From career crossroad to Grand Final: Erasmus stoked he stayed a Docker
Neil Erasmus almost left Fremantle. Now he cannot be dropped.
The 22-year-old midfielder will run out on the MCG in Fremantle's second-ever grand final after playing every game in 2026. It is a sharp turn from midway through last year, when he had managed only 25 AFL games since being drafted ahead of the 2022 season and was weighing a fresh start elsewhere for more continuity, ABC.
He stayed. He signed a three-year deal to remain a Docker until the end of 2028.
Erasmus arrived with big wraps. Fremantle took him alongside Jye Amiss and Matthew Johnson in the 2021 national draft, with Karl Worner added in the rookie draft. But opportunity came slowly. He played 39 games across his first four AFL years before locking down a regular spot this season.
The shift started in the second half of 2025. Erasmus played 13 straight games, including the elimination final loss to Gold Coast — a knockout final that ends the loser's season. He kept his place from there and has not missed since.
His preliminary final moment summed up the change. At the SCG, Fremantle fell behind early against Sydney before storming home to win and book a grand final berth. Erasmus kicked the Dockers' opener after Sydney's Errol Gulden miskicked out on the full — a kick that goes over the boundary without bouncing, which gives the opposition a free kick — with Erasmus converting the shot, AFL.com.au. Fremantle described it as a bending finish from a tough angle to get the team started, Fremantle FC.
Fremantle will now meet Brisbane in the 2026 Toyota AFL Grand Final, Fremantle FC. Coach Justin Longmuir has backed his players to fire on the last Saturday in September after a tough road through September's finals series, AFL.com.au.
Part of Erasmus's rise came from outside footy. Extra training in another sport helped sharpen his footwork and cement his place in Fremantle's midfield mix, AFL.com.au. The signs were there earlier. He collected 18 disposals — kicks and handballs — and 229 metres gained on debut in a Fremantle win, and later won the Simpson Medal as best on ground in Peel's WAFL Grand Final win in Western Australia's state league.
What makes this stand out is the timing. Twelve months ago Erasmus was at a career crossroad. Now he is a premiership decider starter. For fans, this means the grand final has a simple, human thread: a player who chose patience, and got rewarded.
