Craig O’Donoghue: Caleb Serong racing up the list of greatest-ever Dockers with third straight Doig Medal win

Fremantle star Serong is now part of a select group of players who can lay claim to being on the purple podium for the best players to ever wear the Dockers jumper. Winning three Doig Medals already made him elite. But doing it for three years in a row is something else – and he’s still only 24. It’s extremely easy to rank the two best players in Fremantle’s history. The gold and silver medal order is debatable depending on your own preferences, but retiring superstar Nat Fyfe and former captain Matthew Pavlich are undisputed as being at the top of the pack. The bronze medal spot has many candidates. Peter Bell is in the Australian Football Hall of Fame for his efforts at both Fremantle and North Melbourne, where he won two premierships. Ruckman Aaron Sandilands gave the Dockers an incredible edge at stoppages throughout his 271-game career and was an imposing presence with his 211cm frame. David Mundy’s 376 matches, elite ball use and leadership have him as another player who can lay claim to owning that podium spot. Some will point to Luke McPharlin for his defensive efforts and others will point to Michael Walters for his sustained excellence close to goal. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder when it comes to the purple podium. The mere fact Serong is already in a position to have his case argued for Fremantle’s bronze medal despite having about a decade remaining in his career is a testament to his talent. It is so hard to win three best-and-fairest awards in a row. You need to be durable. Any matches missed through injury can end someone’s chances of victory. That also means you have to be able to play through duress. You have to handle the pressure of being tagged, targeted and constantly planned for by the opposition. And you have to accept and enjoy the expectation that you constantly get better despite already being at the top of your game. Many sports celebrate hat-tricks for individual efforts during matches. But a hat-trick of individual awards is so damn rare. And that’s why Serong could end his career on the purple podium.