Fremantle will use their first community camp since 2019 as a chance to connect as a group and reconnect with the Club’s fans in the regions, according to Hayden Young.

Players are in the South West for four days to visit schools around Bunbury and Busselton, capped off with an open training session in Busselton on Friday.

Growing up in regional Victoria, Young reflected on how important it was for him to see AFL players in person.

“I still remember when St Kilda came down to my school when I was a kid and we had Rhys Stanley - I remember looking up to him and he was a giant!” Young said.

“From that day I knew I wanted to play AFL so it’s really important that we come down and touch base with our supporters.

“Today we’re down at Djidi Djidi Aboriginal School…we do a lot of work in the Indigenous space and it’s something we’re really passionate about as a Club. It’s a really special occasion to interact with the kids and have a kick of the footy.”

The camp will also be a chance for Fremantle’s new draftees to connect with their new teammates.

In total seven new players were added across the week in WA’s Hugh Davies, Josh Draper and Conrad Williams and interstate players Tom Emmett, Max Knobel, Corey Wagner and Liam Reidy.

“I’ve reached out to a few of the boys and met them at the Club this morning, this will be a good induction for them as we spend some time together at our accommodation and get to know each other,” Young said.

“It looks like we’ve got a good mixture of youth and mature aged talent which is really exciting.

“It’s really exciting to meet new people who can add to the group and we can have a good 2023 season together.”

OPEN TRAINING IN BUSSELTON ON FRIDAY!

Young was particularly excited by fellow half back Corey Wagner, who has previously played for North Melbourne and Melbourne and brings extra pace to the backline.

“I watched his highlights and I love anyone that can run and bounce off half back,” Young said.

“I’m not the quickest bloke, so if I can dish it to him he can take off and do all the running. He looks really exciting and a great acquisition for our team.

“We want to be a team that transitions really quickly when we win the ball back and it looks like he’s got a lot of pace.

“If we can get the ball in his hands, we can break lines and open the game up. I’m really looking forward to meeting him and getting to play with him.”