Palmer travelled to Melbourne with Fremantle in round four as part of a planned football education trip and had breakfast with Licuria, who overcame two knee reconstructions as a teenager to win consecutive Copeland Trophies at Collingwood in a 192-game career.
Former Collingwood high performance manager Simon Lloyd, who is now in charge of Fremantle’s development academy, saw the opportunity for Palmer to learn from Licuria’s experience and arranged the meeting.
Licuria said the pair spoke about the mental and physical challenges that await Palmer, including getting the most out of training while protecting his reconstructed knee and managing his own expectations this season.
“Doing it twice, I feel like I’m experienced at coming back from major knee surgery,” Licuria told afl.com.au.
“So if I can add something that will help him down the track, it’s worthwhile.
“Rhys is a hard trainer, so I was giving him some tips on what helped me with my knees throughout my career, and trying to put the most into my training while not loading up my knees.”
Revered at Collingwood for his obsessive training habits, Licuria said there were similarities with himself and Palmer in terms of work rate and professionalism.
It was what convinced Lloyd that the two minds should meet.
“[Paul] lives an elite lifestyle, he’s a really hard worker and I know Rhys really got a lot from that meeting,” Lloyd, who joined the pair for breakfast, told afl.com.au.
“I’ve never seen anyone work harder than probably Licuria, (Nathan) Buckley and (Shane) Crawford. They’re the top three and Rhys isn’t far behind.
“I think Rhys could really set that standard for us at Fremantle.”
Palmer is expected to return to AFL action against Richmond on Anzac Day, exactly 12 months since he went down against the Sydney Swans with a near complete tear of the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee.
He has played two reserves games and twice at league level for WAFL club East Fremantle, improving every week.
Licuria said it was likely Palmer’s expectations of himself when returning to the elite level would be higher than those of his club.
“You miss 12 months with a serious knee injury and you almost panic a bit; you think, ‘I need to come back and play good footy’,” Licuria said.
“I talked him through what most clubs think in that situation - they don’t expect players to come back and make a big impact in their first year back.
“So it was also to offload some of the expectation that he has on himself and the pressure.”
Palmer, who has played 25 games since being drafted with pick No.7 in the 2007 NAB AFL draft, has emerged in 2010 noticeably stronger in the upper body after an off-season focus on bulking up.
He spoke earlier this year about using his time on the sidelines to enhance his disposal skills and develop a body that will excel in contested situations.
Licuria said the 21-year-old’s focus on improving his game while sidelined was impressive and he was certain the 2008 NAB AFL Rising Star would turn adversity into triumph.
“I was actually surprised at how big he looked, and that’s an aspect you can control,” he said. “He’s definitely got the right mindset.
“I’d be really surprised if it doesn’t work out for him, because he’s got all the attributes.
“He wants to learn, he wants to get the best out of himself and he’s eager to listen to people who can offer him advice.
“So it was good to chat to him about that and offer a little bit of experience. He’s a really impressive young kid.”
