Motormouth Mitch: Fremantle must let Shai Bolton loose for the betterment of their premiership hopes

From the Fremantle star who must be unleashed to why the AFL are hampering West Coast early in the season, The West Australian’s Mitchell Woodcock takes a no-holds-barred look at the big issues. Bolton Unbridled Fremantle must give Shai Bolton a license to go on the all-out attack to ensure he can be the match-winner they wanted when they recruited him from Richmond. Bolton was at his absolute best in the win over Melbourne at Optus Stadium on Saturday night with 32 disposals, a team-high nine clearances and two goals. It was the kind of performance that leads to three Brownlow votes. It’s the type of game that stands up in finals. And Bolton is the type of player on whom premierships are built. The 27-year-old was not only at his attacking best, but there were the team efforts he put in. Bolton’s block to allow Caleb Serong to kick a goal showed just how much he has brought into Justin Longmuir’s vision. Longmuir should repay that trust and let Bolton be Bolton. Fremantle do not have another player like him on their list. He is explosive from stoppages, nearly unstoppable around goal when he is on the move and can find multiple ways to get into a game. Caleb Serong was well tagged against the Demons by Koltyn Tholstrup, so Bolton stood tall in his absence and carried the load. Richmond now have a massive headache. Who do they tag – Serong or Bolton? What about Andrew Brayshaw, who was nothing short of incredible as well, collecting 39 disposals and a goal. Bolton was good in his maiden season at the Dockers, kicking 28 goals and averaging 18 touches, but they needed more from him considering the draft haul they gave up in exchange to bring him back to WA. But if he can find a level similar to what he displayed this weekend on a more consistent basis, then they are not just getting bang for their buck but a whole lot more. Bolton is a rare commodity in the AFL world, and the Dockers have this absolute weapon in their arsenal. Take him out of the holster and ensure he has maximum impact. Fixture Farce Everyone is still crying and carrying on about Opening Round, and for good reason. However, West Coast coach Andrew McQualter must sit at home wondering what his team have done to draw such a short straw. The reigning wooden spooners have been absolutely hindered by the early-season fixturing, and there is no good explanation as to why. To start, their first two away trips are against opponents who haven’t had to travel the week before. Gold Coast beat Geelong on their own deck before hosting the Eagles. Then Port Adelaide took on Essendon and a week later get the chance to play West Coast at Adelaide Oval. The most egregious part of the Power game, however, is the ridiculous start time of 9.30am on the Sunday morning. Most West Australians have barely taken the first bite of their smashed avocado on toast — which they’ve made at home thanks to the cost of living — before the first ball up. West Coast are already one of the most travelled teams in the AFL. Why do they have to play at such an early hour? Surely Carlton’s clash against Melbourne could’ve been the midday game at the MCG, which would allow the Eagles and Power to be pushed back to mid-afternoon South Australian time. Oh, and don’t worry. It gets better. When West Coast head back to Adelaide for Gather Round, they have to take on grand finalists Geelong at 10.30am AWST. And at Norwood Oval of all places. There are no logical reasons for these games to start so early. The AFL fixture is an absolute farce and must be fixed ASAP. Missing Eagle West Coast fans would’ve struggled to watch as Tom Barrass played one of the best games of his career in a Hawthorn guernsey on Thursday night. There has been a lot made about the Eagles’ missed opportunity to draft Jagga Smith because of a controversial trade in 2024. And then co-captain Oscar Allen walked to Brisbane as a free agent. The Eagles came out of that well, thanks to the draft pick they got, which landed them Cooper Duff-Tytler. The loss of Barrass in a trade to Hawthorn a few years ago appears to be the one which is hurting the team the most for several reasons. West Coast’s list management team would’ve planned to still have Jeremy McGovern for at least this season, given he was contracted before concussion issues forced his retirement. But still, a 30-year-old defender who is in the prime of his career like Barrass would’ve been a handy magnet for McQualter to be able to put on his whiteboard every week. Barrass would’ve helped Harry Edwards and Tylar Young to curtail the influence of the game’s best forwards. And his leadership and skills he learnt from McGovern would be helpful to pass on to the likes of Rhett Bazzo, who is yet to find his feet at the level. Instead, Barrass is looking like an All-Australian backman early this season while playing for Sam Mitchell at the Hawks. And time will tell, but another premiership to add to the one he won in 2018 could well be his reward for joining the Victorian powerhouse. It just might be a painful watch for the Eagles’ faithful, who would love to see him flying for intercept marks for their side. Hamstring Horror Faster isn’t always better. And it appears right now the AFL may have a problem on their hands when it comes to the unintended consequences of their rule changes. It might be too early to tell if the hierarchy has tweaked the game too much, and it is causing an abnormal number of hamstring injuries. But the preliminary data is concerning. First, there were several soft tissue injuries in the AFL Origin game, but the fact that it was so many of the best meant it could’ve been an outlier. However, the number of players dropping with soft tissue injuries early in the 2026 season could become a pandemic. The likes of Brisbane’s Hugh McCluggage, Sydney’s Isaac Heeney and Carlton’s Adam Saad were all early victims. We had three in one game on Saturday when Richmond lost star pair Toby Nankervis and Tom Lynch to hamstring injuries against Gold Coast, who also had star recruit Christian Petracca to a hamstring issue. Adelaide recruit Callum Ah Chee has re-injured his hamstring and is now set for a decent stint on the sidelines. The players are clearly hitting top speed on more occasions, and it’s causing them to break down. Once they build into the season, their bodies might become more resilient, but right now it looks as if the AFL have a problem on their hands. It’s certainly a watch going forward.