Fremantle forward Sam Switkowski has secured his near-term future with a contract extension that will keep him at the Club until at least the end of the 2024 season.
The one-year extension is on top of his previous deal until the end of the 2023 season, with Fremantle’s Head of Player Personnel David Walls saying it was important to give the 25-year-old more clarity around his future so he could focus on recovering from a back injury.
Drafted at no.73 in the 2017 NAB AFL Draft, the small forward has kicked 11 goals from 10 games this season and has continued to deliver in his individual role with his pressure and ability to bring his teammates into the game.
This is also reflected in Champion Data rating Switkowski as Fremantle’s only ‘elite’ player in both their pre-season and mid-season rankings, and Walls said Fremantle regarded Switkowski just as highly.
“We love what Sam does both on and off the field and we’re looking forward to getting him back as he’s integral to our forward line,” Walls said.
“Champion Data rate him as elite and which illustrates that he’s so important to us with what he brings - the pressure, ground ball and goal assists, and he’s starting to hit the scoreboard himself.”
Switkowski hasn’t played since sustaining the back injury in round 13 against Hawthorn but Walls said the Club was confident he would return to his best.
“Sam’s done an enormous amount of work to get his body right,” Walls said.
“The medical team have real confidence in his body, this is a bit of a hiccup that he’s going through, but we wanted to extend him out until 2024 just so that he had that peace of mind with his rehab as we see him as a long term player.”
Switkowski said he was excited for the coming seasons with Fremantle and couldn’t wait to get back to playing regular football.
“I’ve extended my contract until the end of 2024, which is awesome,” Switkowski said.
“The injury is frustrating. I was pleased with my first 10 games of the season and was starting to get a bit of momentum and was getting some good form together and being a part of some winning games.
“I just have to work on getting back as soon as possible.”
Switkowski is also relishing being a part of the environment at Fremantle.
“It’s really fulfilling to reflect on where we’ve been over the last four or five years, especially since I’ve been at the Club,” Switkowski said.
“It’s taken a few years to really transform our culture and our performance on field and we’ve had a lot of personnel changes. We’ve seen a lot of growth from players and staff and we’re starting to see the on field success coming with wins on the board.
“There’s hopefully a new challenge that this year with playing finals and seeing how far we can go. It’s a real period of opportunity for us and I’m really excited to be a part of it.”
The Purple Army have been especially important to Switkowski, who has appreciated the support he’s received while recovering from injury.
“The fans have been fantastic ever since I’ve walked into the door. They’re super passionate, I always get a lot of messages of support, especially through the injures – so it’s not just the success, it’s the hard times and I really appreciate that,” Switkowski said.
“It’s awesome to see them turning up to games this year and you really notice the difference in the noise levels out there when you’re playing. As players we get energy from it, so a big thanks to the Purple Army.”
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