It was a wet and wild official end to Fremantle’s pre-season program with players and coaches enjoying a fun filled morning at Adventure World on Friday.
The competitive spirit seen on the training track throughout the summer wasn’t lost as they raced for the speed slide title with young midfielder Ryley Dunn officially taking the crown.
Senior Coach Chris Connolly joined in the action and said the morning of fun for the players was a reward after a gruelling three month pre-season program of weights, running and skills sessions six days a week.
“This has been the player’s favourite training session for the year,” Connolly said. “It puts a full stop on our pre-season today and we move into an in-season program on Monday.”
The club’s opening NAB Cup game is just over a week away and Connolly said he was happy with Fremantle’s preparations and the competitive nature of the midweek intra-club game.
“We’re trying to evolve our game plan a little bit and probably over compensated with our ball movement but our intensity and our speed and our running were terrific,” he said.
“We know what the players can do at training and we just have to focus on them playing together as a team. Our set-ups around ruck clearances and the way be brought the ball into play from kick-ins was pretty positive so it gave us a good platform to build on.”
Connolly confirmed Robbie Haddrill will miss three games after straining his hamstring on Wednesday night but is confident the hardworking fullback will be back on the field for Fremantle’s final pre-season game.
Another week of match fitness in the WAFL is an option for Haddrill before Fremantle’s opening home and away fixture in Launceston against Hawthorn on Sunday 2 April.
Much to the surprise of the coaches it was the players who dominated the speed slides at Adventure World despite a distinctive weight advantage to Connolly and crew.
“I thought carrying a bit of weight would give you more momentum,” Connolly said with a chuckle.
“We defied physics. The extra weight didn’t help us on the slides so there’s a lot of technique involved,” he added.
The day was a perfect preview for Fremantle’s Family Fun Day which will be held at Adventure World on Sunday 19 March with tickets available from Fremantle’s Team Store for only $10.
“We look forward to seeing all our members at Adventure World,” Connolly said.