The 20-year-old South Australian debuted in round 15 last season and played four consecutive games, the last three as a sub.
In each appearance he showed a knack for getting himself in positions to win the football, which is a trait the AFL’s elite midfielders all possess.
Sutcliffe’s performance in last week’s intra-club match was brilliant. He used his excellent running capacity to win the ball all over the ground and he used it with poise.
It won’t be easy to break into a midfield that already contains names such as David Mundy, Nat Fyfe, Michael Barlow and Stephen Hill, but Sutcliffe has so far done everything possible to earn himself a larger slice of the action in 2013.
He should get a prominent midfield role in Saturday’s NAB Cup opener, so look out for the number 33 they call ‘Squeak’ at Freo.
FREMANTLE’S PRE-SEASON FIXTURE
| NAB CUP round 1 | Saturday 16 February | Patersons Stadium |
| 5:45pm WST | Fremantle v | Geelong |
| 6:50pm WST | Fremantle v | West Coast |
*Two 17.5-minute halves, with 2.5 minutes where time-on is taken into account.
| TRIAL MATCH | Saturday 23 February | AAMI Stadium |
| 9am WST | Adelaide v | Fremantle |
Members will have free entry to Trial Match (times below are local times)
10.30am Car parks open (gates B and E advertised – parking is free)
10.45am Gates open (gates 7 and 8 - supporters will be confined to the SANFL members
reserve for this match – entry will be free for all)
11.30am Trial game starts
2.00pm Approx match finish (Kick and Catch on AAMI Stadium)
There will be limited food available and the PA will be on but no superscreen.
| NAB CUP round 2 | Saturday 2 March | Etihad Stadium |
| 7:40pm EDT | Carlton v | Fremantle |
*four 15 minute quarters, with 7.5 minutes where time-on is taken into account
| NAB CUP round 3 | Saturday 9 March | Rushton Park, Mandurah |
| 3:30pm WST | Fremantle v | Western Bulldogs |
*four 15 minute quarters, with 7.5 minutes where time-on is taken into account
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Our round 1 and round 2 NAB Cup matches will be broadcast by FOX FOOTY and will also be available live on Telstra Mobile.
The club will provide digital coverage of the Adelaide trial match and round 3 NAB Cup game in Mandurah via the following digital platforms:
