The ability to play against and learn from veteran midfielders has been an invaluable learning experience, according to second year player Connor Blakely.

Blakely spent much of Freo’s game against Richmond doing battle with the Tigers reputable midfield unit, and said he took a lot out of the contest.

“At three quarter time Ross (Lyon) gave me the role to go onto (Trent) Cotchin, and it was something that I learnt a lot (from),” Blakely said.

“He’s really smart around the stoppage, seeps out the back and is really smart with his running patterns.

“Last week against Hawthorn I learnt a lot so every week I’m coming up against some pretty good players and learning a lot.”

Tigers capitalised on conditions

Blakely followed up his 18 touch effort in round eight with a career-high 22 disposals against Richmond and continues to develop after playing just his fifth game of AFL football.

The second year midfielder attributed confidence and his preparation to his growth as a player, but said he was well aware of the difficulties of backing up performances on a weekly basis.

“Every game I’m finding a bit more confidence in my own ability,” he said.

“AFL is a really hard game and it can bring you back down to earth pretty quickly.

“There’s always something to improve on during the week.

“In meetings you always discover something you did wrong, so I’ll keep building and hopefully stay in the team as long as I can.”