From Humble Beginnings to Premiership Glory: The Rise of the Dockers

It's a dream 32 years in the making — Fremantle are just one win away from premiership glory. To their fans, the Dockers are the perpetual underdogs, a team that, according to historian Les Everett, was started to "dilute the West Coast Eagles".

Victorian clubs feared the Eagles were "getting too powerful" following their 1991 grand final appearance and premierships in 1992 and 1994. There were many names put forward for Western Australia's second team, all with links to the port and sea, including the Pirates, Pelicans, Sharks, Dolphins and even the Doctors after Perth's famous sea breeze, the Fremantle Doctor.

The Dockers joined the competition in 1995, with futuristic purple footy shorts that were the "roomiest shorts in the AFL" compared to the tight fits of the 1980s. Fremantle played their first AFL game in April 1995, taking on the Richmond Tigers at the MCG.

The purple origin

Coach Gerard Neesham paraded the team on the Fremantle Cappuccino Strip, telling reporters at the time "one of our briefs was to be innovative and we have definitely been that."

It was future thinking, with a nod to the past: the purple was inspired by the woollen hats historically worn by port workers, while the red and green colours on the kit came from the maritime signals for port and starboard.

The Dockers' identity is steeped in the maritime history of Fremantle and its dock workers, nicknamed wharfies.

On the docks of Fremantle, wharfies still wear those purple beanies but in 2026, they have club logos. As for the spirit of Wharfie Time, "it's passion, resilience and having that fight to never give up," said wharfie Jenson Chattaway.

"There will be tears if we win, I'll be crying for sure," added Port Services Officer Mike White.

Frustration forging greats

The early years were tough, with very little in the way of funding. The football club instead relied on 1000 donations of $1,000 each from their original fan group, the Harbour Masters.

Fremantle and West Coast quickly became fierce rivals.

But finally purple reigned in 1999. The club won its first game at the hallowed MCG and its first Western Derby, officially stepping out of the Eagles' shadow.

"In round 10, 1999, one of the Victorian newspapers said Melbourne only had to turn up to win the game at the MCG," historian Everett said.

"Fremantle played brilliantly, Tony Modra kicked 10 goals."

The first derby win the same year was important, after losing the first nine to the Eagles, it was just a great relief really after being trapped as the little sibling to the Eagles.

A year later, in 2000, Matthew Pavalich joined the Dockers. Through his career, he kicked 700 goals and as captain he took the team to its first decider in 2013.

Matthew Pavlich (centre) leads his teammates onto the MCG for the AFL grand final in 2013.

The famous all-rounder played alongside dual Brownlow Medal winner Nathan Fyfe. But it was not to be, and the Hawks shattered the Dockers' premiership dream by 15 points.

Daring to dream again

A new generation of players has taken the Dockers to the decider once again, and for Mr Everett, this is best team Fremantle has ever fielded.

"There is something about the way this team operates, there is a connection that makes it better than any team before," he said.

"It's been organically grown — it doesn't have any father-son gifts in it. Forged through good drafting, good trading, good development."

"That's been the story of Fremantle right from the start, it has been left to its own devices and if it wins the premiership it has done so itself."

Even before the game began, the town was painted purple, and the team immortalised with a massive mural.

WA artist Jerome Davenport is painting the mural on the facade of Sailing for Oranges on the Cappuccino strip.

But the players will achieve living legend status if they can take home the club's first ever premiership flag.

"If we do win it, I'll be watching the game again, again and again. I'll know every minute of it," Mr Everett said.

"Fremantle supporters, we've put ourselves through some misery, but I have never called myself a long-suffering Fremantle supporter, I have loved it."