Senior football demanded of Fremantle recruits

FREMANTLE'S six new recruits from the 2009 NAB AFL Draft are set to enter a revamped development program that the club hopes will accelerate their development and push them into senior contention for next season.
 
Newly-appointed senior development coach Simon Lloyd is the centrepiece of Fremantle's "elite performance program" for first to third-year players, and the former Hawthorn and Collingwood specialist coach was on hand on Monday to unveil the club's new recruits.

He said Fremantle would be investing a huge amount of resources into its new players and all should be demanding senior football of themselves and each other from next season.

"Those that do make it are those that are very high in ambition, have high drive [and] have high resilience," Lloyd said from Fremantle Oval.

"Every player sitting in this room at the moment should demand of themselves that they're here to play AFL football. They've actually got to think that from day one.

"We're tipping a lot of resources into this group, but also we're going to demand a lot from them and also we expect them to demand a lot from each other."

Fremantle debuted 10 first-year players in 2009, with Stephen Hill and Nick Suban playing all 22 games. Chris Mayne, who played 17 games in his debut season (2008), addressed the club's new recruits on Monday.

Chief executive Steve Rosich was also on hand at Fremantle Oval to introduce the draftees: Anthony Morabito, Nat Fyfe, Joel Houghton, Jesse Crichton, Dylan Roberton and Justin Bollenhagen. 

He said the club's high player turnover had led to increased investment in the development program the young recruits would now be a part of.

"These six new draftees are a part of 20 new young players that we've added to our list since the draft in 2008," Rosich said.

"Once we add two new rookies at the coming rookie draft and also a selection at the pre-season draft, it will make 23 players that we've added to the Fremantle Football Club in the last 13 months.

"That's a 50 per cent change in our playing list and the most significant change of all playing lists in the AFL.

"As part of that we've increased our investment in development, welfare and coaching and look forward to developing these young players to be players for our football club for many years to come."
 
Fremantle secured Lloyd from Collingwood, where he was high performance coach and club psychologist.

The 39-year-old had previously worked at Hawthorn between 1998 and 2004, filling a number of roles including club psychologist, player development manager, development coach and assistant coach of the club’s VFL side Box Hill.

He will manage the elite performance program for first to third year players as well as having a role in coach development.

Development coaches Michael Prior, Shaun McManus and Justin Longmuir and player development manager Luke Webster will work under Lloyd.

"We're tipping a huge amount of resources into this playing group," Lloyd said. 

"We've got a structured and comprehensive plan to accelerate the development of the first to third-year players. 

"We're actually going to demand a lot from this playing group, right from the six that are here right through the entire playing list."