fremantlefc.com.au asked senior coach Ross Lyon to share his thoughts on Fremantle legend David Mundy ahead of his 300th game.
Mundy will play his 300th on Saturday night at Optus Stadium in the Len Hall Anzac Tribute Game.
When I first arrived at Fremantle in 2011 ahead of the 2012 season, I didn’t know a lot about David Mundy as a person.
I knew his 2010 season was very strong. I remember watching him in the 2010 semi final against Geelong. It was a tough away loss for Fremantle but I remember how well David played. He glided well over the turf and you could see he was just a beautiful user of the ball.
When I met him at the club, he was quiet in nature but it struck me how physically big he was. Since 2010, he’s been a big part of Fremantle’s leadership group with the likes of Matthew Pavlich, Luke McPharlin, Matt de Boer and Aaron Sandilands.
David has always been very nurturing of the young players. He prepared really well and he was an incredibly high performer. He won the Doig Medal in 2010 and in my time, he’s finished runner-up three times.
We played in a number of finals in 2012 through to 2015 and he always performed. In 2016, he ascended to the captaincy in a very difficult period of transition of the list. It was a tough time and he held himself together really well.
He is a fierce competitor on the field but he impresses me just as much with his ability to build his life off the field. He’s completed his degree in Marine Biology, he’s studying his honours while also doing an MBA and juggling family life with Sally, his beautiful wife, and three kids.
You’ll see him on the plane every away trip, he’s studying and working hard. It’s something we really value, he’s a great model of that behaviour and you can see the other players following his lead.
It’s easy to throw out the number 300 as an achievement but the number alone doesn’t take into account the difficulty of getting that far, especially with the tyranny of distance and travel for a player based in WA.
It’s an amazing achievement and David sits comfortably with the great players of the club and the AFL.
He’s an All Australian, he’s played International Rules, he’s captained the club, he’s a Doig Medallist and has played finals and a grand final. He’s done it all, the only lack of prestige is a premiership but he can go on I think. He’s 33 and he’s still playing his best footy.
David and I have had a lot of good moments but there was a tough period that on reflection I hadn’t got right. I grabbed David for a conversation and acknowledged this. He was very receptive, open and was really kind. He’s just clearly such a kind-hearted and generous person.
So from me to David, I’m grateful for everything you’ve given to me as a coach and more importantly to the Fremantle Football Club, we love you as a person and a player.
