Fremantle football operations boss Bob Murphy defends Dockers’ decision to keep Nat Fyfe as a forward

Inserting Nat Fyfe into Fremantle’s midfield as the former skipper struggled up forward would have been a “short-sighted” and “knee-jerk” move, according to Dockers football operations boss Bob Murphy.

Playing as a permanent forward, Fyfe had just nine disposals and kicked the solitary behind as Fremantle were stunned by a injury-hindered St Kilda at Marvel Stadium on Sunday.

Fyfe, 31, has been pushed out of the midfield after the emergence of Andy Brayshaw, Caleb Serong and Will Brodie, as well as the arrival of Jaeger O’Meara from Hawthorn.

The dual Brownlow medallist looked a good option as a forward in the pre-season with two three-goal hauls against Port Adelaide and Adelaide, but struggled for impact on Sunday as Saints vice-captain Callum Wilkie blanketed him.

Experts were calling for Fyfe to be sent into the midfield as the game started to slip away, but Murphy said it would have been a “short-sighted” move after a summer preparing as a forward.

“I think Nathan would say the same - it certainly wasn’t one of his more influential games but he’s probably the microcosm of this is a forward line that’s still finding its rhythm and there’s a human chemistry element involved,” Murphy told SEN.

“I think our back six and seven and our midfield group have played a lot of footy together. This forward group is still finding that water level of when to go, when to stay, reading each other’s body language.

“I think it would be a little bit knee-jerk after spending the entire summer and the back end of last year, Nathan preparing as a forward, he’s such a unique talent as we know.

“I think it just needs a little bit more and to panic and throw him into the midfield would have just been a bit short-sighted, in my view anyway.”

AFL analyst Kane Cornes said Fyfe would be “the most frustrated player in the country” after being left out of the midfield and suggested his career was at a crossroads.

“He’s looking at O’Meara at a third club, who’s closer to 30, who’s been pushed out of Hawthorn and he’s thinking ‘I’m twice a good a player as Jaeger O’Meara yet when the game is on the line in the last quarter he’s in the centre bound and I’m stuck at full forward’,” Cornes said.

“That’s why I say he must be... the most frustrated player in the country right now.”