Lee Spurr will be focussing on fast tracking Fremantle’s youth as he enters his seventh AFL season.
After the club added 10 recruits in the 2017 NAB AFL national and rookie drafts the defender believes accelerating their development will help the club grow in 2018 and beyond.
“It’s a big number coming in, you can certainly feel it out on the track,” Spurr said.
“With such a large group of young players, we want them coming along fast.
“We want to make them feel welcome and a part of the team but also to get the best out of themselves and really accelerate their development to becoming an AFL player.”
The 30-year old has been a part of the leadership group since 2014 and has worked hard on developing the younger players, especially in recent years.
“The (youth) are such a big part of our club and I’ve really enjoyed working with them over the last two years.
“Seasons 2016 and 2017 have been a change in how I view leadership, so it’s been a nice learning curve.
Spurr has been impressed with what he has seen in the short time the recruits have been at the club.
“They’re coming in as a first year player and they’re really hungry and eager to learn,” Spurr said.
“We have some really talented players but talent counts for nothing.
“It’s all about when you get in the door and how hard you work and we’ve seen some boys put in some hard work already at this early stage, which is a good sign.”