Jordan Clark is putting in the work this pre-season, with Hayden Young’s move to the midfield creating leadership opportunities in defence. 

The 23-year-old has been a reliable source of distribution so far this pre-season as the young defender has been focusing on developing his leadership attributes in defence. 

“With Youngy (Hayden Young) probably moving up to the midfield, there goes another leadership roll down back, so just being able to help Moose (Alex Pearce) and Lukey Ryan out has been something I’ve wanted to do,” Clark said.

“Something I wanted to do individually was set myself up the best I can for this year ahead.

“Coming off last year, I probably wasn’t overly stoked with how I went, so it was sort of something off my own back to put the foot down, put the head down and get to work.

“I think everyone in the group to be fair has done the same thing.

Clark added that the excitement and energy levels around the group have been noticeable despite facing multiple days of challenging conditions so far this pre-season. 

“It’s a bit like my first season when I came to Freo,” Clark said.

“It’s been challenging in every different way this year. It’s been really hot, and we’ve done a lot of work, a lot of running in the legs, and a lot more footy so it’s been a great pre-season so far. 

“To get the work in now and set us up for the year ahead is really exciting.”

The team has trained on multiple 40-degree days so far this pre-season, with players embracing the conditions as part of a mental and physical edge.

“At the end of the day, it’s just an external distraction to what we’re doing out there, and that’s to play footy,” the defender said.

“We use it as a bit of an advantage in a way to try and take our minds and keep them on footy rather than worry about the things that we can’t control.

“We’ve been coached all year to worry about the things we can control, and the heat is out of our control so we’re not going to worry about it too much.