Brandon Walker is one of a handful of defenders in consideration for round one selection after impressing in recent match simulations with Peel Thunder.
The NGA product arrived at Fremantle at no.50 in the 2020 NAB AFL Draft and appeared to be a great pickup after some good performances at half back in his 10 games in 2021.
The 19-year-old missed selection in Fremantle’s two pre-season games against West Coast but in a Q&A with members for Fremantle’s Season Launch, Longmuir said Walker had been in great form at training.
“Brandon’s tracking really well. He probably missed a period of pre-season before Christmas that others didn’t, hence the reason why he’s come through with the Peel intraclubs,” Longmuir said.
“His form’s been really strong and he’s banging the door down. If an opportunity presents, we’ll look to get him in the side.
“He’s definitely not out of the question for round one. He looks like he’s improved his footy from last year and we’re really excited about what he can produce.”
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Longmuir was also asked about Griffin Logue’s versatility as a player. The athletic key defender had been touted as a potential midfielder when he was drafted in 2016 but the 23-year-old has played primairily as a defender who can take on tall or small forwards in his 44 games to date.
“Maybe down the track (Logue could move into the midfield). We’re just trying to get him to become a consistent back at the moment and that’s an area of the ground we need to get some continuity in,” Longmuir said.
“Last year there was a bit of a rotating door in our backline, so I think it’s really important, to be a successful team, you have a core group of backs, maybe five or six that play week in week out with each other.
“We see Griff as an important part to that. He’s got the ability to play tall and small, so we’ll keep persisting with that at the moment. We’ve got good depth in our midfield as well so we see him as a back at this stage.”