LAPTOP bags and suit jackets are replaced by backpacks and team hoodies, and executives and board members are relegated further down the charter plane in favour of key-position players. For Fremantle players, the round 12 trip to Gold Coast is their version of a “business trip”.
It’s a 60-hour mission for four premiership points that starts when they arrive at Perth airport on Thursday morning, finally ending when the wheels touch down on their bleary-eyed flight home at 11.05pm on Saturday night, nine hours after they’ve sung the song at People First Stadium.
AFL.com.au was invited on the road with the Dockers as they travelled east for the sixth time this season leading into the mid-season bye, watching as the club banished its early-season road woes and cemented a new style of travel preparation that puts more power in the players’ hands.
The trip revealed the importance of the extroverted Pat Voss in driving team energy on the road, the tricks used to navigate time differences, how elite players like Josh Treacy build travel routines, and the next fixture change that the Dockers think can further equalise the travel load.
Travelling well, according to coach Justin Longmuir, is about making an abnormal environment feel as normal as possible, giving the players the same routines and creature comforts that they enjoy before home games.
Justin Longmuir is seen during Fremantle’s clash against the Western Bulldogs in round four, 2025. Picture: AFL Photos
But for Fremantle, it has also become about handing over more control to players and trusting them to execute on the road like the professionals they are.
“There’s a fine balance between being too controlling and dictating when the players have to do certain things, versus just giving them the freedom and responsibility to prepare like men,” Longmuir said from the Virgin Australia lounge as the Dockers prepared to depart on their charter flight in round 12.
“The understanding is on weekends that they rock up and play like men. So, in preparation, treat them like men and give them the responsibility to get their prep right.
“I think the last travel in particular (against Greater Western Sydney), we gave the responsibility to our players to take control of their own preparation. We’ll treat them like men and in turn the expectation is you play like that.”
Fremantle prepares for its trip to the Gold Coast. Picture: Fremantle Dockers
A travelling club
Fremantle, alongside West Coast, travels more than any other club and needs to treat life on the road as an opportunity rather than a burden to be successful. In the Dockers’ view, it’s a chance to unite as a group and build connection and character through performing away from home.
That starts on the plane, which on this occasion is a charter flight direct from Perth to Gold Coast that takes just over four hours. With captain Alex Pearce missing, the prime seats are taken by Treacy, Brennan Cox and Luke Ryan, but there is room to spread out over the journey as card games and conversations break out.
The club has encouraged players and staff to bring families for away trips, and midfielder/defender Corey Wagner and rehabilitation manager James Grierson are both travelling with partners and young babies, with ruck Sean Darcy among the teammates who help walk Wagner’s baby boy Remy up and down the aisle.
Fremantle’s Corey Wagner and his son Remy. Picture: Fremantle Dockers
Some players, like Josh Draper, Michael Frederick and Voss, are continually on their feet, while others settle in to watch a movie. Sleeping used to be discouraged due to the time difference, but there’s now an acceptance that nappers like Jordan Clark and Brandon Walker should do as they please if that’s their routine at home.
For coaches and staff, whose week is already squeezed by a travel schedule that involves flying two days before a game, it is common to use the hours in the air for work.
“The mindset of travel is that it’s a positive thing,” executive general manager of football Joe Brierty said. “We’re going to be required to travel forever and a day, and that’s not going to change.
“It’s our opportunity to build connection as a playing group and a staff group, and an opportunity to go into another team’s home environment and build character through adversity.
“We’re united by that challenge as a club, but obviously with that comes the demands of travel and we need to be strategic in our thinking.”
Fremantle players are seen in a huddle during a clash against Sydney in round two, 2025. Picture: AFL Photos
‘Docker dial’
High performance manager Phil Merriman joined Fremantle at the end of 2020 and organised a coffee meeting with sleep and performance expert Phil Dunican as one of his early priorities.
After nine years working with Hawthorn and Melbourne, Merriman knew the travel demands at his new club were on a different scale and wanted to investigate different ways of navigating sleep issues and time zone differences.
Dunican, meanwhile, had worked with elite athletes across international sports including Formula 1, swimming, rugby and martial arts, helping athletes optimise sleep, recovery and performance, including when crossing time zones.
Not long after the pair met, Merriman pitched the idea of ‘Docker dial’ to Longmuir and then football manager Peter Bell. Put simply, ‘Docker dial’ involves keeping the team on Perth time for the duration of a travel trip and ignoring the time difference interstate when planning sleep and meals.
Caleb Serong is seen as Fremantle prepares to face Gold Coast. Picture: Fremantle Dockers
There are proven performance benefits for the players when they return home and start training the following week if they have kept their body clock unchanged, but the key is to keep all watches and phones locked on Perth time and communicate in ‘Docker dial’.
“When we go to bed, the temptation is to go onto eastern time and you end up going to bed at 1am. That makes me and a lot of the players anxious, and when you get anxious you don’t sleep for long,” Merriman said, walking to the back of the Dockers’ charter plane and settling into an aisle seat to chat with AFL.com.au about an area of the game he has become very knowledgeable about.
“If you stay on ‘Docker dial’, you look at your watch and see that it’s actually 10pm or 11pm Perth time and think that’s OK. So that anxiety with sleep when we go to bed late is the first reason.
“The second reason is that when we come back to Perth, we can jump into the week with really no interruptions because we’ve stayed on our time, and we generally see that our screening and monitoring is better when we stay on ‘Docker dial’.”
Like other aspects of Freo’s travel preparation, players are given freedom to decide what is best for them, and roughly three quarters of the squad stay on ‘Docker dial’ along with most of the coaches.
Some players like Treacy have found it suits them differently, depending on whether they are playing an early or late match.
The confusion that can result if players or staff are working in different time zones and organising to meet at a specific time can be navigated with a simple ‘DD’ in messages.
Fremantle players are seen before a clash against Gold Coast. Picture: Fremantle Dockers
Doing the simple things savagely
There are all sorts of things players try to get a one per cent gain on the road. Pearce and star midfielder Caleb Serong opt for medical grade compression tights that cost around $500 a pair, while ruckman Luke Jackson prefers knee-length socks that do a similar job.
Upon arrival at the Gold Coast, a portion of the squad will rotate between ice baths and saunas to get their body feeling good and set up for a good sleep, while some will head straight to a pool.
Merriman has tried a lot to minimise the impact of travel through his five years with the Dockers, but he now reverts to the simple things to maximise performance on the road.
Sleep is critical, and the high performance boss has been known to stick alfoil on hotel windows to help players sleep. Nutrition is another priority, and the travel schedule will be carefully planned to make sure players get enough fuel into their bodies to prevent cramping.
The round 12 trip, for example, saw the players rise early on game day for a team walk, giving them the chance to have two early meals before a 1.20pm AEST bounce against the Suns, with the team learning a lesson from its early game (10.20am AWST) against Geelong in round one.
As well as the “big rocks” of sleep and nutrition, Merriman prioritises having ice baths and saunas available for the players at the hotel through the whole trip.
They’re all things that make a difference in the first half of the season, but they become even more critical when the winter months set in.
“I’d say anecdotally, we’re still in the period right now where travelling is alright,” Merriman says.
“But as soon as we go past the bye, up until if we play finals, it gets really tough with the grind of the season and players carry more soreness into the early part of the week.
“The physical factor of travelling is when we pick up corkies or rolled ankles and things like that, it’s well understood that when you’re travelling at high altitudes, it just takes longer to heal for that period of time.”
‘It’s all I’ve ever done’
Treacy is one of the young Dockers who quickly established a good travel routine, understanding that life on the road is a challenge but not knowing any different since making his debut in 2021 and playing at 11 venues – in every state and territory – in his 68 games.
Making himself too busy on interstate trips was an early mistake for the star forward, particularly when home in Victoria, but he has since learned to keep his preparation consistent no matter where the team is playing.
Josh Treacy celebrates a goal during Fremantle’s clash against Collingwood in round nine, 2025. Picture: Getty Images
The 22-year-old now looks to Fremantle champions like David Mundy, who flew more than 900,000km for matches across his 376-game career, to know what is possible for WA-based players.
“I’ve had this conversation quite a bit about the travel and it’s all I’ve ever done, so I don’t know what it’s like not to travel and I feel like it’s just been part of my routine to embrace it,” Treacy said after the Dockers’ Friday captain’s run.
“We’ve had some really successful guys that have played for a long time and travelled every second week, so we can trust that guys have done it in the past.
“I’m still figuring stuff out as well, but I feel like I’ve got my routine in a good spot.
“It’s a good opportunity to spend time together and then build more of a bond and a connection as a footy club … but we’re leaving behind family and friends as well to go on a business trip.”
Fremantle players at their captain’s run ahead of facing Gold Coast. Picture: Fremantle Dockers
Key moments on an away trip include captain’s run on the day before a game, Longmuir’s final meeting shortly after about the key focuses for the clash, and an optional team dinner that night. The afternoon before a game is kept free for players to clear their heads and relax.
It’s a carefully mapped out schedule designed to replicate life at home for the players, but Treacy said it was also important for him to stay focused on the reason he is travelling.
“You can get caught being busy, especially travelling back to Victoria, and going out of your preparation to spend time with family and friends,” the key forward said of his early travel experiences.
“I feel like everyone close to me and in my circle now understands what we’re really there for though and I’m in town to perform and get four points for the footy club.”
Josh Treacy celebrates a goal during the match between Fremantle and Adelaide at Optus Stadium in round seven, 2025. Picture: Getty Images
How it all happens
Football operations manager Dale Emery and property services manager Paul Salis are examples of crucial football staff who are not known to most fans but rack up mentions at best and fairest nights from grateful players and coaches.
They’re the duo at Freo who coordinate a rolling logistical mission that starts as soon as the fixture is released in November the previous year.
Locking in flight and hotel requests starts immediately, given the club’s preference to travel two days before a game and then return the same night as the match wherever possible. Once everything is booked, schedules are then mapped out and sent to hotels six weeks in advance.
When the team is on the road, the key to a successful travel trip is staying a step ahead and keeping any delays with transport, meals and other bookings to a minimum.
“We want the players to focus on the game, and we worry about the small things,” said Emery, who is now five years into her role with the Dockers.
“We can’t control what happens on the field, but we can certainly control the ease and calmness of the travel group just by being really organised and everything flowing really smoothly.”
The Dockers usually travel with 24 or 25 players and roughly the same number of staff, sometimes choosing to include a young player before they’re ready to debut to educate them on the demands of travel, or an injured player for professional development. On this occasion, Hayden Young was sitting in the coaches’ box to help with stoppages.
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The club will typically carry about 1.2 tonne of gear with it on the road, including all uniforms, towels, boots, Gatorade drums, massage tables, some gym equipment and more.
Salis started with the Dockers more than 20 years ago and has been travelling with the team for 15 years. His match day on the road will start around 7am and sometimes finish at 2am the following day when laundry is finished at the club.
“We’re a travelling club, so you just embrace it,” Salis said.
Bridging the gap
This Saturday night’s clash against North Melbourne at Optus Stadium is significant to the Dockers as it removes a travel trip from their schedule after the Kangaroos sold back-to-back home games to Western Australia.
The deal provides an injection of crucial finances for North Melbourne while giving Fremantle an uninterrupted run of 33 days at home before they next hit the road to play Sydney at the SCG in round 17.
It’s a schedule that has been strategically designed to give the club a break from travel during winter and minimise the “cumulative load” of challenging trips to Gold Coast and Sydney, either side of their stint at home.
“To have three home games in a row in the middle of winter is unheard of in my time in 13 years of footy,” Brierty said, sitting at the front of the team bus where he’ll ride alongside chief executive Simon Garlick, Longmuir and the Dockers’ other coaches during travel trips.
Fremantle Executive General Manager of Football Joe Brierty. Picture: Fremantle FC
“We see that not necessarily as an advantage but something that helps bring us back to the rest of the competition from a travel load.
“Ultimately its importance will be seen down the track and later in the year, but home versus away fixtures don’t play into it in terms of your win-loss. We need to be willing to perform week in week out and get better.”
They have also pushed to be involved in Opening Round, according to Longmuir, to create more flexibility in their schedule later on.
“I do think that us and West Coast should be involved in round zero to have an extra bye,” the coach said.
“I think if any team needs an extra bye, it’s the Perth teams. I understand it may not suit the AFL in terms of crowd sizes, but that’s what I would look at for competitive balance.
“I’ve made it known behind the scenes, but obviously we didn’t get it over the line this year.”
Justin Longmuir receives a birthday cake during Fremantle’s team photo day on January 21, 2025. Picture: AFL Photos
Mission accomplished
The cliché after a gutsy win on the road is that “it’s going to be a fun flight home”. The reality, however, is quite different.
There was a lot to celebrate in the Dockers’ win against Gold Coast, including a big contested ball win for Andrew Brayshaw when the game was on the line, a match-winning chase-down tackle from Shai Bolton, and a near flawless four-quarter effort from Jordan Clark.
Garlick stresses the importance of using the brief period after a game to either celebrate or commiserate, and the Gold Coast win was a rare opportunity for the players to have a beer in the rooms given the 14-day break until their next game.
But the Dockers have had a focus on staying level after a win or loss and celebrations don’t drag on. A rare example was the one-point win against Sydney in round 16 last season, which was framed up by Longmuir as the ‘champs versus the challengers’.
Otherwise, after boarding the return flight from the tarmac in the rain, the focused and purposeful approach to the build-up is mirrored on the way home as players rest and recover and coaches code vision. Some players will pace the aisle for more than an hour as they nurse lingering injuries, unable to sit so soon after a game.
It’s a long process to get home, with the return flight ultimately touching down in Perth at 1.05am Queensland time, a full work shift since the team sang the song on the other side of the country.
While their early-season form on the road was concerning, the bigger picture shows the Dockers have found a travel routine that works under Longmuir, leading to a 20-18 record away from Optus Stadium over the past four seasons, with one draw.
With a 3-3 record so far this season, they’ll travel four more times in 2025 for clashes against Sydney (SCG), Collingwood (MCG), Port Adelaide (Adelaide Oval) and the Western Bulldogs (Marvel Stadium).
Longmuir has emphasised to his team the importance of staying in the moment this season, and the coach won’t be looking beyond Saturday’s opportunity to play an ‘away’ game at home and build on recent form.
“The challenge of this year and the challenge for a young group is being able to make sure that you take the confidence and the belief into the next week in the right way,” Longmuir said.
“You can’t roll into the next week thinking you’re just going to play like that again without doing the work during the week and valuing the right things.
“So although you can take the belief and confidence out of a win on the road, it’s got to be directed the right way and directed back to what allowed us to get that win.
