Fremantle’s depth of talent and the number of players who are capable of being match winners is one of the biggest changes to the club this season, according to coach Justin Longmuir.

The Dockers won their sixth game in a row on Saturday night when the beat Carlton 16.7 (103) to 13.11 (89) at Optus Stadium. Shai Bolton won the Arthur Leggett Medal for his best on ground display that saw him collect 33 possessions and kick two goals. Luke Jackson was also brilliant, finishing runner-up in that award after a dominant display in the ruck.

Their efforts followed Jordan Clark winning the Glendinning-Allan Medal last week against West Coast ahead of key forward Jye Amiss and youngster Murphy Reid.

With Hayden Young winning the Glendinning-Allan Medal last year, the Dockers have had a wide variety of players who have stepped up in key games. There was a time when Fremantle relied upon big games from Caleb Serong and Andrew Brayshaw to be successful, but that is no longer the case.

“That’s where you want to get to as a footy club,” Longmuir said.

“Different players get a lick of the ice cream in different weeks. When we talk about our forwards and who kicks the goals, we want to share the load but sometimes the ball bounces to one person a little bit more than the others. Bolts won the medal but I still think we had a pretty even performance across the group. we had a lot of good players.

“I think we’re building good flexibility. The players are becoming really selfless and they want to share the load as well which is the most important thing. Coaches can want it all they want but if the players don’t want it, it doesn’t come to fruition. The players, led by our leaders, have become really selfless. They want to share the load.”

Jackson’s dominance was crucial to the win as he again showed how tough he is to match both in the air and on the ground. Longmuir said Jackson is reaping the rewards from the hard work he put in over summer and everyone at Fremantle understands they have a player who is capable of things that few players can match.

“He’s unique. He’s a good aerial player and a good tap ruckman, but he’s just as good at ground level. Once it hits the deck, he becomes another midfielder, hence why at times we like to put him through the midfield and use him as a midfielder,” he said.

“I thought he did a great job, and he’s pretty electric when he gets up and about like that. He’s become fitter with his running which was a huge step up from last year, and he’s become a lot stronger as well.

“He’s really put the time into the gym, and he’s able to stand there and wrestle with the rucks as well now and not just rely on his jump. So he’s evolved all aspects of his game.”