While Connor Blakely was happy to get a run at some stage in Sunday’s NAB Challenge match against West Coast, he didn’t quite anticipate being on the ground early in the first quarter.

Fellow midfielder Nick Suban came off the ground with a hamstring injury and Blakely was told to take off the substitute’s green vest and get ready for action.

WATCH: MATCH HIGHLIGHTS

“It took me a little bit by surprise…you’re waiting to go on but you’re not fully preparing,” Blakely said.

“So when ‘Subes’ twinged his hammy and came off I thought ‘oh, we’re on here’.

“As soon as that happened, I sort of got up, ran up and down the boundary and got straight into it.

“It was a bit of a surprise but it was good.”

Blakely has featured in all three of Freo’s NAB Challenge matches and is the only one of Freo’s five new recruits to do so.

The 19-year-old definitely noticed the intensity rise in the pre-season derby.

“It was really fast-paced…the first half I struggled a bit with the tempo, but got into it in the second half and thought I did alright in the last quarter,” he said.

“I was told that any game against the Eagles is pretty full on, so I was preparing for that during the week.

“It was definitely a step up from the first two NAB Challenge games, it was good to get exposed to that.

“A few of the boys were saying that the game was almost like round one tempo, so it was a good experience.”

A key trait of Blakely so far has been his efficient ball use and the youngster just wants to keep on improving.

“I’m not going to get many high numbers of disposals, so every time I get it I’ve got to make sure I use it pretty well,” he said.

“That’s something I really aim to do, but if I turn it over I keep my head up and keep going at it.

“My aim is just to recover well from this game.

“The selection team will pick our best available squad for round one and if it’s me, it’s me, but if not I’ll just keep working hard down at Peel.”

Fremantle takes on Port Adelaide on Easter Sunday, 5 April, for the annual Starlight Purple Haze game.

Bounce down at Domain Stadium (formerly Patersons Stadium) is 4.40pm WST.