Ethan Hughes has credited his own tenacity as the tough defender reaches the 100-game milestone this Saturday against Geelong at GMHBA Stadium.
Landing at Fremantle in the 2015 rookie draft, the Bunbury product has had to battle every season for his spot in the best 22 and has played every game so far in 2023.
Hughes has long been praised by coaches and teammates for the brave, unselfish and intangible acts he does on the field to help his teammates. Something that was recognised in 2020 when he received the Players’ Trademark award at the Doig Medal Presentation Dinner.
The 28-year-old said he was most proud of just playing one game in the AFL, adding he benefited from his mentality to always be available for when the team needed him.
“Playing your first game is a real milestone up until that point of your whole football journey,” Hughes said.
“From there, there's been plenty of ups and downs and building back from adversity and playing some special wins.
“One of the key points that I've focused on is to keep myself fit and available and ready for selection. You never know when you're going to be called upon.”
Hughes has also been a versatile option at the selection table, starting the season on the wing before moving to the backline after the injury to Heath Chapman.
“At the start of this year, I was playing in the wing role, then got shuffled down to the backline, which I think for me was a lot more comfortable,” Hughes said.
“Being versatile playing talls and smalls down back, being able to get up on the wing, run up and down, support our forwards and get back and support our backs - I think adding a few extra elements to my game has really helped.”
Hughes will become the 11th of 44 players on Fremantle’s list to reach the 100-game milestone, and only the seventh to have played every one of those games for the Fremantle Dockers.
“I think once the season's over, I can look back on my previous 99 games to this point,” Hughes said.
“Hopefully I continue to build for whatever the rest of my career entails.”
