Fremantle has a gigantic, colossal, godzilla-like conundrum on their hands, and it has reared its head earlier than they would have liked.
Now how’s that for a Herald Sun-esque introduction? Worthy of The West Australian at least, surely?
All jokes aside, though, the Dockers have cooked up a unique dilemma that poses genuine questions about the make-up of their roster and the ceiling of their potential achievement in the long term.
It’s a question the shock jocks and media meatheads are going to sink their teeth into for years… Sean Darcy and Luke Jackson: Dynamic duo or inevitable impasse?
Both are already considered among the AFL’s best ruckmen despite being just 25 and 22 years old respectively, and both have been publicly adamant they can be a force working in tandem.
But the critics have already come knocking on the Dockers’ door, with claims the two towers won’t complement one another and will inevitably be another failed Freo experiment.
So, which is it? Success or failure? Before we dig in, let’s take a closer look at the two.
A couple of man-mountains
There’s no denying both of these blokes are absolutely dominant in their own rights and ways.
Sean Darcy took out the Doig Medal as the Dockers’ best and fairest after a breakout 2021 campaign, and has since been an absolute brute when healthy (yes, fair disclaimer, we’ll get to that soon).
He was named to the 40-man All-Australian squad that same season, and in an era dominated by all-time great Max Gawn and Brodie Grundy, he’s been consistently relevant as a top-five ruckman in the competition.
Meanwhile, Jackson’s achievements are well documented. A Rising Star award in a premiership year, the man they call Dogga played a key role in turning the tide of that grand final in just his second season.
He took a while to get going in his first Freo season, but his unique abilities came to the fore after a few weeks and he eventually earned a nod in the 40-man AA squad.
He was also the highest polling ruckman in the AFL Coaches Association Player of the Year award, beating out eventual All-Australian, Tim English and Saints heavyweight, Rowan Marshall.
Darcy signed a monster six-year deal tying him to the Dockers until 2030 just months ago, while Jackson will call Fremantle home until at least 2029 having signed with the team as the marquee recruit of the previous off-season.
So, it’s established they’re both bloody good players, and they’re both going to be Dockers for a long time.
Now let’s dig into the issue that presents for the Dockers.
Can the two big men make it work long term?
An arthroscope on Sean Darcy’s knee means we’re not likely to get answers on this anytime soon. The big fella is out for what coach Justin Longmuir hopes is only “three to five weeks”, but even the best case scenario sets him back with a delayed start to 2024.
In the meantime, we were treated to Jackson’s prowess on display in the ruck and on the ball. He outran and outworking a diligent worker in Oscar McInerney, and was a driving force behind the Dockers’ first-up win. We already know his talents, but this has provided us little new information to answer our questions about his cohesion with Darcy.
Last season the two bigs played 15 games together. Amazingly, they amassed the exact same amount of disposals across these games: 207 at an average of 13.8.
But given his natural abilities, much of the success of this experiment is going to revolve around how often Jackson can have the ball in his hands. From Fremantle’s perspective, the more the merrier.
Without Darcy in the side, Jackson flourished in the number one ruck role, upping his ball-winning stats to 17.3 disposals per game. He rattled off a string of dominant performances, getting the best of Melbourne’s Gawn and Grundy combo, tying with then-teammate Lachie Schultz for a Glendinning-Allan Medal in the Western Derby and tearing the Lions back ups a new one.
But while the new recruit shone when acting in a solo ruck role, he still produced many game-defining efforts as a forward/ruck when Darcy also featured.
Fremantle had a losing record in those games, but I think given their performances it’s fair to say Darcy and Jackson weren’t the issue.
So, with all that said, we know they work well together, but what about the long term part of the original question?
We can dig a bit deeper into some of the factors that might define the longevity of the duo’s act below.
Darcy’s body and salary cap struggles
He’s gotten close, but Darcy hasn’t quite been able to return to the heights that saw him emerge in 2021. This is mainly due to his inability to avoid injury.
The hulking ruck missed eight games last season, and as mentioned before, is set to miss the beginning rounds of 2024.
This leads us into the second point of the above subhead, the salary cap.
It’s a massive risk for any club to sign an injury prone ruckman to a long-term, highly lucrative deal, but this is a move made even more perplexing given the Dockers have Jackson up their sleeve should Darcy have left the club.
Now I’m no cap nerd. I don’t proclaim to know the ins and outs of the balance books, and I understand the cap is set to rise at some point given the new broadcast rights deal on the horizon.
Still, it’s easy (and fair) to assume these sizable contracts to two dominant rucks leave the Dockers little to no wriggle room to lure other WA stars back home in the coming seasons. It’s kind of a ride-or-die situation, with the big men strapped into the two front seats. This means any time Darcy can’t take the field due to injury, Freo will pay the price one way or another.
The brighter side
That’s enough tip-toeing around the pessimistic angle of this question, though. Let’s talk glass half full.
Should the duo get the experience alongside each other they so desperately need, there’s every chance the puzzle pieces fall into place. And should that happen, look out…
These two could be the force that propels Freo up the ladder into a run of sustained high finishes. They could be the catalyst for several deep finals runs and provide Docker die hards with a joy they’ve rarely had before, such is their talent.
Jackson booted 22 goals as a forward before being shifted into the ruck for the back end of the 2023 season. It’s safe to say he was tracking towards 35+ had he continued in the role. His two goals in the season opener against the Lions, whilst playing in the ruck, mind you, demonstrated that even when he is not permanently stationed close to goal, he will stretch the defence with his ability to cover the ground, push forward, and provide a marking target.
If allowed to play forward more often, he could develop into a 40+ goal per season player, which when paired along the natural scoring power of young Jye Amiss and the bullockong work of Josh Treacy, gives the Dockers serious firepower.
The upside is tremendous with these two big forces playing side by side, terrorising opposition with a blend of brilliant skills and brute strength.
So, what’s the verdict?
Well, your guess is as good as mine. Personally, my belief is that should Darcy’s health permit, Jackson’s mobility and athleticism will allow the duo to achieve the upside laid out above.
However, as mentioned before, this is Freo’s swing for a home run.
Should they connect, the Dockers might be in for a very long stint at the higher end of the ladder.
But, should it be a swing and a miss, it will take years for the men in purple to recover from a golden opportunity gone begging.
It’s the risk a perennial cellar-dweller needs to take in order to break out of AFL purgatory… let’s see which side the coin lands on.
Freo lost their number one ruck before the season started, and the number two bloke stepped up, played out of his skin, and was in the top handful of players on the ground.
It may be a be a massive, huge, enormous dilemma, but it is one plenty of sides in the AFL wish they had.
