Traditionally, Fremantle don’t officially name a vice captain in their leadership group – but it’s also rare for a Club to have two young leaders of the calibre of 22-year-old Andrew Brayshaw and 21-year-old Caleb Serong.
After being newly elevated as vice captains, the pair plan to lean heavily on each other in support of captain Alex Pearce, in the same way they’ve used each other to develop their midfield craft.
As the recently named AFLPA MVP, Brayshaw said Serong’s arrival ahead of the 2020 season helped drive him along his rapid trajectory as a footballer.
“I’m very excited to be working with ‘Sebba’,” Brayshaw said.
“We play a similar role and we push each other every day to get better.
“That will be the same with the vice captaincy role, we’ll always be pushing each other to be the best leaders we can.
“Having Caleb by my side and mine by his, we’re going to be making ourselves better leaders.
“We’ll be doing whatever we can to make Alex’s job as easy as possible and help him lead in any way we can.”
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A Glendinning-Allan Medallist and Rising Star winner, Serong has similarly looked up to Brayshaw since arriving at Fremantle.
“The first day I walked in the door I felt like Andy took me under his wing,” Serong said.
“He showed me the way, showed me how to be a pro, so from the moment I walked in I was trying to follow his footsteps and what he was doing.
“He’s gone strength to strength. His elevation to one of the best players in the comp is something that I want to follow. It motivates me seeing what he's done as a player.
“As a leader, it’s no different. What he’s doing in terms of connecting with teammates and driving the standards is something I’ve learnt from and will take in my own leadership.”
While both Brayshaw and Serong have said they have the ambition to captain the Club one day, they are thrilled to have a player of Pearce’s calibre to lead the group.
“Everyone loves playing with him, he connects really well with the playing group and with the coaches,” Brayshaw said.
“Whenever I think about playing on the weekend, he’s the sort of guy that you want as you have him crashing packs and going back with the flight.
“He embodies what it means to be a Fremantle player. I think there’s a lot of people in the group that felt the exact same and it’s going to be exciting to see him lead us.”
Being named vice captain gave Brayshaw a chance to reflect on what it meant to be a Fremantle player.
“It’s an honour, being in the leadership group for a couple of years now and to be named vice captain of the Club is pretty special,” Brayshaw said.
“I was drafted here six years ago now, I definitely didn’t think I would be in the position I am now.
“Having the trust of the players, the coaches and the whole Club is really special.”
Freo's 'hybrid' in forward mix
Gallery: Main training 27 February
