It’s the positional shift some have been clamouring for, and it could elevate Fremantle into the genuine premiership contender most believe it is.
Luke Jackson’s transformation from a versatile ruck-forward hybrid into a pure ball-winning midfielder is set to prove a pivotal point of difference as the Dockers plot a premiership push.
A dynamic mover at 199 centimetres, Jackson has been regarded as one of the competition’s most athletically-gifted ruckmen, with the 24-year-old possessing a rare aerobic capacity and ability to win the footy at ground level for a man his size.
The all-together package creates a tantalising opportunity for Fremantle to add exponentially to its midfield operation. And the club is very much awake to this reality.
At the end of last season, already plotting ways to make amends for an agonising finals exit, the club flagged the move for Jackson as a longer-term plan.
“We’d love him to grow a little bit more as a midfielder as well and to have a pre-season under his belt working closely with (midfield assistant) Joel Corey and the other mids,” football boss Joe Brierty said last September.
“The nuance between transitioning from the ruck into the midfield, and then at times he can be used as another tall forward.”
And that blueprint is coming to fruition, with the former No.3 draft pick this pre-season training as a pure midfield machine and testing what he’s learnt from his All-Australian teammates in match simulation.
“It excites me,” Jackson told Foxfooty.com.au of the prospect of playing matches as a full-time midfielder.
“I love the idea of playing everywhere, being able to play everywhere on the ground.
“But being trained more as an inside mid, and I’m learning off guys like Andy (Brayshaw) and Caleb (Serong), and Joel Corey, our midfield coach.
“I feel like I’ve brought it to another level with that inside mid craft, and I’m excited to see where it can go.”
In 21 games last season, Jackson averaged a career-high 17.8 disposals and 3.4 clearances per game. The 2021 Melbourne premiership star has played at least 21 matches in every season bar his rookie campaign with the Demons.
The exciting utility feels he has the tank to run out games as a full-time rover, adding he can “definitely” see a scenario where he’s on the receiving end of Sean Darcy’s tapwork instead of interchanging with him in the middle of the ground.
“Obviously, working on craft in the midfield, but also the running capacity is a big strength you need in there, so I’m just working on everything I need to be able to play that role for the team,” he said.
“And definitely would love to link with Sean in the middle, it’d be good fun.”
The change in ruck rules — prohibiting ruckmen from crossing the centre line to engage opponents before jumping at centre bounces — benefits an athletic beast like Jackson, so don’t expect him not to still attend plenty of ruck contests.
But picture him in an on-ball rotation with Andy Brayshaw, Caleb Serong and Hayden Young — provided he can stay on the park — and maybe even sprinkling in some Murphy Reid. It’s a terrifying proposition for rivals.
“You’ve got your more senior guys like Hayden Young — his ability to stay fit this pre-season and just train, do every session … and Luke Jackson playing a bit more midfield as well,” Dockers co-vice-captain Serong told Foxfooty.com.au.
“Those two guys, what they’ve done as big-bodied mids to kind of come in, a-la Andy and I, to kind of be a bit more inside-outside and kind of use our strengths as well but allow them to play to their strengths — it’s a dynamic that can be really exciting for us.”
What makes Jackson’s shift all the more feasible is the arrival of former Collingwood premiership tall Mason Cox in the off-season SSP.
The introduction of Cox, a forward-ruck in his own right, to play the second tall role behind Darcy may be the catalyst to allowing Jackson’s game to develop and flourish between the arcs.
“A hundred per cent,” Jackson said of the possibility.
“He (Cox) has been playing ruck quite a bit and key forward, so he can play both positions.
“And I think it adds a lot of flexibility to our team as well, helps out ‘JT’ (Josh Treacy), ‘Vossy’ (Patrick Voss) and those guys, so it’d definitely help the team.”
But aside from personnel dynamics, Jackson’s belief that he can run out games as a ball-winner could be traced back to the club’s high-performance department, which underwent significant change in the off-season.
Adam Heard replaced Phil Merriman to assume the role of director of performance, and Jackson claims the playing group’s running capacity and gym results have “gone to another level” this pre-season.
“It’s been an unreal pre-season. I look at the gym (results) compared to last year, on the track … I think the boys are pushing themselves,” he said.
“It’s been a big change (in high-performance). Different change, but it’s been really good for our group of players. I think we’re all pushing ourselves in every area, so I think we’re all improving.”
Going into a greater depth of detail, Serong explained that while day-to-day regimenting wasn’t all that different, it’s been the small details that have added “a bit of freshness to the place”.
“Day-to-day programming, it’s not a heap different — like, we’re still training on the same days, still got the same gym program in terms of when we’re doing it and all that, but in terms of what is actually included in those extra running sessions … some training philosophies, it’s just little tweaks,” three-time All-Australian midfielder Serong said.
“It’s nothing groundbreaking or life-changing, but it’s little things that I guess add a bit of freshness to the place. Obviously, our past high-performance did an incredible job, and he’d been there for five years, so it’s a new kind of thing for a lot of our players, being such a young group.
“It’s the first time I’ve had a new high-performance manager, so I guess … the philosophies can kind of change in terms of what they prioritise, and little things like that.”
Ultimately, it’s a lot of talk until the Dockers turn it into action — which, for most supporters, is finals success and a look-in at a maiden premiership.
There’s little argument that Fremantle, which enters 2026 with the eighth-youngest and sixth-least experienced list, has a top-four list based on talent, but it all hasn’t quite come together just yet as coach Justin Longmuir enters his seventh season in charge.
The brutal one-point elimination final loss to Gold Coast on home soil still stings — as it should — but that valuable September experience won’t have gone to waste.
“I think ‘JL’ (Longmuir) spoke about it; we got a taste of finals experience and what it’s like — it definitely is a bigger jump to in-season,” Jackson said.
“But I think getting that taste and the younger boys getting a feel of what it’s like is only going to help us.
“We’ve still got a lot of growth areas, but I think that final (loss against the Suns) in particular will help us for this season.”
