Will Brodie admits he’s taken the long road to 50 games, and the midfielder has no plans of slowing down now he’s embedded in Fremantle’s best 22.
The 24-year-old will reach the milestone when running out against St Kilda in round one at Marvel Stadium on Sunday.
Brodie played every one of Fremantle’s 24 games in 2022, one shy of doubling his 25 games from five years at Gold Coast.
He averaged 26.8 disposals across those 24 games after averaging 17.8 in his time at the Suns.
Brodie said he hoped to continue growing as he pushes towards 100 games.
“It’s been a long 50, a bit of a journey,” Brodie told SEN WA.
“There’s plenty of highlights, obviously playing finals was a main one and playing some big games on Optus Stadium was definitely in the top range of those 50 games, but I’m most looking forward to what the next 50 can bring.”
Already a prolific ball-winner, Brodie is also looking to add a new weapon to his game.
“I’ve been working on a few little things in my game, one of them in particular is my speed,” Brodie said.
“I’ve got a little bit of speed in these legs actually and I’m just trying to show it a bit more, take the game on a bit more and drive my legs.”
There’s also excitement about what Fremantle’s midfield and ruck combinations can deliver in the coming seasons.
Brodie, Andrew Brayshaw (23), Caleb Serong (22), Sean Darcy (24), Luke Jackson (21) are all yet to reach their expected career peaks, while the likes of Neil Erasmus and Matthew Johnson (both 19) wait in the wings.
29-year-old Jaeger O’Meara also joins the mix from Hawthorn as the line’s most experienced player.
“We’re feeling really good, we’ve had a really good block and the boys are ready,” Brodie said of the midfield group.
“There’s obviously a lot of good players and we’ve just pushed ourselves every session to get the best out of each other.
“I really enjoy running out with those boys and getting to stoppages and centre bounces. It’s the best part of the game and we’re lucky that we’re able to do that together.
“It’s a good mix, a good group and I’m looking forward to what we can produce.”
Brodie added that the ruck combination of Darcy and Jackson could be especially dangerous.
“(Jackson) is a different beast, especially in comparison to Sean,” Brodie said.
“I’m looking forward to playing with him and hopefully he can put it down our throat.
“He’s the opposite player (to Darcy) which makes their dynamic really unique…good luck coming up against both of them.”
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