THE FIRST signs of Caleb Serong's immense talent were spotted down in Frankston.
Handed a surprise call-up for his TAC Cup debut at just 16 years of age, his Gippsland Power team were locked in an intense battle with the Dandenong Stingrays and trailed by 13 points at half-time.
The Power needed a spark and sent Serong, one of their youngest players, to full-forward to isolate his opponent in a one-out contest. He kicked two goals in 10 minutes to begin the second half, and three for the game, to inspire a two-point win.
Fast-forward just five years and, although a sellout crowd at Optus Stadium might have a different edge to it than Frankston's SkyBus Stadium, those traits were still evident in Serong's performance.
Playing in his first AFL final, Serong was outstanding in helping to drag Fremantle back from 41 points down to a thrilling comeback win in its elimination final against the Western Bulldogs last Saturday night.
Playing with a maturity well beyond his 21 years of age, he was the leader the Dockers needed at the point of no return. When all hope was seemingly lost after a ferocious Dogs start, it was Serong who dug the deepest.
He finished with 33 disposals, 10 clearances, six tackles and kicked a crucial goal – earning maximum votes from both sets of coaches in the Gary Ayres Award – to instigate the dramatic fightback. It was a performance reminiscent of the one back in Frankston, where he'd played his first stirring role in an unexpected victory.
"He's always been a player that steps up to the level of competition that's in front of him," Serong's coach at the Gippsland Power during that time, Leigh Brown, told AFL.com.au this week.
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"Whether that's as a 16-year-old stepping up to the NAB League, he stepped up and performed from his first game onwards. Whether that's from NAB League to the national champs, he stepped up as a bottom-ager. So, it's no surprise he's stepped up and he's transitioned into the AFL really well in his role at Fremantle.
"Once again, it's also no surprise that he's been able to step up and perform in a big final when the game is on the line. He's done that since he was a junior, he just keeps stepping up to the level."
An internal drive to improve has always been part of Serong's DNA. When drafted to Fremantle, the club's first impressions were of a player who craved additional feedback to enhance every aspect of his game. His willingness to do every piece of extra training available was evidence of that desire to grow.
It wasn't just solely focused to football, either. A talented junior cricketer, who once batted in the middle-order for Victoria in state representative sides, Serong had earlier faced a decision as to which sport to pursue as he grew older.
Ultimately, he chose football and his workrate has since made him a player who has always exceeded expectations. He made his senior debut for his local side Warragul at 15, which is where he earned the type of attention from Gippsland officials that resulted in his dream TAC Cup debut barely 12 months later.
He averaged 24 disposals, seven clearances and a goal in his top-age NAB League campaign, then replicated that form with Vic Country at the national championships where he went at 24 disposals and eight tackles per game to shoot into top-10 calculations.
Brown, who had left the Power at the end of 2018 to become Vic Country's coach the following season, made Serong his co-captain alongside Lachie Ash for the national under-18s carnival. Fremantle has also recognised those qualities, elevating Serong into its leadership group at just 21 years of age earlier this year.
"Firstly, he speaks really well, but his workrate is outstanding," Brown said.
"He might not be the quickest player, but gee he can cover some territory at some good knots. It's always been about his workrate and his ability to perform, whether he's in a good team or a team that's struggling. He just keeps producing.
"He's professional on and off the field and he talks and relates to everyone. It just makes him a really good candidate to be a leader, because he backs it up. He talks the talk, but he also walks the walk."
For the precociously talented Serong, the sky is now the limit. Already a NAB AFL Rising Star winner from his maiden season in the League, having also claimed the AFL Players' Association Best First-Year Player award and the AFL Coaches Association Best Young Player award in his formative years, you can expect yet more improvement.
His disposal numbers have gone from 16.9 per game in year one, to 22.9 per game in year two, to 26.1 per game this season. His contested numbers have gone from 7.6 per game, to 9.3 per game, to 11.4 per game. Meanwhile, his clearance numbers have gone from 3.4 per game, to 4.8 per game, 5.6 per game.
It paints a picture that Serong's first ever finals performance will be no flash in the pan. With one now under his belt, and given he's part of a promising and developing young group at Fremantle, more match-winning displays are still to come.
"He's a confident young fella, but I think you have to be if you're going to be a good footballer. He's not arrogant, but he's just confident," Brown said.
"He's been bloody good at a lot of things he's done, whether that's cricket or sport in general. He's a popular member in every team I've seen him part of. That's off the back of performance and workrate. Off the field, he gets respect for what he does on it. He speaks up, he's confident, but he can walk the walk.
"He's a country lad and he's got a bit of that in him. We joked around that he'd go off to Geelong Grammar and get a few private school traits, but deep down at heart he's a country boy. He's laidback and knows what he wants to do and knows what he needs to do to get there. We're seeing that and we're all enjoying watching it, no doubt."