A host of Fremantle’s new recruits debuted for their WAFL clubs in round one of the state competition, while Rhys Palmer’s return from a knee reconstruction was watched closely.
Established players Byron Schammer and Steven Dodd also gained match fitness ahead of Sunday’s AFL season opener, but it was Clarke who appeared to have gained the most from another pre-season.
After playing restricted minutes in his first season at East Perth, senior development coach Simon Lloyd said Clarke relished playing the lead ruck role with the Royals in round one.
“Often their development can’t be fast-tracked unless you’ve got them in there playing a high percentage of game time and being in there for the centre bounces,” Lloyd said.
“You can see him steadily getting better and better, particularly on the weekend at centre bounces and throw-ins.
“He’s put on some weight and physically he’s matching it a lot better than he has in the past.
“He’s had some excellent tuition with Justin Longmuir and he’s getting a lot of one-on-one work. Aaron Sandilands has been mentoring him as well and accelerating his development.”
Fremantle’s WAFL player of the week was exciting half-forward Nat Fyfe, who kicked four goals and took 12 marks in his first league game for Claremont.
Lloyd said Fyfe’s performance proved he is going to have a bright future with Fremantle.
Byron Schammer (30 possessions) and Ryan Murphy, who booted five goals, also had strong claims on the award.
Palmer made a low-key return, playing half a game with the East Fremantle reserves, and Lloyd said the key onballer had pulled up well and could expect increased game time in round two.
“Coming back from a major ACL injury, it’s a really big first step to come back in that first game,” he said.
“He pulled up well, completed a full session on Monday and was in on Tuesday doing extra touch work.”
Lloyd joined Fremantle at the end of last year to oversee the club’s elite performance program for first- to third-year players. He will also have a role in coach development.
He said it was a good first round for Fremantle’s WAFL players.
“They’re adjusting to playing with players they’ve just met, different game plans and strategies, but overall it was a positive weekend,” he said.
Ahead of this week’s fixtures, Lloyd shared his WAFL notes with fremantlefc.com.au.
East Fremantle 13.12 (90) d Perth 13.9 (87)
Rhys Palmer
Rhys played the first half in the East Fremantle reserves and was heavily tagged. A number of players rotated on and off him and at that level it can be really hard to get a kick. Rhys’ greatest attribute is how meticulous he is - he’s got great attention to detail in regards to his preparation - so it’s a great credit to him that he’s up and going. He’ll be better for the hit-out.
Chris Hall
Chris played the second half and found a fair bit of football towards the end of the third and fourth quarters. Perth ended up throwing a tag on him, but he showed a fair bit of physicality, which was good to see. He’s bulked up a fair bit over the pre-season and his game time will increase as the weeks progress.
Steven Dodd
Doddy was solid all day and was one of the Sharks’ better players. He played mostly half-back and went to the wing for half of the fourth quarter. Doddy is comparable to Rhys in terms of how much running work he’s put in, but the running you do around an oval is very different compared to the running you do in a game. He’s played a couple of games over the last few weeks.
Justin Bollenhagen
When he had the ball Justin did some really good things for Perth. He had a great chase down that resulted in a goal and went inside 50m four times. However, we want him to get a bit more of the footy. We’re just looking to put size on him and make sure every aspect of his game is developing.
Joel Houghton
Joel played reserves for Perth and began the first half slowly. He was a lot better in the second half and worked into the game nicely to kick two goals. One of his greatest strengths is his timing on the lead.
Claremont 27.13 (175) d Peel Thunder 9.11 (65)
Byron Schammer
Schammer was one of Claremont’s best finishing with 30 touches and a number of clearances. He won a lot of contested footy, used the ball well and made good decisions. We wanted to get a little bit more game time under Byron’s belt ahead of round one and give him a solid hit-out.
Nat Fyfe
Nat finished with 12 marks and kicked 4.2. He combined very well with Claremont’s key forwards and he gave the ball off a number of times, resulting in goals. This was his first game of league football and it was an impressive first game.
Casey Sibosado
He’s had a really solid pre-season and his body shape is the best it’s been. Sibo’s continually working on various aspects of his game, particularly his positioning. He didn’t find a lot of the footy for Claremont, but he’ll be better for the run and his hard work this pre-season will hopefully transfer in the coming weeks.
Jesse Crichton
Jesse played his first game for Peel Thunder and was positioned at half-back for most of the day. He did a great job on Ian Richardson, who’s obviously played some great footy in the WAFL, and was put on the ball in the last quarter. It was good for him to be in the hustle and bustle. His coaches were very happy with his first-up effort, particularly defensively.
West Perth 20.14 (134) d Swan Districts 11.13 (79)
Jay van Berlo
His game was split between midfield and half-forward for West Perth. He didn’t have a lot of the footy, but he played a solid game - he never shirks a contest. We’ve got a lot of rookies putting their hands up and I think it’s good motivation. Over the last month Jay has shown a great amount of improvement. He’s one of the most professional players I’ve come across.
Michael Walters
Played approximately three quarters for Swans and his attack on the contest and the footy was really good. He ended up having 18 possessions, kicked a goal and had five inside 50s, so we were very happy with Son-son’s game. His greatest strength is that he uses the ball really well; he’s got great skills by foot. Over four quarters he’ll be aiming to get up in the high 20s possession-wise.
South Fremantle 15.7 (97) d East Perth 13.15 (93)
Ryan Murphy
Ryan played a terrific game at South Fremantle and was the best forward on the ground, kicking 5.1. He had excellent timing in his leads and used the ball very well. When the game was on the line, Murph really stood up.
Zac Clarke
His centre bounce ruck work was very positive all night for East Perth - he had 27 hit-outs. One of the major focuses for us with Zac was his second efforts and follow-ups and that was a real positive. He had six tackles and kicked a goal. He also got a fair bit of footy on the offence.
Dylan Roberton
Dylan played on a half-back flank and worked very hard for East Perth. He played on some very quick and dangerous players and worked well on them. He, along with Luke Webster, really gave East Perth a crack at winning the game in that last quarter. He went back with the flight and took a couple very strong contested marks.
Hamish Shepheard
Hamish played with great pressure and intent for East Perth and showed a lot of creativity. He kicked a cracker of a goal on his left foot and hit the contest very hard. I see him as a third tall forward. He plays an aggressive brand of football, but he’s also still learning the game. There’s a lot to like about Hamish.
