AFL finals 2026: Patrick Voss embraces villain tag, why bad guy role suits Fremantle Dockers cult hero, premiership push, delisted by Essendon, overlooked by GWS, repay faith

He’s the Freo cult hero that 17 other AFL clubs love to hate.

But Patrick Voss is no enigma. He’s a man who knows his worth.

Get the expert take on AFL Grand Final Day with FOX FOOTY’s pre-match, half-time and post-match coverage, plus full and mini replays available from 6PM AEST on Kayo Sports | New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1.

WHAT'S GAMBLING REALLY COSTING YOU? Set a deposit limit. For Free and confidential support call 1800 858 858 or visit gamblinghelponline.org.au.

Sure, he’s been in the headlines time and time again this season for a wild range of moments.

There was the head rub and taunt of Demon Harry Petty and the time he literally put Demon Ed Langdon on his shoulders and carted him over the boundary.

There’s been repeated on-field scuffles, taunts and sledges, the odd crowd interaction – that never go down well outside of Optus Stadium — and big match-ups that have ultimately had a huge say in the result of matches this season.

But Voss is hellbent on repaying Fremantle’s faith and makes no apologies for the way he goes about it.

“It’s sort of like you’re a bit of a movie character,” he told foxfooty.com.au of the villain tag he’s copped since arriving at the Dockers.

“It’s been an interesting one this year learning to separate yourself from the guy that takes the field every week.

“It gets thrown around that 17 teams hate me and one team loves me, (but) it’s not 17 teams and 17 supporter bases hate me as a person. They might hate the way I play footy – I’m OK with that. If it means I’m playing my part for the team and my role for the team, they can hate the way I play footy all they like.

‘BIT OF A FLOOR SHOW’: Saints ruffled by Voss’ ‘bizarre’ antics

‘YOU’RE AN IMBECILE’: AFL stars lashed as ‘Voss rule’ takes effect

WOES LAID BARE: Inside Essendon’s 10 costly list blunders

“When you see comments or people talk about you and they try and have a bit of a stab at your personality or what not, they’ve obviously never met me. It doesn’t impact me or affect me at all.

“(But) I don’t stay off social media or distance myself – I just don’t go looking for it. I’m not typing my name up in Google or anything (laughs).

“It’s always going to be there. I know that the way I play footy is going to make people comment. But people don’t know me as a person.

“They can say what they like.”

It’s been well-documented Voss arrived at Fremantle to start season 2024 after being delisted by Essendon without playing a senior game. He’d already been overlooked by the Giants, despite being part of their Academy.

At the time, the Bombers’ decision cut deep. But the then 20-year-old refused to believe his AFL dream was over as he got to work fighting for a final list spot.

Freo list manager David Walls said Voss “forced his way onto our list with output and attitude”.

In hindsight, Essendon’s decision to let Voss go looks increasingly costly. All the talk heading into the draft was around his physicality and willingness to compete — traits that perfectly fit what Justin Longmuir and the Dockers demand of him week in, week out.

Premiership Eagle and Fox Footy commentator Will Schofield said Voss deserved a lot of credit for reigniting his AFL career at the Dockers.

“A lot of people haven’t had the faith in him, a lot of people and clubs haven’t believed in him,” Schofield told foxfooty.com.au. “For that to be the case, it means he’s got a lot of self-drive, self-belief and mental strength, because it’s really hard if people don’t believe in you.

“Seeing him develop into the player he is, it’s been really awesome to watch.”

Voss is integral to Fremantle’s Grand Final campaign, whether it’s the spark he provides in attack, his defensive work or his willingness to sacrifice his own game in lockdown roles on the likes of Harris Andrews and Cal Wilkie.

He’s emerged as the AFL’s ‘Prancing Pony’ – and he’s got his sights set on success for a team that backed him in.

“When I get asked about my time at Essendon, and proving Essendon wrong, I’ve always just wanted to prove Freo right,” he shared.

“They took a chance on me. Saw something in me.

“Forever grateful for that opportunity that they’ve given me.

“Hopefully I’ve been able to prove them right.”

Yes, Voss can create controversy. But it remains on field and not off it, which is something coach Longmuir can work with.

“A lot gets made of these isolated situations,” Longmuir said of Voss earlier this year.

“He has his teammates’ back, he puts team first a lot.

“During the week, you can’t fault his intent to work on his game and all those types of things.

“We’ve got to make sure he treads the right side of the line … (but) I said to him in person, he’s 22 years of age … he’s going to make some mistakes along the way. Like all our players do.

“Fully supportive of him. Keep backing him in.”

Even his skipper Alex Pearce has praised the way Voss goes about it.

“He’s good for footy, he’s a bloke that you love playing with. He brings so much passion and energy and he’s good for the game,” he previously said on Fox Footy.

“He’s probably a bit like (Hayden) Ballantyne to be honest … most people that don’t go for Freo want to punch him, but we all want to kiss him.”

According to Champion Data, Voss is ranked as an elite player for his tackles per game, while he’s enjoying a career-best season for goals, disposals, marks and tackles.

It’s worth remembering those numbers have come while Voss has repeatedly played sacrificial roles to take out the opposition’s best defender.

“Like every week I’m up for the challenge, up for the task whatever my role is,” he said.

“We’re excited by the challenge.

“They’ve got strengths, we’ve got strengths … we got a taste for them up at the Gabba at the start of the year, but a lot has changed since then.

“They’ve hit some form, but so have we.”

Fremantle head into just their second-ever AFL Grand Final after two seasons of heartbreak under Longmuir.

In 2024, a string of late-season injuries to key players saw Freo slip from the top four and miss finals altogether.

Last year, a free kick to Suns retiree David Swallow in the dying stages bounced the Dockers out in an elimination final.

But this year, the club was determined to go better.

“I’m a big believer in you’re exactly where you’re meant to be and you get exactly what you deserve,” Voss said.

“So we were exactly where we needed to be this time last year – it definitely stung.

“We came to pre-season, we’ve got such great belief in what we’re doing and the team we can become.

“We really put our head down.

“We did the work and that’s what gives us that trust.

“Knowing that the game is played over 120 minutes. A bad quarter or a bad half doesn’t mean you need to have a bad game.

“Your moment is always going to pop up … trust in our system if you stick to your role and our game plan, your moment will come – you’ve got to be ready to execute.”

And executing has become a specialty of Voss on the biggest stage — his three MCG appearances have yielded a whopping 15 goals.

Earlier this year, there was a bag of five goals against former club Essendon and four in the thrilling loss to Melbourne.

Last year, it was his half-dozen against Collingwood in a game that made AFL rivals stand up and take notice.

There’s no questioning Voss’ ability in the big moments.

After a quiet start against the Swans last week, Voss pulled out a fend-off on Dane Rampe – which went viral and even made US headlines on SportsCenter — and produced a team-lifting goal.

Schofield, who’s watched Voss closely during the forward’s time at Fremantle, said it was crucial Voss brought his aggressive, physical nature to the Grand Final on Saturday.

“Look, I’d say this to Patty’s face and call him ‘Passive Patty’ when he’s playing like he did in the first half last week,” Schofield said.

“He just looks passive and easy to play on when he doesn’t, so you may as well have another player out there.

“But then you contrast that with his aggression … he’s been a real barometer for them as a whole. If Pat Voss is up and going, so is Freo. There’s not many players in the AFL that can dictate a team’s energy like that, let alone good ones.”

Now the 23-year-old is ready to embrace his biggest challenge yet on Saturday in his first AFL grand final.

“There’s obviously a lot of distractions and a lot of external noise, a lot of extra stuff we’re going to have to do – but that’s the price of entry for getting into a grand final,” he said.

“I’m going to embrace it, enjoy the week, but we’re there to do a job.

“Come 2.30 Saturday, we want to be the best prepared team so we look forward to that.”

Just make sure to get the GPS set if Voss can light it up at the MCG. The celebration is sure to be big.