# 2015 Fremantle Football Club season

The Fremantle Football Club's 2015 season is their 21st season in the Australian Football League (AFL). The club set a number of records during the year including winning their first McClelland Trophy for finishing first on the ladder after the completion of the home-and-away season and a club record of 17 wins during the home–and–away season.

## Playing list

Between the conclusion of the 2014 season and the commencement of the 2015 season, Fremantle did not complete any trades nor recruit any free agents in the AFL trade period, despite being reported to have attempted to recruit key position players James Frawley and Aaron Black.
Key defender Luke McPharlin signed a one-year contract extension during the trade period.

### Recruits and departures

At the national draft, Fremantle was expected to recruit a tall player, but instead drafted four smaller midfield or forward line players. Two of the drafted players, Lachie Weller and Ed Langdon are younger brothers of current AFL players, St Kilda's Maverick Weller and Collingwood's Tom Langdon. In the rookie draft, Fremantle selected Ethan Hughes, a half-back flanker originally from Bunbury, before redrafting Tanner Smith. With their final selection they selected Irishman Sean Hurley, the club's first ever international recruit.
| Recruits | Recruits | Recruits | Recruits | Departures | Departures |
| Player | Previous Club | League | Recruited via | Player | Reason |
| Lachie Weller | Southport/Broadbeach | NEAFL | #13, National draft | Kepler Bradley | Retirement from AFL |
| Connor Blakely | Swan Districts | WAFL | #34, National draft | Scott Gumbleton | Retirement from AFL |
| Ed Langdon | Sandringham Dragons | WAFL | #54, National draft | Josh Simpson | Delisted |
| Josh Deluca | Subiaco | WAFL | #68, National draft | Sam Menegola | Delisted (from rookie list) |
| Ethan Hughes | Swan Districts | WAFL | #13, Rookie draft | Michael Wood | Delisted (from rookie list) |
| Tanner Smith | Fremantle | AFL | #31, Rookie draft (redrafted) | Tanner Smith | Delisted (redrafted in the rookie draft) |
| Sean Hurley | Kildare GAA | GAA | #48, Rookie draft | | |

### Ryan Crowley positive drugs test

In March 2015, Crowley was not chosen to play in any of Fremantle's pre-season games. After being left out of the team that would travel to Sydney for the second game, it was announced that he was unavailable for selection due to undisclosed personal issues. Three days later it was revealed that Crowley had tested position to a banned substance during the 2014 AFL season and had been serving a provisional suspension since September 2014. The sample was taken after Fremantle's Round 17 win over Greater Western Sydney and the commencement of the provisional suspension commenced after the confirmation tests (also known as B-sample) was completed in mid September. The banned substance has not been named, but was confirmed to have come from a painkiller that was not prescribed by the club doctor. He appeared before the AFL Tribunal in May 2015, and was found guilty and suspended for twelve months, backdated to the beginning of his provisional suspension. He became eligible to play again on 25 September 2015.

### Full squad
## Season summary
### Pre-season matches

| Rd | Day | Date | Local time | Opponent | Fremantle's score | Opponent's score | Margin | Venue | Attendance | Match report |
| 1 | Thursday | 5 March 2015 | 4:10 pm | Melbourne | 0.9.7 (61) | 0.6.7 (43) | +18 | Fremantle Oval | 8000 (approx) | Report |
| 2 | Sunday | 15 March 2015 | 4:10 pm | Sydney | 1.6.11 (56) | 1.7.14 (65) | -9 | Drummoyne Oval, Sydney | 4,343 | Report |
| 3 | Sunday | 22 March 2015 | 4:10 pm | West Coast | 1.13.17 (104) | 1.11.10 (85) | +19 | Domain Stadium | 16,032 | Report |
| Source |||||||||||

### Premiership Season

When the 2015 AFL season fixtures were released in October 2014, Fremantle were drawn to play Port Adelaide in the opening round, a repeat of the semi-final that ended their 2014 season. The opening month was considered very difficult, with an away game against Geelong, an away Western Derby and a home game on Anzac Day against the other team that beat Fremantle in last year's finals, Sydney. Fremantle's game against Hawthorn was again to be played at Aurora Stadium in Launceston, Tasmania.

#### Home and away season

| Rd | Day | Date | Local time | Opponent | Fremantle's score | Opponent's score | Margin | Venue | Attendance | Ladder position |
| 1 | Sunday | 5 April 2015 | 5:40 pm | Port Adelaide | 11.9 (75) | 10.8 (68) | +7 | Domain Stadium | 34,099 | 9 |
| 2 | Sunday | 12 April 2015 | 1:10 pm | Geelong | 15.14 (104) | 9.6 (60) | +44 | Simonds Stadium | 23,723 | 4 |
| 3 | Sunday | 19 April 2015 | 2:40 pm | West Coast | 17.9 (111) | 12.9 (81) | +30 | Domain Stadium (A) | 39,138 | 3 |
| 4 | Saturday | 25 April 2015 | 6:40 pm | Sydney | 11.8 (74) | 8.12 (60) | +14 | Domain Stadium | 39,009 | 1 |
| 5 | Sunday | 3 May 2015 | 1:10 pm | Melbourne | 18.10 (118) | 6.14 (50) | +68 | MCG | 22,892 | 1 |
| 6 | Saturday | 9 May 2015 | 6:10 pm | Essendon | 12.8 (80) | 7.10 (52) | +28 | Domain Stadium | 37,535 | 1 |
| 7 | Sunday | 17 May 2015 | 1:10 pm | Western Bulldogs | 15.11 (101) | 14.4 (88) | +13 | Etihad Stadium | 18,710 | 1 |
| 8 | Saturday | 23 May 2015 | 5:40 pm | North Melbourne | 17.13 (115) | 5.12 (42) | +73 | Domain Stadium | 35,836 | 1 |
| 9 | Saturday | 30 May 2015 | 7:10 pm | Adelaide | 10.8 (68) | 7.15 (57) | +11 | Adelaide Oval | 45,518 | 1 |
| 10 | Friday | 5 June 2015 | 6:10 pm | Richmond | 10.10 (70) | 15.7 (97) | -27 | Domain Stadium | 38,019 | 1 |
| 11 | Saturday | 13 June 2015 | 1:40 pm | Gold Coast | 6.17 (53) | 7.4 (46) | +7 | Metricon Stadium | 8,911 | 1 |
| 12 | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye |
| 13 | Thursday | 25 June 2015 | 6:10 pm | Collingwood | 12.8 (80) | 1.7 (73) | +7 | Domain Stadium | 37,145 | 1 |
| 14 | Sunday | 5 July 2015 | 2:40 pm | Brisbane Lions | 13.6 (84) | 7.6 (48) | +46 | Domain Stadium | 32,970 | 1 |
| 15 | Sunday | 12 July 2015 | 3:20 pm | Hawthorn | 6.7 (43) | 17.13 (115) | -72 | Aurora Stadium | 16,792 | 1 |
| 16 | Saturday | 18 July 2015 | 5:40 pm | Carlton | 13.17 (95) | 8.5 (53) | +42 | Domain Stadium | 33,581 | 1 |
| 17 | Saturday | 25 July 2015 | 4:35 pm | Richmond | 12.10 (82) | 10.18 (78) | +4 | MCG | 39,777 | 1 |
| 18 | Sunday | 2 August 2015 | 2:40 pm | Greater Western Sydney | 12.12 (84) | 9.9 (63) | +21 | Domain Stadium | 34,626 | 1 |
| 19 | Sunday | 9 August 2015 | 4:40 pm | St Kilda | 15.6 (96) | 8.11 (59) | +37 | Etihad Stadium | 16,419 | 1 |
| 20 | Sunday | 16 August 2015 | 2:40 pm | West Coast | 11.14 (80) | 15.14 (104) | -24 | Domain Stadium | 41,959 | 1 |
| 21 | Sunday | 23 August 2015 | 1:10 pm | North Melbourne | 12.11 (83) | 14.10 (94) | -11 | Etihad Stadium | 23,857 | 1 |
| 22 | Sunday | 30 August 2015 | 2:40 pm | Melbourne | 17.6 (108) | 8.6 (54) | +54 | Domain Stadium | 33,529 | 1 |
| 23 | Saturday | 5 September 2015 | 3:20 pm | Port Adelaide | 8.5 (53) | 18.14 (122) | -69 | Adelaide Oval | 38,633 | 1 |
| All games at Domain Stadium are Fremantle home games except for the one game marked (A). That game, and all others, are away games. Source |

#### Finals

| Rd | Day | Date | Local time | Opponent | Fremantle's score | Opponent's score | Margin | Venue | Attendance |
| Qualifying final | Saturday | 12 September 2015 | 1:20 pm | Sydney | 10.9 (69) | 7.18 (60) | +9 | Domain Stadium | 40,071 |
| Preliminary final | Friday | 25 September 2015 | 6:20pm | Hawthorn | 10.7 (67) | 15.4 (94) | -27 | Domain Stadium | 41,508 |

## Ladder

2015 AFL ladder :
| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | L | D | PF | PA | PP | Pts | |
| 1 | Fremantle | 22 | 17 | 5 | 0 | 1857 | 1564 | 118.7 | 68 | Finals series |
| 2 | West Coast | 22 | 16 | 5 | 1 | 2330 | 1572 | 148.2 | 66 | Finals series |
| 3 | Hawthorn (P) | 22 | 16 | 6 | 0 | 2452 | 1548 | 158.4 | 64 | Finals series |
| 4 | Sydney | 22 | 16 | 6 | 0 | 2006 | 1578 | 127.1 | 64 | Finals series |
| 5 | Richmond | 22 | 15 | 7 | 0 | 1930 | 1568 | 123.1 | 60 | Finals series |
| 6 | Western Bulldogs | 22 | 14 | 8 | 0 | 2101 | 1825 | 115.1 | 56 | Finals series |
| 7 | Adelaide | 21 | 13 | 8 | 0 | 2107 | 1821 | 115.7 | 54 | Finals series |
| 8 | North Melbourne | 22 | 13 | 9 | 0 | 2062 | 1937 | 106.5 | 52 | Finals series |
| 9 | Port Adelaide | 22 | 12 | 10 | 0 | 2002 | 1874 | 106.8 | 48 | |
| 10 | Geelong | 21 | 11 | 9 | 1 | 1853 | 1833 | 101.1 | 48 | |
| 11 | Greater Western Sydney | 22 | 11 | 11 | 0 | 1872 | 1891 | 99.0 | 44 | |
| 12 | Collingwood | 22 | 10 | 12 | 0 | 1972 | 1856 | 106.3 | 40 | |
| 13 | Melbourne | 22 | 7 | 15 | 0 | 1573 | 2044 | 77.0 | 28 | |
| 14 | St Kilda | 22 | 6 | 15 | 1 | 1695 | 2162 | 78.4 | 26 | |
| 15 | Essendon | 22 | 6 | 16 | 0 | 1580 | 2134 | 74.0 | 24 | |
| 16 | Gold Coast | 22 | 4 | 17 | 1 | 1633 | 2240 | 72.9 | 18 | |
| 17 | Brisbane Lions | 22 | 4 | 18 | 0 | 1557 | 2306 | 67.5 | 16 | |
| 18 | Carlton | 22 | 4 | 18 | 0 | 1525 | 2354 | 64.8 | 16 | |
* 1 2 The round 14 match between Adelaide and Geelong was cancelled due to the death of Adelaide coach Phil Walsh, and both teams were awarded two premiership points each.

## Awards, Records & Milestones
### Awards

* 2015 Brownlow Medal: Nat Fyfe
* 2015 All-Australian team: Nat Fyfe and David Mundy
* 2015 Leigh Matthews Trophy: Nat Fyfe
* 2015 22 Under 22 team: Lachie Neale

### Milestones

| Player | Round | Milestone |
| Cameron Sutcliffe | 3 | 50th game |
| Michael Walters | 3 | 100th goal |
| Lachie Neale | 4 | 50th game |
| Nat Fyfe | 8 | 100th game |
| Matthew Pavlich | 9 | 650th goal |
| Michael Johnson | 10 | 200th game |
| Michael Barlow | 11 | 100th game |
| Luke McPharlin | 17 | 250th AFL game |
| Stephen Hill | QF | 150th game |
| Garrick Ibbotson | QF | 150th game |

### Debuts

| Player | Round | Opponent | Ground | Result |
| Alex Pearce | 6 | Essendon | Domain Stadium | +28 |
| Lachie Weller | 18 | Greater Western Sydney | Domain Stadium | +21 |
| Ed Langdon | 22 | Melbourne | Domain Stadium | +54 |
| Connor Blakely | 23 | Port Adelaide | Adelaide Oval | -69 |
| Brady Grey | 23 | Port Adelaide | Adelaide Oval | -69 |
| Ethan Hughes | 23 | Port Adelaide | Adelaide Oval | -69 |
| Jacob Ballard | 23 | Port Adelaide | Adelaide Oval | -69 |

## Match Review Panel charges

    Updated as of Round 21, 2015 season
Match Review Panel (MRP) and AFL Tribunal cases involving Fremantle players during the 2015 AFL season :
| Round | Player | Charge category | Victim (club) | Verdict | Fine (A$) | Suspension |
| Source ||
| NC3 | Michael Walters | rough conduct | Craig Bird (Sydney) | Dismissed | — | — |
| 1 | Zac Clarke | tripping | Jared Polec (Port Adelaide) | Guilty (early plea) | $1,000 | — |
| 2 | Hayden Ballantyne | rough conduct | Harry Taylor (Geelong) | Guilty (early plea) | — | 2 matches |
| 4 | Matt de Boer | striking | Harry Cunningham (Sydney) | Guilty (early plea) | $1000 | — |
| 7 | Nat Fyfe | tripping | Jake Stringer (Western Bulldogs) | Guilty (early plea) | $1000 | — |
| 10 | Michael Walters | engaging in a melee | Richmond | Guilty (early plea) | $1500 | — |
| 10 | Danyle Pearce | engaging in a melee | Richmond | Guilty (early plea) | $1500 | — |
| 10 | Nick Suban | engaging in a melee | Richmond | Guilty (early plea) | $1000 | — |
| 11 | Matthew Pavlich | striking | Trent McKenzie (Gold Coast) | Guilty (early plea) | $1000 | — |
| 14 | Hayden Ballantyne | wrestling | Darcy Gardiner (Brisbane Lions) | Guilty (early plea) | $1000 | — |
| 15 | Nat Fyfe | rough conduct | Taylor Duryea (Hawthorn) | Guilty (early plea) | $1500 | — |
| 16 | Hayden Ballantyne | wrestling | Dylan Buckley (Carlton) | Guilty (early plea) | $1500 | — |
| 18 | Zac Dawson | striking | Jeremy Cameron (Greater Western Sydney) | Guilty (early plea) | — | 2 weeks |
| 18 | David Mundy | engaging in a melee | Greater Western Sydney | Guilty (early plea) | $1000 | — |
| 18 | Zac Dawson | engaging in a melee | Greater Western Sydney | Guilty (early plea) | $1000 | — |
| 20 | Alex Silvagni | striking | Jamie Cripps (West Coast) | Guilty (early plea) | — | 4 weeks |
| 21 | David Mundy | striking | Brent Harvey (North Melbourne) | Guilty (early plea) | $1000 | — |
| 21 | Nat Fyfe | forceful contact from front-on | Ben Jacobs (North Melbourne) | Dismissed | — | — |
| 22 | Nick Suban | wrestling | Jack Viney (Melbourne) | Guilty (early plea) | $1000 | — |