FREMANTLE has signed Irishman Sean Hurley as an international rookie 12 months after he trialled with the club.
The 22-year-old Gaelic footballer from County Kildare spent two weeks training with the Dockers last November but the club elected not to add him to its rookie list.
Twelve months on, Fremantle has confirmed it will sign the 196cm Irishman as a category B rookie.
Hurley will arrive in Perth next month in preparation to start pre-season training on November 17.
He is the latest Irishman to be recruited to an AFL club.
Last week, West Coast signed dashing Irishman Paddy Brophy to a two-year rookie contract, while the Bombers snared Gaelic football star Conor McKenna on the same day.
The Dockers have only made minor adjustments to their list since losing to Port Adelaide in this year’s semi-final.
Kepler Bradley and Scott Gumbleton have both retired but veteran defender Luke McPharlin will play on, with his new contract expected to be finalised within a week.
Fremantle delisted rookies Sam Menegola and Michael Wood last week.
The future of Josh Simpson is still unclear. The 20-year-old was granted an indefinite leave of absence from the club after several incidents in which he failed to meet club requirements.
Simpson missed a flight to Sydney after being selected as the travelling emergency in round five.
He was stood down from playing AFL and WAFL football before returning to play three matches in the WAFL with Peel Thunder.
In June, the club announced he would take an indefinite leave of absence to undertake a personal development program designed to address both personal and professional matters outside of football.
There has been no announcement since on his future at Fremantle in 2015.
Simpson has played just two matches in his short career at Fremantle since being selected with pick No. 17 in the 2012 NAB AFL Draft.
