker has already paid out on Fremantle's Nat Fyfe winning the Brownlow Medal, but Dockers coach Ross Lyon says he's not interested in "bookies' stunts".

CrownBet announced that it had made a six-figure payout to punters on all single bets placed on Nat Fyfe to win the 2015 Brownlow Medal prior to May 22.

Lyon said on Thursday his side was more interested in team success than Brownlow betting.

"Bookies, they have stunts all the time," Lyon said.

"So there's another stunt. I don't think they're going broke. I think that's a side issue.

"We love the hype really. He's won the past two Doigs (Fremantle's best and fairest medal) so he's played to a very high level and all the Brownlow hype was there last year.

"It's a prestigious award, but not something that really interests me, and I know it's not a priority for Nathan.

"Team success is what will ultimately define this football club. We've got numerous multiple best and fairest winners but I look over at the cabinet and it's empty."

Corey McKernan says his opinion on a lost Brownlow Medal has finally changed after Nat Fyfe escaped suspension this week.

McKernan was ineligible for the 1996 award after he was suspended for kneeing and falling into the back of Geelong ruckman John Barnes.

Until the Fyfe adjudication, McKernan had been comfortable with his fate that beset him 19 years ago.

"I think for a hell of a long time, a week was a week, we all knew that," he said.

"I was the biggest spokesperson of going 'you know what, (the) Brownlow, that's their rules'.

"It does really seem to me now the rules have changed, it's different.

"We all agree the incident with Nat Fyfe, like I keep saying it's great he gets off but in terms of where you stop with those trivial incidents, in my eyes it seems you've changed the nature of how you interpret the award."

Nat Fyfe says the constant speculation about his Brownlow Medal chances has become a sideshow that is distracting from how well Fremantle is playing as a team.

"It's somewhat of a distracting side plot to the fact that we're 7-0 and going really well as a footy club," Fyfe said.

"I don't read into it too much but I'd be lying if I didn't acknowledge that there is some noise there, and it is disappointing that it sometimes takes away from what we're achieving as a group."

Anthony Morabito is at the forefront of Nat Fyfe's mind as he prepares for his 100th game.

The two men will be forever linked as Fremantle's first two picks in the 2009 NAB AFL Draft. Morabito was taken with pick No.4, Fyfe with No.20.

At the end of their first season, both men had played in Fremantle's two finals that year, both received NAB AFL Rising Star nominations and both had polled Brownlow votes.

On Saturday night, Fyfe will wrap up a first century of games where he has won two club best and fairest awards, an AFL Players' Association MVP, been named All Australian and played in a Grand Final.

In the same period, Morabito has endured three knee reconstructions and has added just three games, taking his career tally to 26 matches, and he remains sidelined with ongoing knee problems.

"I constantly think about Anthony," Fyfe said.

"He's one of my really close friends at the footy club and our pathways have obviously gone in different directions.

"We still use each other a lot as sounding blocks, obviously with footy and life and what goes on.

"It just shows how fickle the industry is, and all footy followers really feel for Anthony."

Nat Fyfe praises the recent changes to the Match Review Panel that helped him escape with a fine for tripping Bulldog Koby Stevens.

"It's never nice to be reported," Fyfe said.

"But I'm really happy with the findings and happy that I can move on. I think the new changes to the Match Review Panel are really pragmatic and they're designed specifically for cases like this."

Nat Fyfe remains eligible for this year's Brownlow Medal after the Match Review Panel fined him $1,000 for tripping in the Dockers' win over the Western Bulldogs.

The raging medal favourite avoided suspension for the trip, which was deemed intentional body contact, but of low impact.

Nat Fyfe Brownlow Medal prospects rest with the Match Review Panel after the Fremantle star was reported for tripping Western Bulldogs midfielder Koby Stevens.

Stevens says the trip was most likely an accident.

"I don't want a bloke like that to be suspended for something like that," Stevens said after the game.

"It just happens and it's accidental. I wouldn't think Fyfey would do that on purpose."

Matt de Boer says teammate Nat Fyfe's production on the field is a result of his meticulous preparation.

"It's just reward for effort. He works so hard during the week," de Boer said of Fyfe.

"People see what he comes out and dishes up game day and think he's talented but knowing him personally and what goes into it, his mental prep and his physical prep, it's second to none."

Nat Fyfe is ranked by his fellow players as the second best in the AFL, becoming the youngest player in this year's top 10.

Nat Fyfe says the direction the Match Review Panel was taking the game last season was inadequte and he is glad that changes have been implemented.

Under the 2014 MRP system the player electing to bump was deemed strictly liable for a sanction for damage caused.

But the MRP has softened that stance on head clashes this year.

"I'm really glad," Fyfe said.

"It's been a really pragmatic way of dealing with the way our game's going. There's so much contact.

"There's so much scrutiny now on players with camera angles from every different position, it was almost ridiculous the way the game was going with the tribunal.

"They've been really sensible. I think it's a lot fairer."

Nathan Fyfe will be touch and go to play in Fremantle's first NAB Challenge clash but Dockers coach Ross Lyon says it's more important his star midfielder is ready for the home and away season.

Fyfe tweaked his hamstring at training on February 13. He was stretching to take a mark on the lead at the end of a two-and-a-half hour session and felt some discomfort.

The club diagnosed the injury as a minor hamstring strain. Fyfe did not play in the Dockers' intra-club match on Saturday but did complete a running session that morning.

The Dockers were hopeful on Saturday that Fyfe would be fit to face Melbourne in their first NAB Challenge match on Thursday March 5.

"It's a 21-day rehab," Lyon said.

"Maybe a bit less for Nathan. But I don't think it's really important.

"I think everyone would like to see him round one, so that's the aim."

Nat Fyfe says there will no added pressure as a result of being elevated to Fremantle's leadership group for 2015.

"I think I've sort of grown into this role over the last couple of seasons. I won't change much about my day-to-day work at the club. I'll just have a greater awareness knowing that players look to me as a leader," Fyfe said.

"It's certainly a great vote of confidence from the other players that they voted me in. There's certainly new responsibilities and challenges and I'm really looking forward to taking them on."

Nathan Fyfe is elevated into Fremantle's leadership group, taking Matt de Boer's place.

Fyfe will join Matthew Pavlich, David Mundy, Aaron Sandilands, Luke McPharlin and Lee Spurr in leading the club.

"Clearly on the field he's shown he's becoming an elite player of the competition," Dockers skipper Pavlich said of Fyfe.

"The players have certainly seen that. But his level of influence and his ability to give feedback to his teammates are certainly some areas that he's improved in and grown in. I think he's got a fantastic understanding of the modern game and how our game plan exists and how to execute that."

Nat Fyfe will undergo minor surgery on his injured right shoulder but it is not anticipated to impact his pre-season.

Nathan Fyfe looks to have escaped serious damage to the right shoulder he injured in the dying stages of Tuesday's International Rules practice match in Sydney.

But the gun Fremantle midfielder will sit out Saturday's Test against Ireland at Patersons Stadium as a precaution.

"I dived for a mark and simply landed the wrong way and it didn't feel right," Fyfe said.

"I've loved the experience over the last few days and meeting players from across the competition, and it's incredibly disappointing to miss out."

Nathan Fyfe caps off a stellar 2014 by winning his second consecutive Fremantle best and fairest.

Fyfe became just the third player to win back-to-back Doig Medals, joining Peter Bell (2003-04) and Matthew Pavlich (2005-08).

The 23-year-old said the second felt a little different to the first.

"I don't think you can compare them," Fyfe said.

"Last year was the best year in the club's history so that was certainly very special but it's a great award and something I'll hold very dear."

Nathan Fyfe says he is looking forward to representing Australia in 2014 the International Rules Series against Ireland.

"I have always been really interested and excited in possibly representing Australia in a game that I love playing," Fyfe said.

"This International Rules Series opens up a whole new challenge - a round ball, slightly different rules.

"It really throws up a whole new set of challenges at me and I have been really excited to play."

Matt Priddis has won the 2014 Brownlow Medal, capping a fairytale story of persistence for the former mature-age rookie who was overlooked in four drafts.

Priddis, who missed selection in the 2014 All Australian team, polled 26 votes and had the medal secured after 22 rounds, polling two votes in the final round to overtake ineligible Fremantle star Nat Fyfe.

Fyfe, who was suspended twice through the season, polled 25 votes and led the vote tally between rounds 20 and 22.

He polled votes in 13 games to edge out Port Adelaide captain Travis Boak and Adelaide star Patrick Dangerfield, who entered the final round as medal chances on 21 votes each, but failed to poll.

"This doesn't sit too well with me, I'm a pretty shy kind of guy," Priddis said.

"I don't see myself with the likes of some of the Brownlow medallists of the past, so it's a little bit daunting, but something I'm obviously very proud of.

"My family have been absolutely super … I would not be standing here without their love and support. They've been absolutely amazing."

Nathan Fyfe has capped off his incredible season by edging out Gary Ablett to win his first AFL Players' Association Most Valuable Player award.

"I'm really grateful for the award," Fyfe said.

"It's almost the greatest honour you can get, being voted by your peers.

"I got a best and fairest last year and that was a great achievement, but this certainly is an ultimate award and along with a premiership I think it's the highest achievement you can receive."

Nat Fyfe will remain sidelined for the rest of the home and away season after his striking challenge was thrown out by the Appeals Board.

"I'm really glad we exhausted every avenue to get off," Fyfe said.

"The decision has been made, I'll deal with it now and look forward to a big finals series."

Fremantle coach Ross Lyon says Nat Fyfe needs to play smarter after the star Docker failed in his bid to overturn a two-match ban for striking Hawthorn's Jordan Lewis.

"It's just that competitive spirit. It's about harnessing it in the right way," Lyon said.

"In the heat of the moment, it doesn't take much to go wrong to find yourself in trouble.

"I've got no real concerns there. Nathan's an incredibly intelligent guy, focused firmly on team success and I'm sure he'll get the balance right."

Nathan Fyfe will miss the rest of the home-and-away season after he failed to have a striking charge downgraded at the Tribunal.

The midfielder didn't risk an extra week on the sidelines by fighting his case, but he will now be lumped with 76.25 carryover points for the next 12 months as a result of the failed challenge.

MRP chairman Mark Fraser has defended the decision to suspend Fremantle star Nat Fyfe earlier this season, disputing the assertion that MRP interpretations have since changed.

Fyfe was ruled ineligible for the Brownlow Medal when he accepted a rough conduct charge in round two for a bump on Gold Coast's Michael Rischitelli that caused an accidental head clash.

"With that same incident occurring during this weekend, exactly the same penalty would occur," Fraser said.

"This year the Tribunal guidelines were changed to include that head clashes were going to be cited for rough conduct and not [deemed] accidental or circumstances outside the control of the player, which we had done previously.

"He elects to bump him and makes high contact and it ends up being a head clash."

Nathan Fyfe re-signs with Fremantle for a further three years, tying him to the club until at least the end of 2017.

"I've really enjoyed playing with Freo and I'm from WA," Fyfe said.

"Ultimately, the best fit for me was to stay here in Freo.

"There's a strong culture being built now since the acquisition of Ross Lyon and his coaching staff. That culture is really driven by the players – high accountability, high standards.

"It's great to be a part of that building process and I really want to be a part of that going forward from here."

Out of contract Nathan Fyfe has delayed contract talks with Fremantle but says he wants to stay at the club beyond this year.

"I love Freo," Fyfe told Channel Seven's AFL Game Day.

"I'm a West Australian boy… and I have no intentions of going anywhere."

Fremantle coach Ross Lyon isn't fretting about the prospect of losing Nat Fyfe despite rival clubs getting ready to circle the out-of-contract midfielder.

"It doesn't concern me whatsoever," Lyon told Perth radio station 6PR.

"We respect everyone's right to pursue their commercial value.

"From here to the end of the year anything can happen with form and fitness and all those things. It's not a worry for me. It's just topical."

Nathan Fyfe is facing a two-match ban after the AFL Match Review Panel found him guilty of rough conduct for his bump that resulted in a clash of heads with Rischitelli.

Fremantle coach Ross Lyon Fyfe's history of shoulder issues was probably the reason behind his ill-fated decision to bump Rischitelli.

"It's a product of his shoulder injury. When he should tackle, he tends to just protect (his shoulder) and move in with his body," Lyon told Perth radio station 6PR.

"There wasn't any real intention with Nathan. But the reality is there's a rule, and there's an action that he's done."

Nathan Fyfe is out of Brownlow Medal contention and will miss Fremantle's clashes with Hawthorn and Essendon after accepting a two-match ban for rough conduct following a bump on Gold Coast's Michael Rischitelli.

Out-of-contract utility Nathan Fyfe delays contract talks with the Dockers.

Nathan Fyfe claims his first Doig Medal as Fremantle's best and fairest for 2013. Fyfe won by 17 votes from 2010 club champion David Mundy with Michael Johnson finishing third.

"My goal at the start of the year was to play a full year and be part of a successful side that pushed towards September but this is beyond expectations," Fyfe said.

Fremantle midfielder Nathan Fyfe says Aaron Sandilands' return to the side has been a major factor in the club making it to the 2013 Grand Final, besides freeing up fellow ruckman Zac Clarke for stints up forward.

"I think Zac's really grown with him out of the side," Fyfe said.

"But having him back now gives Zac the opportunity to go forward and Aaron an opportunity to go forward so he's really valuable."

With a home preliminary final in hand, Nathan Fyfe says the Dockers must make the most of it.

"I've been really lucky," Fyfe said.

"I was talking with Luke McPharlin earlier in the week and he's been through some really tough days at the club.

"So I definitely don't take it for granted but I'm really excited at the opportunity that we've given ourselves."

Nathan Fyfe is banned for two matches on a kicking charge. Fyfe's attempt to get the charge downgraded from intentional to reckless was unsuccessful.

Chris Mayne urges teammate Hayden Ballantyne to remain aggressive despite Ballantyne's poor disciplinary record.

Mayne says Ballantyne's latest transgression was a result of the small forward trying to protect Nathan Fyfe from a tagger.

"We believe Hayden plays his best footy when he comes close to the edge," Mayne said.

"We're 22 brothers out there looking after each other, and he's definitely one that always cares about his mates."

Star midfielder Nathan Fyfe has added weight to his frame following shoulder surgery.

"This year is a little bit about getting to know what it's like playing at 89kg and if I need a little bit more next year then I can always go up," he said.

"I don't want to be too heavy so I lose that run. At the moment I'm pretty comfortable with it. The jump hasn't been that significant that it's noticeable.

"Hopefully I'll be able to stand up in packs a little bit better this year."

Fremantle star Nathan Fyfe may miss another week after injuring his ankle on his suitcase before while handling the football in his hotel room before the Crows clash.

"It's just one of those freak accidents," Fremantle defender Matt de Boer said of Fyfe's injury.

"He's always got a footy in his hands and he was just getting his touch ready on game day and he just accidentally slipped on a suitcase or something.

Fremantle coach Ross Lyon has sung the praises of returning midfielder Nat Fyfe who dominated in his return to AFL football with 18 possessions in the first half against Port Adelaide.

"The return of Nat Fyfe, who's just brilliant isn't he? Gee whiz, I wasn't sure what to expect, but give me a few more Nat Fyfes and I'll coach a bit better," Lyon said.

"He's such a good contested ball winner and a monster athlete."

Fremantle coach Ross Lyon has cautioned fans to be patient with midfielder Nat Fyfe's return from injury.

"He's been out for 12 weeks. He's certainly fit and raring to go, but we just want him to come in and play a role and reintroduce himself to the brutal business of AFL football," Lyon said.

"It's such a hard-edge competition that if you're off the pace a little bit, people in form can drift out of form pretty quickly.

"So I'm not expecting miracles off of him, but I certainly expect him to bring some ball-winning and midfield run and size to us."

Fremantle coach Ross Lyon has declared Nat Fyfe to be a certain starter for the side this week.

"He (Fyfe) was right to go last week in his mind, but we wanted to give him more work and make sure he really ticked all the boxes thoroughly," Lyon told radio 6PR.

"He'll play, that's how close he is."

Fremantle midfielder Nat Fyfe will have to prove his running ability is back to its best if he is to return against Port Adelaide.

"He had a much improved performance in our last training session, so that gave us a bit of an indicator," Fremantle coach Ross Lyon said.

"He'll need to deliver that again and again (this) week before he gets ticked off, so he's got a bit of work to do yet on proving that he can hit those thresholds."

Ross Lyon says Nat Fyfe is training the house down, but is still three weeks away from returning.

"Nat Fyfe is absolutely tearing the house down with work, but he'll be [returning in] round 18, if that," Lyon said.

Fremantle midfielder Nat Fyfe has his eyes on a late-season return from a shoulder reconstruction.

"I know how up in the air injuries can be and how things can change really quickly, so round 18 is my rough goal," Fyfe said.

"I'm really lucky that I have a chance to come back. Having that goal in mind really is going to stimulate me and help me in my rehab.

"I'm really keen to get back and play, but I'll just have to take it as it comes. I'll definitely grow in some ways from this injury."

Nathan Fyfe aggravates his injured shoulder at training and will now require surgery which will sideline him for 3 months.

"We believe that the appropriate course of action for Nat's long-term playing future and his general well-being is to have the operation at this time," football manager Chris Bond said.

"Based on the advice of our medical team, we envisage that Nat will require a recovery and rehabilitation period of about 12 weeks, which would make him available for selection in the latter part of the season."

Fremantle coach Ross Lyon says Nathan Fyfe's injured shoulder should be able to see out the season despite the forward being rested against St Kilda.

"He was desperate to play tonight, and we wanted him to play and we had him in the team," Lyon said.

"We basically did the team meeting and our doctor and physio said 'you're running a really high risk this week and if you hold off the week we can increase the strength in the shoulder another twenty per cent.'"

A shoulder injury sustained against the Lions could spell the end of Nathan Fyfe's season and Dockers coach Ross Lyon says they will do what is in the best interest of Fyfe.

"He's a really important resource and person at this football club, and if in the cold light of day he needs to be looked after and it means the season, we would tap him out," Lyon said.

"But if he's able to play on and there's no long-term risk to him, we would then take that path. So it's going to be what's best for Nathan Fyfe and the football club. "

Fremantle coach Ross Lyon says Stephen Hill and Nat Fyfe have the potential to move into the elite bracket of players.

"Hill and Fyfe have done strong apprenticeships and are ready to start pushing up to those levels, as well as the injection of Hayden Ballantyne into the midfield," Lyon said.

"We really need those guys to become dominant midfielders. At the end of the year if we can talk about them in the same breath as [Scott] Pendlebury and [James] Kelly and [Joel] Selwood, we know we've had a successful year."

Fremantle midfield star Nat Fyfe says he is still searching for full match fitness despite some impressive form in the NAB Cup.

"I have been a little bit behind some of the other guys, but I had a full hit-out on the weekend, and with another one against the Hawks I'll be right to go round one," Fyfe said.

"Compared to what I was feeling last year, I'm just a little bit behind there, but with another hit-out this weekend I should be cherry ripe for round one. That will be three [full games] and that should set me up."

Fremantle skipper Matthew Pavlich becomes only the 10th player in VFL/AFL history to win a sixth club champion award after narrowly beating young midfielder Nathan Fyfe to take out the Doig Medal for 2011.

"To be elite, to be great in the AFL, we all need to step up, including myself. We all need to become hardened, very good AFL players and staff," Pavlich said.

"I'm getting older, I know that. If the success comes while I'm here, great. If it doesn't, I just hope it comes at some point."

Fremantle youngster Nathan Fyfe has earned a NAB AFL Rising Star nomination for his two-goal performance against the Sydney Swans and says he has been made to feel welcome at the club by his teammates.

"I look up to the leaders of the club - Matthew Pavlich and Aaron Sandilands but for me Paul Duffield and Ryan Murphy have been great mentors and easy to approach guys who I can go and talk to about any issues on field or off field and they've been a big help," he said.

Nathan Fyfe makes his AFL debut for Fremantle with 13 disposals (10 kicks and 3 handballs), 6 marks, 2 tackles and a goal in a 39-point win over Richmond.

Fremantle has emerged from Thursday's NAB AFL Draft with a pair of key position prospects the club says it has long sought after picking up Nathan Fyfe with pick No.20 and Joel Houghton with No.36.

"We definitely had Fyfe marked for pick 20, and with Joel we were always going to draft him, it was just a matter of working out which pick we needed to use to get him to the club," Fremantle national recruiting manager Brad Lloyd said.

"In the end we decided to use 36, just to make sure we were able to secure him. You're just always hopeful that a player you rank highly will still be there, so we were really happy to secure Joel."