Top-10 draftee Liam Henry feels he’s going through a quick and slow transition into AFL football at the same time.
The exciting forward prospect said he’s benefitted greatly from his years as a member of Fremantle’s Next Generation Academy – meaning there have been no surprises about the demands required to compete at the highest level.
But Henry is yet to stick his teeth into full training due to a knee injury sustained last season, but he hopes to be a regular out on the track come February.
“It’s been good, the transition to go into the club was easy for me,” Henry said in a recent episode of the AFL Players podcast, Over the PA.
“I already knew the routine and how they went about it and obviously built a good relationship with players and coaches and the staff around Freo so it’s been pretty easy at the moment.
“The hard bit is just trying to get my rehab all sorted going into 2020 and, hopefully, I’ll be back training within two weeks so yeah, I’m excited.”
There are four NGA graduates currently on Fremantle’s list in Henry, Jason Carter, Leno Thomas and Isaiah Butters.
Henry praised NGA coach Tendai Mzungu for the work put into their development.
“(The NGA) definitely sets you up coming into your draft year,” Henry said.
“I’ve been a part of the Next Generation at Freo for about three years now and the closer you get to your draft year, the more involved you get into the club.
“They teach you a lot of off-field stuff which includes your diet and you get some experience on how you do everything on a daily basis.
“You get feedback on how you perform on field as well so (the NGA) has been a good thing for me to start my AFL journey.
“Tendai once said they want you to come in as a second-year player rather than a first-year player, so that’s been a really good asset for me.”