There is “no ceiling” to the development of key forwards Matthew Taberner and Michael Apeness, according to Fremantle champion Matthew Pavlich.
Much has been made of Freo’s push to recruit a marking forward, but Pavlich, who will retire at season’s end, preached patience in his teammates’ progress.
“I really believe in Matthew Taberner and Michael Apeness – their attitude and work eithic is incredibly strong,” he said.
“We’ve put a huge amount of work into them as a club, so we’re confident they can be long-term players for the football club.
“Some of the nuances of using your body and positioning – those sort of things are still to come, but that takes time.
“Matthew wasn’t drafted a bit later and Michael played a lot of rugby union.
“They may take a little bit more time by virtue of that, but that doesn’t mean they can’t really perform strongly as soon as possible.”
Since being drafted with pick 11 in the 2012 Rookie Draft, Taberner has notched up 42 games and 39 goals, playing primarily as a third marking target behind Pavlich and Chris Mayne.
This year he has managed 14 appearances for 16 majors, including a career-best five-goal haul against Brisbane – a match in which Pavlich was rested.
Apeness, who made his sole appearance of the season in Round 11, has managed just three matches in as many seasons after struggling with injury.
However, Ross Lyon has referenced the forward’s competitiveness, fearlessness and work ethic as attributes to build a career upon.
Both players are also imposing in stature – Taberner stands and 198cm and weighs 95kg, while Apeness is 200cm and 101kg.
Pavlich believes their physical presence will hold them in good stead against the league’s bigger defenders.
“They’re big, strong, powerful men,” he said. “They’re bigger and stronger than I am and that’s the way the game has gone.
“It would be good to see them continue to develop.”
