Running midfielder Bradley Hill is hopeful he can return to his best in 2019 as he continues what he feels has been a productive pre-season campaign.
The 2017 Doig Medal winner is coming off a season hampered by a knee injury, where he was limited to 10 games.
Known as one of the best runners in the AFL, Hill said he's back at his peak fitness ahead of his eighth season.
“Fitness wise, I reckon this is the fittest I’ve felt,” Hill said while speaking at Fremantle’s training session at Cottesloe Beach on Thursday.
“The training and running load I’ve been doing has been the same as previous years but I feel fitter.
“I missed a fair few games last year so I’ve been really eager to get back into it and have a good season."
Hill brushed off any concerns after sitting out Fremantle’s 2km time trial on the players’ return following the Christmas break.
The 25-year-old was one of a number of senior Fremantle players who did not compete, with fitness staff being cautious with any slight niggles.
“There was nothing major in it,” Hill said.
“I was just a little bit sore on the day. I still went out and ran, I just didn’t do the time trial.
“That was on the Monday. On Wednesday I ended up doing the full session.
"There was nothing of concern, they just pulled me out of it, which was I was a little bit happy with!”
Hill said he’s been impressed with Fremantle’s mature-aged draftees this pre-season, with the midfielder tipping Lachie Schultz and Brett Bewley to make an impact in their debut seasons.
“This year we’ve got a fair few new boys, the first years and mature age guys,” Hill said.
“They’ve been training well. Brett and Lachie, they’re bigger bodies already and they’ve already been playing a lot of senior footy over in Victoria, so they're looking great.
“That’s what you want. You want to have those blokes pushing to play senior footy so hopefully we can have that this year.”
Hill said Fremantle’s beach session on Thursday was to give the group a mental break from life at the club as they continue to work hard on their pre-season preparations.
“We still do the exact same work,” Hill said.
“We had a weights session, massage, physio and we'll have a team meeting a bit later.
"It’s the exact same thing at the club but it’s just a different location, the boys have enjoyed it and we’re loving it down here.”
