Fremantle small forward Isaiah Dudley says higher training standards and a push from teammate Shai Bolton have been the key factors behind his bright start to the AFL season.

Dudley was not selected in Fremantle's pre-season match against Adelaide, but worked his way into the team after Michael Frederick went down with an ankle injury.

Since then, the 22-year-old has made a big impact, kicking six goals across the opening two matches of 2026 to sit alongside Josh Treacy at the top of the Dockers' goal kicking.

He made a big impact up forward in last weekend's 48-point win over Melbourne, booting three goals in a blistering third quarter.

Teammate Shai Bolton was best afield, finishing with 32 disposals and two goals in a dominant display.

Speaking to The West Australian, Dudley said Bolton had played an important role in helping him stay ready as the pressure around selection began to build.

"Shai's been in the league for 10 years - he doesn't love being a leader, but he knows he's got to be a leader," Dudley said.

"When the injuries went down he said there's an opportunity there so keep putting in the hard yards, keep backing yourself, and keep bringing your strengths.

"He knows how to bring his strengths and pressure ... Our forward line mojo is all about bringing the heat, so l've done that."

Dudley told The West that an honest conversation with coaches helped him understand exactly what was required to elevate his game.

"The coaches gave me good feedback through the first practice games when that didn't happen for me - it was about training and having more intensity," Dudley said.

"Sometimes I can slack off at training, but once I brought the intensity and trained at 100 per cent at every training session, in every training drill and every day, it got me the opportunity to play.

"When we played West Coast in a practice game, I realised I needed to lift my intensity. Ever since, I have lifted my intensity and brought the pressure that they told us to do as small forwards, it has showed out, and my talent was able to shine through.

"I was just lucky that Michael Frederick went down - that was bad because obviously he's a big part of us, but it opened up the door for me, and then I just had to take it with my two hands and run with it."

Dudley has enjoyed an impressive rise across the past few years.

After missing out on selection in his draft year, he produced a strong 2024 season at SANFL club Central District, where he kicked 21 goals in 20 games and finished third in the club's best and fairest.

That form earned him a pre-season training opportunity with the Dockers and ultimately led to Dudley being drafted to the club during the supplemental selection period.

Dudley played 16 games in his debut season and was rewarded with a one-year contract extension that will see him through to at least the end of this year.