AFL
Fyfe turns focus to next challenge

When standing aside as captain in a team meeting on Tuesday, Nat Fyfe told teammates his decision was made with a clear goal in mind – helping Fremantle win its maiden premiership.

A captain for six seasons, Fyfe made no secret that it was his dream to be Fremantle’s first premiership captain, a goal he concedes will now go unfulfilled.

The 209-gamer is the most experienced player on Fremantle’s list, and such is his faith in Freo’s younger leaders, Fyfe saw this moment as the perfect time to hand over the reins.

“The step change in fulfilment that I’m chasing is a premiership and intuitively, me being able to step aside, focus on my craft as a forward and allow someone to take the reins as captain, that feels like a step closer to a premiership,” Fyfe told his teammates.

“I stand here really excited about the next step.

“It’s been a privilege to be captain of this Club, we’ve always had the players vote on their captain and the confidence you get as a leader running out on the ground with your teammates, knowing you’ve got their full support, is empowering.

“I’ll be here in my full presence as a leader to help our next captain and help mould the leadership group.”

In a media conference following the announcement, Fyfe spoke about the toll of leading Fremantle through a tough period where they missed finals for the first five of his six years as skipper.

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'I have no regrets at all.' | Nat Fyfe

Nat Fyfe speaks to media after announcing he would stand aside from the captaincy.

“The moment I took the role as captain of this Club, it was my dream to be the first premiership captain of Fremantle and that was the role that I took a strong responsibility in,” Fyfe said.

“When we’d lose, the loss down in Geelong was the biggest loss in Club history (133 points in 2018), I took that so personally, I reckon it took years off my life.

“Giving up that dream was quite a difficult decision to come to, but I think as we know in life, when you give something up, it allows you to jump back into the flow and see what possibilities open up.”

Fyfe turns focus to next challenge
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