Source :- PERTH NOW NEWS
With their season coming to an end in devastating fashion, Fremantle are already moving on, announcing four Dockers won’t be at the club next season.
Bailey Banfield, Sam Sturt, Ollie Murphy and Ryda Luke have been informed they will not be offered contracts for next year following exit meetings with the club.
Banfield is the most senior member to be delisted, having joined the club via the rookie draft in 2017 and was a regular member of the side across the previous two seasons.
However, the 28-year-old would play just one game this year, coming in the round 24 defeat to Carlton, having fallen down the pecking order of Fremantle defenders.
Banfield finishes his Dockers career after 119 games, but had an even bigger impact off the field, winning the 2026 Jim Stynes Community Leadership Award on Brownlow Medal night.
A Starlight ambassador for eight years, Banfield has been involved in a number of community causes for the club, including Freo Cares and Worthy Australia, helping to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars.
His last act as a Fremantle player was to help Peel Thunder to a dominant WAFL premiership, though there are reports he could find a a new AFL home in Vicotria.
“These decisions are never easy, particularly when you’ve had a player like Bailey who’s been at the Club for just under 10 years,” footy boss Brierty said.
“His contribution has had an impact not only on the field, but also off it and around the Club. It culminated in him receiving the Jim Stynes Community Leadership Award at the Brownlow Medal Count last week.
“His resilience and determination to get the most out of himself on the football field, playing a variety of roles during his time at Fremantle, is something our coaching staff has always admired.
“He obviously has an exciting journey ahead, and we wish Bailey and his wife, Julia, all the best as they plan for the arrival of their first child.”
Sturt was a former first-rounder taken with pick No.18 in the 2018 draft and would go on to kick 43 goals from 31 games before having his career derailed by injuries.
More to come
