They sit side by side in Freo’s change room and it was also the case on the Kwinana Freeway yesterday morning, as Griffin Logue, Brandon Matera and Sean Darcy headed south for a series of school visits as a part of the Australia Post AFL Community Camp.
The trio visited Comet Bay College in Secret Harbour and Singleton Primary School near Rockingham to meet young fans and to develop stronger links between Australian Football and the community.
There was a strong message of healthy eating, staying active and setting goals, with the camp extending tomorrow through the Wheatbelt region, visiting towns including Pinjarra, Narrogin, Waroona, Dwellingup and Pingelly.
Logue said it was important to share the trip with two of his teammates.
“I only met Brandon three weeks ago,” Logue said.
“Myself, Sean and Brandon are locker buddies, so it’s good to spend some extra time with each other.
"We had breakfast together in the morning too, so it’s going well.
“I think it is important, it’s good to be close to your locker buddies as you see them every day and you’re always sitting down next to each other in your quiet times.”
Starting at Comet Bay, a school with a strong football program, the trio spoke of their experiences making it to AFL level.
“The key of these visits is to give back to the community,” Logue said.
“Whether that’s delivering messages to the younger students or at Comet Bay earlier, where we let kids were a bit older, so we spoke of what you go through to be an AFL player and what it’s like to be in the system.
“It’s just a good way to give back to the kids who support the team and the whole of football in general.”
On the drive south, the conversation quickly turned to the excitement building for the 2018 season.
“We’re just getting into the swing of it (in pre-season),” Logue said.
“We were all just talking today about how excited we are about getting back into it and playing games, so it should be good.”
Adding to that excitement at Fremantle are 12 new signings, including new recruits Matera and defender Nathan Wilson, as well as 10 players taken in the National and Rookie drafts.
“Not only in Willo and Brandon, we've got the new draftees as well,” Logue said.
“A couple of them are top-10 picks so it’s an exciting time for the club.
"We can’t wait to see what we can put together through this pre-season into 2018.”
