ANTHONY Morabito is a great story in the making but the Fremantle midfielder is still working back to full fitness, according to Ross Lyon.
The luckless 22-year-old has played four consecutive matches in the WAFL this season after recovering from a third knee reconstruction.
The club has continually preached patience around Morabito as the explosive midfielder has been down this road before.
He played seven WAFL games in 2012 before rupturing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee for a second time. He did not play at all in 2013 after a third knee reconstruction.
This year Morabito has built some terrific form, averaging 21 possessions and kicking three goals in four matches for Peel Thunder.
Lyon has watched him play a couple of times and is excited by what he's seen but says he is still a long way off the level of fitness required for AFL football.
"We put him in a position where he could get some easier ball, at half-back (to) run straight, which he really enjoyed," Lyon said.
"Then he asked to go into the midfield, so we put him in there. He found that more physically challenging.
"It’s woken him up a little bit to think 'geez, I have missed three years and I'll need to continue to build for a little while'”.
“It's that consistency of build, build, build that he's still working on.
"But it's a great story at the minute."
Lyon is also excited about the development of Fremantle's first-round draft pick from last year, Michael Apeness.
The 19-year-old key forward was named as an emergency for the match against the Sydney Swans, following a powerful display in the WAFL where he took seven contested marks and kicked two goals.
Apeness injured his adductor in the WAFL last Friday and will miss one to two weeks, but Lyon says he is one to watch this year.
"He would've been a real possibility (against the Swans)," Lyon said.
"He's taken great contested marks (for Peel Thunder). He's really exciting for us, first-round pick, 200cm, a real competitive beast, (with a) huge aerobic tank.
"So we know we've got one coming."
