Fremantle coach Ross Lyon has hit back at Terry Wallace's criticism of Nat Fyfe, likening the comments to that of someone trying to sell penny dreadful stocks.
Fyfe took the AFL by storm in 2015 on the way to winning that season's Brownlow Medal.
But two broken legs has seen his influence wane.
Fyfe is averaging less possessions, clearances, tackles, and contested possessions this year.
And worryingly, his clanger count has risen.
In last week's 100-point loss to Adelaide, Fyfe tallied 25 disposals - 13 of which were clangers.
Wallace says Fyfe is nowhere near the player he was in 2015.
And the former Richmond and Western Bulldogs coach said the gap between Fyfe and Geelong star Patrick Dangerfield has widened considerably.
Lyon paid tribute to Wallace's playing and coaching career.
But he said Wallace may be picking on Fyfe simply to get heard.
"Terry's paid to make comments," Lyon said on Wednesday.
"I often talk about the analogy (of) all the penny dreadfuls on the stock market with all the mining stocks - you've got to sell your story, and you've got to sell a good story to get heard.
"There's consistently a lot of noise and a lot of penny dreadfuls trying to be heard, and they tend to go down the sensationalist route because it's click bait."
Lyon said Fyfe's lengthy stint on the sidelines meant it was understandable for the 127-game midfielder to be building towards his absolute best.
But he said the first-year skipper had been a start contributor this season, claiming it would have been impossible for Fremantle to be 6-4 if Fyfe and the rest of the club's leaders weren't playing well.
"Did anyone tip us to be 6-4 after being 0-2? I wouldn't have thought so," Lyon said.
"That's been driven off the back of Nathan and his leadership and the leadership group.
"Nathan's played some super halves and three quarters of football."
Fyfe will become a restricted free agent at season's end, but the star has indicated he wants to re-sign with Fremantle.
Lyon is confident star ruckman Aaron Sandilands (hamstring) and Ed Langdon (knee) will be fit to return for Sunday's clash with Collingwood at Domain Stadium.
Sandilands will be given up until Saturday to prove his fitness for a match that is crucial for Fremantle's finals hopes.
Lyon declared no one was safe on the selection front following the disappointing loss to Adelaide, and he's left the door open to make more than the two changes he has already forecast.
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