AFTER a testing summer program aimed at increasing Fremantle’s contested ball ability, coach Mark Harvey has lightened the physical load on his players and turned his attention to their leadership capabilities.

Taking advantage of a low training phase in the lead-up to its NAB Cup campaign, Fremantle has sent its players on a leadership development camp in WA’s south-west.

The trip to Augusta has involved night orienteering, caving, ropes courses and surfing, and senior development coach Simon Lloyd said all Fremantle players had been thrust into leadership roles at some point during the week. 

“We really haven’t pushed them physically, because they are in a low training phase at the moment, but we’re challenging them more in regards to leading groups,” Lloyd said.

“[Sports science manager] Jason Weber thought it would be a good idea to lighten their loads and it was a good opportunity to get together on the eve of the season.

“The major objective of this is to find out what they’re really like as leaders. We really want the playing group to demand a lot from each other and demand more from themselves.”

Defender Michael Johnson, who was elevated into Fremantle’s leadership group for the 2010 season, has been the standout leader for Lloyd, while second-year players Nick Suban and Matt de Boer have also impressed.

Lloyd arrived at Fremantle at the end of 2009 to head a revamped development program and he said the club’s eight new recruits were all being pushed out of their comfort zones.  

“I heard one of the senior leaders challenging one of the new recruits saying, ‘I need you to be more directive when you’re in charge’,” Lloyd said. “So it’s a real learning exercise for them.

“I think they’re learning a lot about themselves as well - they’re learning about their own strengths and weaknesses from the group … I think they've responded well."

Lloyd said one objective of the camp was to ensure the players demand more of each other and themselves, starting with selection in the club’s NAB Cup campaign, which launches on February 21 against Melbourne. 

“We’ve said from day one that every player that walks into the Fremantle Dockers, they’re here to play senior AFL football,” Lloyd said.

“[Coach Mark Harvey] expects them to put their hands up and they’re responding very well at the moment. A lot of the younger players are putting their hands up.

“The list is becoming healthier as the weeks progress, so there’s a lot of competition. I think everyone’s in contention.”

With the leadership development camp over, the players will head to Dunsborough to kick off the club's annual Telstra AFL Community Camp from tomorrow, Thursday 4 February.

The community camp schedule will see them visit 50 primary schools in the South-West and also hold a Auskick Super Clinic at Dunsborough Playing Fields from 4.00pm Thursday.

The camps provide a great way for the club to visit regional areas of Western Australia to meet members, supporters and football fans of all ages.

For Fremantle's Community camp schedule- CLICK HERE