Adam McPhee has revealed the lure of a midfield role at Fremantle plus the added security of a three-year AFL deal convinced him it was the right time to leave Essendon.

And the 27-year-old believes he has five more years left in him at the top level.

McPhee walked out on the Bombers at the end of last season, unhappy at the two-year contract extension offered by the club.

The utility also felt he had become stale at the Bombers under coach Matthew Knights and jumped at the chance to join the Dockers via the pre-season draft on a three-year contract.

"Right now I felt that my time had staled a little bit at Essendon and I felt I needed a fresh start," McPhee said on Tuesday.

"The third year is obviously a bonus, but it's not the main reason why I'm here.

"I'm not chasing the money.

"It's more about how I can get the best out of myself as a footballer.

"I'd like to think I've got at least five years left in me.

"In some ways we all have a little bit of ego that we'd like to fulfil and part of that is being able to prove to myself that I can play through the midfield before my career is over.

"But I know that I'll be required in other positions as well.

"I really wanted that fresh start now, to get back to enjoying my football and more so from a football perspective I've got a lot of individual goals that I want to succeed in.

"I felt I hadn't achieved that yet and one of those main reasons in coming back, after having a chat to (Fremantle coach) Mark Harvey, was that I wanted an opportunity to play more through the midfield.

"I wasn't confident that I was going to get that at Essendon.

"Last year I could play half-back one quarter, half-forward the next and then half-back again.

"That was the way Matthew Knights wanted to coach, and I respect that, but at some stage I needed to make a decision that's best for me."

McPhee made his AFL debut for Fremantle in 2001 and notched 25 games before he was traded to Essendon in 2003, where he notched a further 142 games over seven seasons.

"I really enjoyed my time (at Essendon)," he said.

"I spent a lot of time with senior players there that have been able to show me the way and I've been able to learn the values and how hard it is to be an AFL footballer."

Meanwhile, Fremantle added Michael Barlow and Alex Silvagni, nephew of Carlton great Stephen Silvagni, to their list via the rookie draft.

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