Defender Alex Silvagni says it will be a strange feeling lining up in the backline without retired Fremantle veteran Luke McPharlin alongside him.

McPharlin retired following the 2015 season after 256 AFL games.

When Silvagni entered the AFL system, McPharlin had been in it for more than a decade.

“It’s a massive hole that will be left,” he said.

“Not just his playing skills but because of his leadership and his character.

 “The way he operated was second to none.”

Silvagni said McPharlin was also instrumental in helping develop Freo’s young talls on the training track.

“He led the young guys through the pre-season, but we’ve got great leaders in Matthew Pavlich, David Mundy and Nathan Fyfe to continue that,” Silvagni said.

“From a personal perspective I’ll miss him not just as a team mate but on a personal level.

“We had a lot of chats about footy and life around the club, which I’ll miss.”