'Next moment the most important' for Longmuir's dominant Dockers

The Fremantle Dockers are three wins away from their first-ever AFL premiership, but coach Justin Longmuir has downplayed the idea of using that as motivation in the finals. The 2026 Dockers have the best home-and-away season in the club's history, winning 19 of their 23 games and securing the minor premiership. This has excited the Freo faithful, who have only made one grand final since entering the AFL in 1995, losing to the Hawks in 2013.

Throughout the campaign, Longmuir has emphasized staying focused on the present and immediate tasks, rather than thinking about the ultimate goal. He believes that if someone cannot see this motivation, they are likely in the wrong game. Longmuir stated, "All our players know what's on the line, and we just need to make sure that we use whatever motivation that gives us to give it all to your next moment."

The team recognizes that pressure manifests differently for each player, and they have worked on addressing this. Longmuir reiterated that the key to winning premierships is by winning games of footy, which is achieved by winning more moments than the opposition. He stressed, "We've just got to make sure that we give our best to each moment, and the next moment is the most important one."

While the Dockers' home-crowd advantage has been a topic of discussion, Longmuir remains confident they won't need to rely on the fans to overcome another slow start. He said, "They're not going to get us over the line if we're not playing good footy, so we've got to give them something to cheer for, and it needs to be from the start."

Key defender Brennan Cox will miss the Thursday match due to injury, but Fremantle is set to welcome back players like Murphy Reid, Jye Amiss, Heath Chapman, and the retiring Sam Switkowski. Hawthorn, on the other hand, will enter the clash with virtually their full strength, with only two players unavailable on their recent injury list.