Former Fremantle forward Rory Lobb has opened up about his messy Dockers exit, admitting he failed to connect with the club during his time in the west.

Lobb returned to WA and joined Fremantle ahead of the 2019 season after spending five years with Greater Western Sydney as part of a new-look forward line which also saw Jesse Hogan brought to the club.

However, the move didn’t work out for either party despite some solid performances in purple, with Lobb revealing to Channel 7’s Unfiltered he knew early on he had made a mistake.

“I feel like maybe the end of the second year I wasn’t really enjoying the environment, and sometimes it’s just not the right fit for the person in the workplace,” he said.

“I’ve got no hard feelings to anyone at that football club, and I rekindled with JL in the AFL Origin game.

“We probably didn’t have a relationship because I was upset with how it was going personally and how I was feeling; it wasn’t like I was playing terrible football, but I felt like I was just going through the motions

“It just didn’t work out in a way; sometimes in my career I’ve felt like this is just a job.”

Lobb tried to leave at the end of this third year and made efforts to return to the Giants but ultimately fell through.

“I tried to get out; I had really good conversations with Leon Cameron, and then got offered a packet of chips to play, and it was significantly less than what I was on at Fremantle and less than what I felt like I was valued,” he said.

“I wasn’t happy, but I was still playing good football because I was so locked into, you know, you have to play well if you want to get a trade.”

Lobb kicked 36 goals to lead Fremantle’s goalkicking in his final year at the Dockers before finding his way to the Western Bulldogs in the off-season.

The move did not sit well with the Dockers fan base, leading to a much-anticipated grudge match in round six of the 2023 season where he was relentlessly targeted by Freo fans and players.

However, Lobb would get the last laugh, kicking a goal as the Bulldogs prevailed by 49 points.

“I feel like they needed to make a stand as a football club, and there was so much going on behind the scenes, and I said a few things before I left

“I knew it was coming; the fans were going crazy, and that’s fine. I was completely fine with how they went about it

“But I knew it was all for show and they were a little bit consumed with that, and I was happy with that as long as we won the game. I feel like I thrive when things are like that with that extra energy.”