Could this be the year another Docker gets a Brownlow?
Serong's vice-captaincy shows how highly he's valued internally, while he's widely regarded as one of the competition's best midfielders.
Come September, this may well be formalised by taking home the game's highest individual honour.
And right now, Serong is making his Brownlow bid.
On the national stage of Thursday night football, the star delivered his most complete performance of the season against Essendon.
Thirty-five touches at 83 per cent efficiency, seven clearances, two goals, 783 metres gained and 10 inside-50s.
It's a game midfielders dream of – winning the ball at the source and making it count, gaining territory for their team and impacting the scoreboard.
It was the most recent showing of a purple patch which has coincided with Fremantle winning five on the bounce.
Serong has been at the forefront of the Dockers' winning ways.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

Herald Sun
11 minutes ago
- Herald Sun
Saints skipper Steele to start as sub v North Melbourne
Don't miss out on the headlines from AFL. Followed categories will be added to My News. Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera notched up yet another three-vote performance to bring himself right into Brownlow Medal calculations as St Kilda recorded two consecutive wins on Sunday. The superstar – who engineered last weekend's 'Miracle at Marvel' – again ran riot with 36 disposals and nine clearances as St Kilda ran out 11.12 (78) to 10.9 (69) winners. It was his fourth best afield performance in the past five weeks in a performance that is likely to see his Brownlow odds slashed by bookmakers. In a game that essentially meant nothing other than a cherished victory for two success-starved fan bases, the game seesawed before the Saints gained control and survived a late scare. In a stark contrast to last week, the Saints all but stopped in the final term with the Roos getting within three points with 1:36 remaining. St Kilda held on just, kicking its only goal of the last term courtesy of a 50-metre penalty after the siren. Earlier on, the Saints had the opening goal through Max Heath in no time, but North Melbourne were able to get on top for the remainder of the opening term through superior midfield strength. Three consecutive goals gave the Roos an early buffer before the Saints found their feet and seized control as North's pressure fell away. They followed that Roos' run with four goals in a row to lead by a point at the main break after trailing by as much as 19 points early in the second quarter. The Roos came out better in the second half with two quick goals – including a third goal to Nick Larkey – to regain the lead. Both sides had their surges, but the Saints were able to get out to a 21-point at the last break after a six-goal quarter. The Roos nearly pinched it in a frantic final term, but fell just short. CURTIS ON REPORT Kangaroos star Paul Curtis faces a nervous wait after being reported for an off-the-ball strike on Angus Hastie. The pair became tangled on the quarter-time siren, when Curtis struck Hastie high with a Hastie was seen grabbing at his throat following the incident, with the MRO sure to look at the incident.

Sydney Morning Herald
41 minutes ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
From finals longshots to champions: Why Vixens' win was a triumph for Australian netball
'You'd be hard pressed to beat it,' McMahon said. Melbourne finished fourth on the ladder and were underdog finalists, but they pipped the red-hot favourites 59-58 in front of a boisterous and energetic crowd of 15,013. It was also the farewell moment for Vixens coach Simone McKinnis, who had already announced her resignation after 13 years at the helm. On Sunday morning at the spiritual home of netball in Melbourne, Royal Park, the Vixens, slightly bleary-eyed, happily signed autographs and posed for photos with their loyal fans. It was a far cry from earlier in the season, when their campaign was in peril with a 2-4 win-loss record. Vixens captain Kate Moloney knew the odds were stacked against them, but they never gave up. 'I got told there was a stat that it was a 14 per cent chance we could finish fourth at that stage after around six,' Moloney said on Sunday. 'Pretty incredible that we're able to get on a good run and got ourselves in the top four. And once you're there, anything's possible. 'The group just fought every week. We had challenges week in, week out, to make sure that we could get to this grand final. But I think it really match-hardened us.' The magnitude of what the Vixens achieved took a moment to dawn on McKinnis. 'I think maybe I was in a little bit of shock because you know it's there in the distance … and you know that that's what you're after, but you're never really thinking about it,' McKinnis said on Sunday. McMahon, who led the Vixens to the 2009 title, and now serves as netball's high-performance chief in Victoria, said: 'I'm just incredibly proud of this team and what they've been able to achieve this year. 'To have a start like we had, backs against the wall, and be able to fight our way out of that situation and find ourselves holding up the trophy at the end of the season is a great testament to their resilience and just their drive and passion.' The drama of the finals series and the sold-out grand final crowd was a landmark moment for a sport that was dogged by an ugly pay dispute in 2023, which was eventually resolved when a collective agreement was signed that included players sharing revenue with Netball Australia for the first time. Loading And only two months ago, Netball Australia announced it had entered a three-year broadcast deal with Whoopi Goldberg's All Women's Sports Network (AWSN) that will expose Australian netball to more than 65 countries. 'There's been a lot of work done behind the scenes over the last 18 months to two years,' Ellis said. 'I think a lot of the credit has to go to our CEO Stacey West, who came in at a particularly difficult moment for the sport, and she steadied the ship. 'We've got a great story to tell. The story that was told a couple of years ago ... probably wasn't great. That's not to say that everything's perfect [now, but] there is an awful lot of work going on behind the scenes. 'I keep saying to everyone 'let's not carried away, there's still plenty to do in the next 18 months to make sure that we put our game on the best footing possible for the next 10 years'. 'Certainly, it would be nice to ... look at last night and put the line in the sand, and say, 'right now, all eyes towards the future, we are telling a story of optimism and growth and excitement'.'

The Age
41 minutes ago
- The Age
From finals longshots to champions: Why Vixens' win was a triumph for Australian netball
'You'd be hard pressed to beat it,' McMahon said. Melbourne finished fourth on the ladder and were underdog finalists, but they pipped the red-hot favourites 59-58 in front of a boisterous and energetic crowd of 15,013. It was also the farewell moment for Vixens coach Simone McKinnis, who had already announced her resignation after 13 years at the helm. On Sunday morning at the spiritual home of netball in Melbourne, Royal Park, the Vixens, slightly bleary-eyed, happily signed autographs and posed for photos with their loyal fans. It was a far cry from earlier in the season, when their campaign was in peril with a 2-4 win-loss record. Vixens captain Kate Moloney knew the odds were stacked against them, but they never gave up. 'I got told there was a stat that it was a 14 per cent chance we could finish fourth at that stage after around six,' Moloney said on Sunday. 'Pretty incredible that we're able to get on a good run and got ourselves in the top four. And once you're there, anything's possible. 'The group just fought every week. We had challenges week in, week out, to make sure that we could get to this grand final. But I think it really match-hardened us.' The magnitude of what the Vixens achieved took a moment to dawn on McKinnis. 'I think maybe I was in a little bit of shock because you know it's there in the distance … and you know that that's what you're after, but you're never really thinking about it,' McKinnis said on Sunday. McMahon, who led the Vixens to the 2009 title, and now serves as netball's high-performance chief in Victoria, said: 'I'm just incredibly proud of this team and what they've been able to achieve this year. 'To have a start like we had, backs against the wall, and be able to fight our way out of that situation and find ourselves holding up the trophy at the end of the season is a great testament to their resilience and just their drive and passion.' The drama of the finals series and the sold-out grand final crowd was a landmark moment for a sport that was dogged by an ugly pay dispute in 2023, which was eventually resolved when a collective agreement was signed that included players sharing revenue with Netball Australia for the first time. Loading And only two months ago, Netball Australia announced it had entered a three-year broadcast deal with Whoopi Goldberg's All Women's Sports Network (AWSN) that will expose Australian netball to more than 65 countries. 'There's been a lot of work done behind the scenes over the last 18 months to two years,' Ellis said. 'I think a lot of the credit has to go to our CEO Stacey West, who came in at a particularly difficult moment for the sport, and she steadied the ship. 'We've got a great story to tell. The story that was told a couple of years ago ... probably wasn't great. That's not to say that everything's perfect [now, but] there is an awful lot of work going on behind the scenes. 'I keep saying to everyone 'let's not carried away, there's still plenty to do in the next 18 months to make sure that we put our game on the best footing possible for the next 10 years'. 'Certainly, it would be nice to ... look at last night and put the line in the sand, and say, 'right now, all eyes towards the future, we are telling a story of optimism and growth and excitement'.'