Fremantle defender Luke Ryan is entering his eighth season at the Club with the 28-year-old looking forward to seeing the potential of his younger teammates in 2024. 

Ryan said the pre-season had seen the Club’s youth step up as vocal leaders out on the field.

“We were a really strong defensive and contest group two years ago and we want to get back to that,” Ryan said to SportFM on Wednesday afternoon.

“The leaders are really building on that, but it’s not just our leadership group, other guys are stepping up like Jordan Clark, Josh Treacy and Jye Amiss. Everyone’s really starting to lead now.

“It’s a lot better, it’s a lot louder vocal group compared to last year, so it’s really good to see the younger guys coming along for the ride."

Ryan was ranked as ‘elite’ by champion data for marks, kicks and metres gained in an impressive individual 2023 campaign.

The 132-game player said the wider group is focused on getting back to their 2022 form in the upcoming season.

“You can never not improve on all areas, but we’ve probably looked at our contest, defensive 50 exits and locking the ball in our front half which is something we did really well the year before,” Ryan said. 

“I’m coming back from an ankle injury, and I haven’t been able to kick the ball really far at the moment… I’ve looked to lower my eyes a little bit and hit harder kicks under 40 metres that can really open up the game.”