When Hayden Young put his name forward for Fremantle’s leadership vote, he did so with a sense of trepidation.
The 21-year-old comes into this fourth AFL season with just 35 AFL games to his name due to injury interrupted seasons in 2020 (five games) and 2021 (eight games).
He wondered if that was enough to justify a leadership role, a concern that was quashed following the player and coach-led vote.
It wasn’t the first time Freo had backed in their youth, elevating fellow 2019 draftee Caleb Serong in 2021 when he had 36 games to his name.
“I came into this year not knowing where I would sit with leadership and not knowing if I was ready. I was like, 'am I too young if I've not played enough games?’” Young said.
“That was probably the one thing that made me realise what a great opportunity I've got in front of me… the fact that I was voted in by my peers, gives me a lot of confidence that they value what I bring to the club, and they value what I bring into leadership space.
“Hopefully, I can keep adding to the culture of the club and take us forward.”
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The exciting defender said he will take his time to find his feet as a leader, with plenty of teammates he can lean on for support, in particular captain Alex Pearce.
“I've had the benefit of looking up to people like Fyfe, Mundy, Alex Pearce and Sonny Walters over the last four years and learned a lot from their leadership styles,” Young said.
“Alex has been a great role model for me over the last few years…in my first year he was the one that took me under his wing.
“It helped me out particularly when I had a few injuries, because we were in the same boat.
“He's had a massive influence on my footy.”
Young also backs Pearce to be the captain that brings premiership success to Freo.
“He’s ready to take the next step and be the captain that we need to take us to the next premiership,” Young said.
“He's earned that right and we have the full support of him and it's a great honour to have a skipper like Alex that plays in the backline.”
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