The youngest Freo Dockers made the most of the AFL’s shutdown period, according to midfielder Adam Cerra.
Cerra and his teammates took part in a match simulation at the club on Friday morning, where the likes of top-10 picks Caleb Serong and Hayden Young shone.
A top-10 selection himself from the 2017 National Draft, Cerra also impressed as he excelled in a midfield role.
Playing for the Purple team, Cerra opposed Serong and Young, who lined up for White.
Serong held his own in a midfield battle against the likes of Nat Fyfe and Michael Walters, while Hayden Young showed his skills out of half back and took an impressive flying mark on the wing.
“They (Serong and Young) were doing great in pre-season but today they showed that they’ve gone to that next level and they’re going to be really exciting players,” Cerra said.
“I think the only positives to come out of this break was the (younger) boys were able to treat it like an opportunity to get better and catch up (on the rest of the league), especially the boys like Caleb and Hayden who had just done their first pre-season and had a bit to catch up on.”
Cerra said the pair could see a debut early in the season.
‘I think they’ve both shown what they’re capable of,” Cerra said.
“Whenever the opportunity comes to them, they’ll be stoked and I reckon they’ll take it with both hands. It’s a really exciting future for both of them.”
Despite his age, the 20-year-old Cerra is becoming one of the more experienced midfielders at Fremantle and he expects to see the young-mid brigade continue to come through.
“I’m stoked to see boys like Luke Valente, who had trouble in the past to get his body right. He’s looking like a beast out there at the moment.
“Caleb Serong, Michael Frederick, Tom North, the list goes on. There’s a lot of depth now and I think that’s really healthy for us.”
Cerra said the team took a big step forward at the match sim as they ramp up for the resumption of the season on Saturday 13 June against Brisbane.
“It was the first real game-play stuff we’ve done in a couple months,” Cerra said.
“It almost felt like a first game back from pre-season. I was just happy to be able to get through it,
“I think what we were focusing on worked really well. We feel like we were really organised with our structures and our intensity was up there.
“Personally, I was happy to get through it and as a team I was really happy with how all the boys went.”
Cerra added he was pleased to see Cam McCarthy make his return to the club.
“I didn’t speak to him, with the social distancing rules you don’t get around all the boys, but he seems to be in good spirits,” Cerra said.
“He was like how he always is. He’s a character and someone you love to have around the club.
“It was good to see him out on the track a little bit this morning and it’s great to have him back.”
