ANZAC DAY. It’s the day in our history when we honour the spirit and sacrifice of young men thrust into battle well before their years.

The evolution of that spirit will be on display this Friday, when the beneficiaries of the acts of those young men gather in solemn ceremonies around the nation. And then flock to the footy to enjoy their freedom.

AAMI Stadium is nothing like the killing fields of Gallipoli or the Somme, but a little of the spirit of the Anzacs – certainly leadership beyond its years – was on display a week early yesterday in the performance of Fremantle’s Rhys Palmer.

Palmer, 19, was the Fremantle player who just would not lie down in his team's 17-point defeat.

The raw stats tell part of the story – 29 possessions, five inside 50s, four rebound 50s, five clearances – but it was the clear attacking intent of his play that stood the round three Rising Star nominee apart from his teammates.

There was no waiting from this fourth-gamer for others to lead.

It started with an 11-possession first term – five more than any of his teammates.

There were 10 bounces for the match – eight more than any other Fremantle player and seven more than any Crows on-baller – as he strove to give the Dockers momentum.

There was a Hird-like “pick ‘em up by the scruff of the neck” bouncing run when the Dockers were languishing and 32 points down, which set Jeff Farmer up for the goal which sparked Fremantle’s third-quarter comeback.

And when the whips were cracking in the last term, it was Palmer who consistently ran the ball out of the centre, his eight touches and three inside 50s a contribution singled out after the match by coach Mark Harvey.

“To see a kid do that in his first year – to have the audacity to keep coming and give the team some hope (was fantastic),” Harvey said after the match.

“I thought Rhys Palmer was sensational in the last quarter.”

Palmer himself was a little more circumspect about his performance.

“I’m happy just playing my role for the team,” Palmer said to fremantlefc.com.au after the match.

“I know I’ve got the 100 per cent backing of my teammates to take the game on. I’m just trying to do my bit for the team, and if that’s what needs to be done, I’ll do it.

“At the moment I’m just trying to keep my spot in the team.”

The seventh pick in last year’s NAB National Draft has continued a pattern of stepping up with every challenge.

He played 14 games after debuting for East Fremantle as an 18-year-old in the WAFL in 2007, picking up six Sandover Medal votes along the way.

He then starred for Western Australia in their undefeated 2007 Under-18 Championships run, being named an All-Australian and taking out the WA MVP Award for his performances, including a 34-possession, five-goal game against Vic Metro.

That trajectory has continued in the AFL – 22 touches on debut against Hawthorn in round two; 24 in his second game – a derby win over West Coast which won him the Rising Star nomination; and now 29 touches in his first game on the road, with only the great Andrew McLeod perhaps keeping him from the game’s top votes.

Palmer admits he still sometimes has to pinch himself about it all – but there’s not the time to do it.

“You do (have to pinch yourself),” he says.

“But there comes a time in this game when you can’t really afford to think about all that. You just have to keep running and working.

“But there’s definitely times in the game when you look at the crowd and the opponents you’re on, and it’s pretty amazing.”

The challenges keep coming. This week it's the Anzac Day clash under the Friday night lights against the red-hot reigning champs, Geelong.

“Obviously it’s a huge day in Australia,” Palmer says of Anzac Day.

“They’re a great side, and we’ll try and take it up to them – and you never know what might happen.

“Hopefully we can use this game (against Adelaide) as a bit of a stepping stone and get a win up – that would be great.”