Fremantle champion Paul Hasleby believes young key forward Jye Amiss can kick 40 goals for the Dockers this year and should be prioritised in the best 22 ahead of more experienced teammates, including a 10-year veteran.
After being taken with Pick 8 in the 2021 draft, Amiss played three games for the Dockers in their impressive 2022, including their two finals against the Western Bulldogs and Collingwood. He was particularly influential against the Bulldogs, booting 2.1 in the club’s first finals win since 2015.
Speaking on SEN WA Mornings, Hasleby said he expected Amiss to show significant improvement at AFL level this year.
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“I’m on record already this year saying Jye Amiss kicks 40 goals,” Hasleby told SEN WA.
“We talk about this kid like he’s been around for a long time, but in reality he hasn’t played much footy. Two or three games last year, he came in for the finals – we know what he did in that first final, he was brilliant – so he’s my man.
“Another pre-season, better ball movement expected by the Fremantle Dockers, a few more options in and around him to take some pressure off – (Nat) Fyfe will take some pressure off.
“So I’m expecting, with his goalkicking – I don’t think he’ll have heaps of shots this year, but he’s that sort of player that can kick 40.20 because of how lethal he is with that goalkicking technique.”
Hasleby said while the Dockers don’t have one of the most star-studded forward lines in the AFL, they possess one of the deepest, claiming 11 players would be competing for seven spots.
The 2000 AFL Rising Star winner said Amiss had to be a priority selection and play as much senior footy as possible this year, while the new ruck combination of Luke Jackson and Sean Darcy would take up another key forward spot, as well as midfielder-turned-forward Nat Fyfe.
“You’ve got to keep backing him (Amiss) in. He’s the future of the club,” he said.
“Whether it’s this year, next year or three years down the track, he’s going to be a key part of that. So you need to give him as much exposure as possible.”
Hasleby said the Dockers then could only play one more tall goalkicker out of Matt Taberner, Josh Treacy or new recruit Josh Corbett.
Taberner has kicked 89 goals in the past three years for Fremantle, but has never played more than 17 games in a season since being drafted to the club in late 2012.
Hasleby said Taberner shouldn’t be an automatic selection this year,
“I don’t think you can play too many,” he said.
“They’ve talked about Josh Treacy that he’s really taken the next step this year.
“Matt Taberner, he’s getting a little bit older, he’s had a lot of injury concerns, he can be good if he’s the focal point. But unfortunately for Taberner he doesn’t add that extra leg speed in the forward line, he doesn’t chase out that well and he is pushed off the ball, at times, a little bit too easy.
“So unless he’s fully fit and confident, they may be looking at some of those other players who can get up the ground a bit better and play the centre-half forward role, which Josh Treacy and Corbett can do that.
“I don’t think he’s a foregone conclusion to be included this year, Matt Taberner.”
After finishing fifth on the ladder in 2022, Hasleby said the Dockers would make the top four this season.
“I think they’ve got all bases covered,” he said. “I think out of every club, they are the club with the most upside with a lot of their players that have come in.
“They’re all at that age where they should see more improvement. They won a final last year, natural progression should really take them into that top four.”
