Hayden Young says his first full pre-season in the midfield has enabled him to build confidence in his body as he develops his midfield craft ahead of the 2024 season. 

Young impressed racking up 26 disposals, seven tackles, five clearances and two goals in the Club’s 39-point loss to Port Adelaide on Friday in Fremantle’s final pre-season game ahead of their round one clash with the Brisbane Lions.

“I’m still learning the ropes a little bit but Caleb (Serong), Andy (Brayshaw), Fyfey, 'Jaegs' (O’Meara) are all helping me out and I’m starting to feel a lot more comfortable in there,” Young told Fox Footy post-match.

“Hopefully we can build some continuity and be a damaging midfield group."

Nat Fyfe impressed again gathering 26 disposals and five clearances, with Young highlighting how he has been observing the dual Brownlow Medallist throughout the pre-season to build on his midfield craft.

“He’s just a beast (Fyfe), and a one-touch player which is something I try to work on a lot,” Young said.

“Coming from half-back, moving into the midfield you don’t have as much time with the ball, so you’ve got to be clean and make the most of your disposal and that’s what I’ve been learning from him.”

Young led the game with an impressive 697 metres gained and showcased his talent during a forward stoppage, swiftly scoring a goal on the run after a skilful tap from Sean Darcy.

Senior coach Justin Longmuir praised Young's performance in handling the pressure of the game against Port's strong midfield.

“I thought Youngy was one of a few of our players who handled the toughness and execution of the game,” Longmuir said in the post-game press conference. 

“I thought he was super, so he will take a lot of confidence out of today.”

With the pre-season officially over, Young says the focus now shifts to round one where Fremantle will host last year’s grand finalists the Brisbane Lions at Optus Stadium.

“It wasn’t ideal (tonight’s loss) but hopefully we can take a lot from it. Port are a great outfit, so it was good to get a good hit out against them leading into Brisbane in two weeks,” Young said.

“We will learn a lot from it and hopefully hit the ground running.”