It’s been seven years since Fremantle last held a top-ten pick at the national draft, so the importance of their pick No.7 on Friday night can’t be understated. 

From 1995 to 1999, every first round pick resulted in a 100-plus game player.

Taken with pick 12 in 1996, Heath Black played two stints of 69 games for Fremantle, first between 1997 and 2001 and then between 2005 to 2008. When the wingman was traded to St Kilda in 2001, Fremantle received pick 17 in return which was used to help bring Jeff Farmer to the club.

James Walker came to the club via pick 6 in 1997, becoming the first Victorian-born player to achieve Life Membership at the club, playing 151 games 

Pick 2 in 1998 saw Justin Longmuir arrive at Freo. Over his 139 games, one stands out as a highlight – kicking a goal after the siren against St Kilda in round 21 of 2005 to see Fremantle win by five points.

But when it comes to their first rounder in Friday's draft, Fremantle will hope to party like it’s 1999.

Paul Hasleby. No 2, 1999

In the first game of his 208-game career at Fremantle, Hasleby reeled in 30 possessions against Geelong.

The performance resulted in a rising star nomination on debut and he would go on to win the award in a first for the club.

It was just the beginning for a player who quickly became a fan-favourite. When it came to derbies, Hasleby stood tallest, winning the Ross Glendenning Medal four times, including one in every year from 2002 to 2004 and another in 2009.

Hasleby played every game for the club from 2002 to 2005, earning All-Australian selection in 2003 and placing in the top 10 for disposals in the league in 2003 and 2004.

Credited with his ability to read the play, win the ball and dispose to advantage, Hasleby is considered as one of the best midfielders in Fremantle history. 

Matthew Pavlich. No 4, 1999

On the Fremantle Dockers' honour roll, the name Matthew Pavlich appears 35 times.

Pavlich has earned six of Fremantle’s 18 All-Australian selections, won six out of 22 Doig Medals, won the goalkicking outright seven times with another tied with Justin Longmuir in 2001, and holds the record for most games (353), most games as captain (189), most consecutive games (160), most goals (700), most finals played (15 alongside Aaron Sandilands) and most Brownlow votes (126).

But the numbers don’t do justice when describing Pavlich’s contribution to the club. For the best part of a decade, Pavlich has stood out as the face of Fremantle during its most successful period, captaining the side from 2007 to 2015.

Stephen Hill. No 3, 2008

A player who just keeps getting better with age, it’s easy to forget that the 172-gamer is just 26 years old.

Hill burst onto the scene in his first derby of his debut season in 2009, earning three Brownlow votes from a performance that featured seven inside fifties.

Hill won the Beacon Award as the best first-year player in 2009, and has played over 20 games in all but one of his AFL seasons, with 19 in 2013.

One moment Fremantle fans will never forget is his famous interchange goal of the 2013 Qualifying Final at Simonds Stadium. After sneaking onto the ground to receive the feed from Aaron Sandilands, Hill reeled off five bounces as he ran from the half-back flank to inside the 50, slotting the goal to send the away fans into raptures.

Clive Waterhouse. No.1, 1995

Sitting fifth in Freo’s all-time goalkicking list, Clive Waterhouse was a cult figure among Fremantle fans, playing 108 games over the club's early years.

Waterhouse won the 1998 goal-kicking award despite finding himself in and out of the side. The unpredictable but exciting forward came into his own in 1999, playing alongside Tony Modra as the pair combined for over 100 goals that season.

Seven goals in the infamous Demolition Derby in 2000, a game that saw Fremantle come back from 42 points back early in the third quarter to win by a point, saw Waterhouse etch himself into folklore.