Fremantle will unveil two new players in Tuesday’s clash with the Western Bulldogs, with Amy Franklin and Mikayla Morrison both set to play their first AFLW game.
The versatile Franklin was Fremantle’s first pick in the 2021 NAB AFLW Draft and has had opportunities to train at both ends of the ground throughout the recent pre-season.
Touted for her excellent athleticism and penetrating kick, Franklin is expected to line-up in Freo’s forward line for the clash with the Bulldogs.
Morrison had her debut season upended with a bout of appendicitis on the eve of the 2021 season, after being taken with Freo’s second pick in the 2020 NAB AFLW Draft.
The exciting and agile small forward brings further goal nous to Freo’s offensive line.
For the debutant pair, emotion took over as senior coach Trent Cooper announced the exciting news to the playing group.
“The emotions this morning were pretty high when it got announced…I’m a bit more settled now, but I’m just super excited,” Franklin said.
“With the group coming off four wins, I think the energy will be super high which I’m just really excited to be a part of and to run out with them.
“I’ve really tried my hardest to achieve that, and I think that’s finally paid off.”
Morrison said she can’t wait to pull on the Fremantle guernsey and line up alongside her teammates.
“It feels amazing, I have a lot of emotions right now, but it feels good,” Morrison said.
I just started crying (when it got announced), it was a big surprise.
“It feels awesome to know that I’ll finally be able to pull on that jumper and play.”
Cooper detailed the journey that the pair had been on, which has now culminated in what will be their first games for the Club on Tuesday night.
“It’s been a real journey for these two, they were both really high draft picks and they’ve had to do it not as easy as many would’ve thought,” Cooper said.
“It’s a really exciting time for our whole team that we can bring in players of their talent, but because of the work ethic of everyone else they have really had to work hard to get that spot.
“Mikayla would’ve debuted in round one last year, but she got sick and had to isolate during Covid times.
“She’s had to do a mountain of work to reach the standard and get ticked off to play, which makes this so exciting for ‘Morro.”
“For Amy, we’ve made her really work for it, and she had to get some consistency in her training.
“Over the last 12 sessions, she has been above the average for high-speed running and total distance covered.
“Franky’ has really worked on her resilience and competitive attributes and we’re really looking forward to seeing her up forward on Tuesday.”
The final team to take on the Dogs will be announced on our website fremantlefc.com.au, at 2.30pm WST.
