Fremantle’s Cam Sutcliffe is undoubtedly one of the best bargains to come through the AFL draft system in recent seasons.
The 22-year-old from South Australia fell to Freo at number 71 in the 2011 National Draft.
He’s gone on to play 47 games, including the 2013 AFL Grand Final. Senior coach Ross Lyon recently labelled him a ‘staple’ of the club’s backline.
But Sutcliffe wasn’t always a defender. He was drafted as a midfielder and started out in that position in his debut 2012 season.
However, on the eve of the 2013 finals, an injury to backline regular Garrick Ibbotson opened up a spot in the back six.
Lyon gave Sutcliffe the first crack, and he has been there since.
Sutcliffe said it was his ability to play two-way football that had improved the most since he joined Freo.
“When I first came into the system I wasn’t that great at manning up and playing a role,” he said.
“Now, playing down back and being able to play on an opponent and work from there, that’s really helped my game improve a lot.”
Sutcliffe said he didn’t have any particular focus area in the pre-season, but he has been trying to bulk up so he can play on bigger opponents.
He also revealed he still had aspirations to one day return to his original position.
“I love playing down back, it’s good being part of a back six that’s really strong in the AFL,” he said.
“In future years, I’ll probably look to move into the midfield and play there a little bit.”
