On their first day at Fremantle last Monday, three AIS-AFL Academy members had their first brush with the club’s senior coach Ross Lyon – a man whose reputation preceded him.

West Australian 17-year-olds, Brad Walsh, Jarrod Pickett and Matthew Ah Siu all admitted they were nervous ahead of their encounter with the man who guided Freo into the 2013 AFL Grand Final.

“He seems like a bit of a scary guy,” said Peel Thunder colt Walsh.

As Lyon approached the trio, they prepared to introduce themselves. But it didn’t quite go as planned, initially.

“I think he had his mind on footy because he walked straight past us,” Walsh said.

“Then he realised and turned around to say g’day.

“He was a great bloke and he definitely knows his footy, that’s for sure.”

Pickett, an Indigenous small forward from South Fremantle, described the experience at Freo as an “eye-opener”, particularly the very first training session.

“Ross just threw us straight into training with the main group,” he said.

“It was so fast. It was like a game, actually.”

Ah Siu, who is of Samoan decent and also from South Fremantle, concurred with Pickett’s opinion.

“The intensity, it’s a whole new level above AIS training,” he said.

“That should help us when we return to our WAFL clubs, trying to maintain that intensity.”

Pickett also relished the opportunity to train alongside good friend and Freo 2012 draftee Josh Simpson.

“Josh lived with me the year he was drafted and we got really close and I treat him like a brother,” Pickett said.

Fremantle WA state recruiting manager Adam Jones said the boys had made a positive first impression at Freo.

“They’ve been terrific,” he said.

“They got thrown in the deep end at their first training session and they just about completed everything.

“They’ve slotted in really well from that perspective and they’ve looked comfortable around the group."

After the boys have completed their stint at Freo, they will join the WA state side to continue preparations for this season’s under 18 championships.

The AIS-AFL squad will also play against Collingwood’s reserves team in a curtain raiser to Freo’s grand final rematch with Hawthorn at the MCG on Friday 4 April, followed by a tour to Europe.