Newly signed Fremantle forward Jesse Hogan said his conversations with Fremantle captain Nat Fyfe and senior coach Ross Lyon helped him make the call to join the club.
Hogan quickly rose to stardom in his four seasons at Melbourne, kicking 152 goals from 71 games.
He will join a revamped forward line at Fremantle, with fellow tall forward Rory Lobb also signing with the club from GWS on Wednesday.
“I had a few conversations with Nat about the club’s direction and I caught up with Ross two weeks ago, we had a really good chat about everything,” Hogan said.
“We went through the list and the culture which aligned with where I’m at. The timing seemed right to try and pursue that and here we are.”
Hogan said he’s thrilled to return to his home state, where he will be able to spend more time with family.
“I’m feeling a bit of relief, excitement, there’s a bit of everything,” Hogan said.
“There’s been a roller coaster of emotions really, but I’m super excited and I can’t wait to get started.”
After having the chance to spend valuable time with family, Hogan said he’s already feeling settled back at home.
“For the past week and a half to two weeks, I’ve been staying with my brother and seeing my mum and sister so it’s great to be around family again,” Hogan said.
“They’ve all got kids so it’s been pretty special and I’m really looking forward to being able to spend more time around them.
“Obviously, I’ve got a lot of friends and family here as well, so it’s really exciting and I can’t wait to get settled in.”
Hogan played 20 games for Melbourne in 2018 but due to a foot injury, he missed both of Melbourne’s trips to WA to play at Optus Stadium.
The 23-year-old said that he can’t wait to see the new ground in person.
“I haven’t actually played at Optus Stadium or been there yet! Hopefully, I can get a little tour so I can have a look around there in the next few weeks, that would be great,” Hogan said.
“At the same time getting to train, develop and grow with a talented young group at Fremantle. Hopefully, we can win some games and go from there and see where we go.”
Fremantle started the trade period holding first round pick no.6 and fifth round pick no.81 (worth 1751 points on the AFL Draft Value Index) and now have first-round pick no.14, second-round pick no.31 and third-round picks no.43 and 65 at their disposal.
Fremantle’s current hand is worth 2235 points according to the AFL Draft Value Index – equivalent to the value of a no.3 pick.
