Anything and Everything Fremantle
Archive for November, 2011
Roger Hayden back on board at Freo
013 years
Recently retired Fremantle defender Roger Hayden is set to join the club’s development coaching staff.
Fremantle general manager of football operations Chris Bond confirmed today that Hayden had accepted a position as a development coach under senior development coach/assistant coach Simon Lloyd.
“It’s a real positive for both Roger and the club that we have been able to retain the services of a former player who is held in such high regard,” Bond said.
“As a senior player coming straight out of the game, Roger will provide great insight, particularly for our younger players, about the level of preparation and professionalism required to succeed at the elite level.”
After recently gaining a coaching certificate from the WA Football Commission, Hayden said the opportunity was too good to pass up.
“I had planned on enjoying some time with my family, but after the position became available, I had a chat with the wife and family and they said I should give it a go,” Hayden said.
Alex Silvagni and young teammates to show Fremantle veterans how it’s done
013 years
by DockerNow.com
in News
The future pillar of Fremantle’s backline says now is the time for the Dockers youngsters to show the veterans how it’s done.
While it has been exciting learning a “different philosophy” from coach Ross Lyon, young defender Alex Silvagni believes the challenge is to keep working hard to ensure players like skipper Matthew Pavlich, Antoni Grover and Luke McPharlin hit the ground running when they resume training in the coming weeks.
Silvagni and his fellow first-to-fourth year peers were joined by the club’s fifth-to-eighth year players at Fremantle Oval yesterday and he said the onus was on the young brigade to keep the club’s elder statesmen honest.
Dick looks to Freo
013 years
by DockerNow.com
in News
Former Collingwood forward Brad Dick is attempting to restart his career at Fremantle after being granted permission to train with the Perth-based club this week.
The 23-year-old was delisted by the Pies last month but kept training with them and had been considered a chance to be retained on their rookie list.
But the former East Fremantle player has decided to return to his home state after five injury-riddled seasons as a Magpie.
He endured a knee and two shoulder reconstructions ahead of the 2011 season before disaster struck again in June this year when he injured his right knee while playing for Collingwood’s VFL team against the Casey Scorpions and required another reconstruction.
He recently told The West Australian he thought he faced his last chance at an AFL career after being drafted in the 2006 NAB AFL Draft.
“I’ll be back home, so a bit of luck might go my way and we’ll see how we go from there. I think this will be my last chance,” he said.
Dockers defender backs Dawson
013 years
by DockerNow.com
in Miscellaneous
Fremantle defender Alex Silvagni says Zac Dawson will be a handy acquisition if the club chooses to recruit the former Saint in the coming draft.
Dawson, 25, officially quit St Kilda last week and is expected to now nominate for the pre-season draft.
The Dockers loom as his most likely suitor and are understood to be considering passing on their final pick at No.74 in the national draft to go after Dawson.
Silvagni backed the club’s recruiters if they moved to snare the 77-game player.
“Obviously he’s had finals experience, so I think he’d be really handy to slot into the backline,” he said.
Silvagni completed a series of repeated run-throughs at Fremantle Oval this morning as the club’s available fifth to eight-year players joined training.
Healthy Aaron Sandilands toey for 2012
013 years
by DockerNow.com
in Miscellaneous
Fremantle will monitor linchpin Aaron Sandilands over the pre-season after a modified fitness program has the ruck giant feeling “100 per cent ready to go” following his frustrating season of injury.
Sandilands damaged the tendon in his left big toe in Round 9 before suffering a recurrence of the injury when he returned in Round 14, a setback that forced him to miss nine games.
The towering ruckman struggled to have his usual impact upon return for the final four games of the season, with the exception of his remarkable 37 hitouts and 24 disposals against Collingwood in Round 23.
Tunbridge back in the mix
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After walking out on Greater Western Sydney almost two weeks ago, promising key position player Simon Tunbridge has nominated for the 2011 NAB AFL Draft in the hope of launching his AFL career in Perth.
Tunbridge, who hails from Dongara in WA’s mid west, joined the Giants in December as a 17-year-old under the club’s pre-draft concessions, but battled homesickness for much of his time in Blacktown.
The 18-year-old’s draft nomination was confirmed late this week, however, his path to either Fremantle (which provisionally holds draft picks 16, 20 and 29) or West Coast (23 and 28) is not clear cut.
It is understood a number of Victorian clubs are interested in the versatile key forward and would not be deterred by the teenager’s battle with homesickness if he were the best player available to them.
Tunbridge’s stocks appear to have dropped in the 12 months since he was pre-listed by GWS, and recruiters are struggling to place him in this year’s draft pool after a season interrupted by injury.
2012 Pre-season – Week 2
013 years
by DockerNow.com
in Miscellaneous
The second week of Fremantle’s 2012 pre-season kicked off at Fremantle Oval today, with a group of the club’s fifth to seventh year players joining the first to fourth years out on the track and in the gym.
The sight of Anthony Morabito having a kick-to-kick on the oval would have warmed the hearts of Freo fans everywhere.
Mick Barlow was also a notable participant, having a kick of the footy while most of his teammates were running sprints.
Inside the gym, Peter Faulks and Jon Griffin were working hard on the weights and Nat Fyfe was toughing it out on the bike.
The club’s more senior players, including Matthew Pavlich and Aaron Sandilands, are scheduled to return next Monday 21 November.
Injury-free the key at Freo
013 years
by DockerNow.com
in News
Fremantle is tackling its first pre-season under new coach Ross Lyon with an increased focus on running and injury prevention, delaying the football component of its summer program.
Under former coach Mark Harvey, Fremantle’s past two pre-seasons had a “combative” focus, with the club intent on developing big-bodied players that excelled in the contest.
But after last season was ruined by injury, Fremantle players have returned to a new program that will see them complete a significant block of running work before football drills are introduced.
“Obviously with a new coach there’s been a different philosophy from Ross [Lyon],” key defender Alex Silvagni said from Fremantle Oval on Monday as the club’s fifth to eighth-year players returned.
“It’s working on fitness early on and then incorporating skills and things, the footy aspect, at a later stage.
Harris urges members to have their say on song
013 years
by DockerNow.com
in Miscellaneous
Fremantle Dockers’ president Steve Harris has issued a reminder to all eligible voting club members, urging them to take the opportunity to participate in the club song poll.
The poll, which opened on 25 October, closes next Monday, 21 November.
Fremantle has more than 25,000 eligible voting club members. So far almost 5500 eligible members have declared their preference for the song they want as the club’s official anthem for 2012 and beyond.
The club has put forward four options for eligible members to nominate their preferences in the poll, which is being overseen by Computershare, an independent and internationally recognised company that has run the club’s member-elected polls since 2007.
In order of their appearance on the ballot paper, as randomly drawn and overseen by Computershare Returning Officer Ken Dyer, the songs are: Freo Freo, by Eskimo Joe; The Mighty Roar of Freo, by Rosco Elliott; the reworked version of the current Fremantle Club Song, by Ken Walther and the current version of the Fremantle Club Song, by Ken Walther.
Bootsma the bolter
013 years
by DockerNow.com
in News
Western Australian defender Josh Bootsma, son of former Fremantle player Brad, has come a long way since starting the season playing country footy in Albany in the state’s south.
The 190cm half-back flanker moved to Perth to play with South Fremantle’s colts team in May, where his competitiveness, closing speed and rebound from defence soon brought him to the attention of AFL clubs.
Fremantle’s recruiters clearly liked what they saw of Bootsma because they had a crack at claiming him under the father-son rule, but we’re told he didn’t meet the requirements set down for interstate clubs – despite Brad’s 162 WAFL games for South Fremantle and 23 AFL matches with Fremantle.
Freo will be one of several clubs keen to secure his services at the NAB AFL Draft with some talent spotters now rating him a first-round prospect.
