As well as shining in his role as a winger for Fremantle in 2022, Blake Acres is taking on another definition of being a wingman on the football field, acting as support for the raw but talented Nathan O’Driscoll as he navigates his debut season in the AFL.

Acres’ brilliant start to the season had some commentators putting him in All Australian contention after four 20+ disposal and one goal performances over the space of five weeks between rounds three and seven.

Meanwhile O’Driscoll has earnt three goal of the year nominations over a highlight-ridden nine games to date in the AFL, however both Acres (hamstring) and O’Driscoll (foot) also had their seasons interrupted due to injury.

In a promising sign for Fremantle heading into finals, both have returned to form in the past fortnight, with O’Driscoll having 20 disposals and a goal against the Western Bulldogs in round 21 and Acres leading Fremantle with 29 disposals to go with a goal in the round 22 RAC Derby.

Speaking post-Derby on the Final Siren Podcast, Acres was modest about his output, saying luck plays a large part in who gets the most of the footy between him and O’Driscoll.

“You can marinate a little bit out there (on the wing), but you just keep rocking up” Acres said.

“The boys do rely on our off ball stuff a lot, so I’m just making sure I’m always there and playing my role. Some nights I’m going to get a good lick of the ice cream and others I’m not.

“It was one of those nights I was able to get involved pretty heavily and I think ‘Drizzy’ on the other wing was probably a bit out of it, he was caught on the other wing a lot of the night.

“We try to get each other involved as much as we can. (Playing wing) is a good role, it’s hard but it’s rewarding as well.”

In last week’s Old Bull Young Buck podcast, the usually chatty O’Driscoll was asked by teammates David Mundy and Griffin Logue if he talks a lot on the field.

The 20-year-old said most of his talking on the field is discussing his positioning with Acres.

“I never used to say a lot. Last year I was really introverted on the field. This year I’ve come out of my shell a little bit,” O’Driscoll said.

“The majority of the time it’s talking to Blake and him telling me where to stand.

“It’s great (working with Acres), he’s been really good for me. He’s taught me a lot and a lot of positional stuff.”

Acres said having O’Driscoll as that additional focus has helped him develop his leadership and improve in his own performances.

“He’s a good kid with a lot of upside and I love how he goes about it,” Acres said.

“I do try and help him out there when we’re playing together and I think he helps me a lot when I’m playing with him.

“I’ve got to make sure he’s doing the right thing, he runs some weird patterns sometimes! It’s making sure he’s doing his job and it’s a really good focus for me to be able to support him out there.

“I think we’ve got a really good connection out on the wing together. He’s going to be a good player.”

Acres said that his game will only improve as he gets more experience working with his teammates.

“I want to focus on my connection a little bit more, being able to kick it to our forwards’ advantage better than I did (against West Coast),” Acres said.

“I thought at times I probably put Lobby (Rory Lobb) under the pump a little bit. That’s still a work in progress and I hope I can tidy that up a little bit.”

Injury update: Round 23
Ladder possibilities and likely opponents
With 'four to go' Dave is riding the wave