Nat Fyfe: Retiring Fremantle Dockers great riding remarkable Brownlow streak in wins over Western Bulldogs

There’s been one common denominator across each of Nat Fyfe’s past five victories against the Western Bulldogs, and it’s one of the AFL’s most remarkable streaks. N Fyfe, three votes. The retiring champion has exercised a dominance like no other when Fremantle have saluted against this week’s opponent, and it won’t hurt his prospects of shedding the substitute’s vest and playing a full game for what could be his last match on Sunday. Fyfe has earned top Brownlow votes in his past five wins over the Bulldogs, ranging from his first medal-winning season of 2015 to a vintage display of class last year. It’s the longest streak of three-vote games in wins by any player league-wide against a single opponent for almost two decades. The veteran torched Luke Beveridge’s side to help spearhead a 24-point win at Optus Stadium last April, despite having well and truly handed over the keys to the Dockers’ engine room to Caleb Serong and Andrew Brayshaw by that point. Fyfe amassed 37 disposals, seven clearances and seven inside-50s, and added a key third-quarter goal to dish up a dose of déjà vu for the Dogs. That performance and his imposing career record may factor into Justin Longmuir’s thinking this week, with the Fremantle coach acknowledging a full game for Fyfe was “in the mix” following an impactful final-term cameo in last Friday night’s loss to Brisbane. Fyfe had eight disposals and a term-high four inside-50s after being injected into the game at three-quarter time. “We’re weighing up a lot of different things,” Longmuir said on Wednesday. “I’d love to sit here and give you the team, but we haven’t picked it, we haven’t trained, and I don’t really want to let everyone know what we’re doing. “But yeah, that (a full game for Fyfe) is in the mix.” When asked if the prospect of Sunday being Fyfe’s potential farewell clash served as motivation for the playing group, Longmuir replied: “I’m not going into this game thinking it’s going to be Fyfey’s last game, so probably not.” At the end of 2019, after snaring his second Brownlow medal, Fyfe had amassed 41 three-vote games out of 162 home-and-away matches – a clip of best-on-ground honours in every fourth appearance. Since then, he’s had just one three-vote match: The throwback masterclass against the Dogs last season. If he can produce one more, for old time’s sake, then there’s every chance this weekend’s game won’t be his last. NAT FYFE’S PAST 5 WINS AGAINST THE WESTERN BULLDOGS