Fremantle rookie Haiden Schloithe has pleased Fremantle’s coaching staff with his dedication and diligence to learn since joining the club late last year.
Schloithe was Fremantle’s WAFL Player of the Round for his 22-possession effort for South Fremantle last weekend.
He has worked his way into the senior side after starting the season in the Bulldogs’ reserves.
Fremantle assistant and senior development coach Simon Lloyd said Schloithe had already exhibited good signs of development since arriving at the club.
“I think with Haiden, the biggest change has been that he has developed physically, but he also is starting to assert himself around the contest a lot more,” Lloyd said.
“He shows us that he can play as an inside midfielder and that he is learning the craft. We have seen that through improvements in his ability to reposition his opponent.”
Lloyd said Schloithe still had much to learn to become an AFL footballer, but that the signs so far have been promising.
“Haiden’s body work around stoppages is something he still needs to develop, but that will come with time.
“We liken our development academy to a university and we are constantly teaching the players about our game plan and the understanding of roles and responsibilities.
“Haiden is very diligent and he is not afraid to ask questions and seek out the answers, which is a great asset.”
Lloyd said that Schloithe aimed to add consistency to his game over the rest of the season.
“The goals are really to find that consistency, and probably the big thing for him is the surge running and getting from contest to contest,” he said.
“As a young player, that develops over time and another pre-season. It’s a matter of just developing confidence and learning the art of playing in the midfield.”
Lloyd shared his WAFL notes on all Fremantle players that played as midfielders for their WAFL clubs on the weekend
Haiden Schloithe (SF) - 22 disposals (11 kicks, 11 handballs), 4 tackles, 1 goal
South Fremantle have been playing Haiden as an inside-mid and he worked hard all day. He had a very good third quarter where he kicked a goal. He worked hard back defensively and played with real aggression in and around the contests. We are really happy with how Haiden is going and he is the type of person who is very coachable and open, and that is showing in the development of his game.
Nick Lower (P) - 19 disposals (13 kicks, 6 handballs), 4 clearances, 3 marks
Nick played inside-mid and he was a solid contributor all day. His contested work at ground level and in the air was first class, given the wet conditions. He did well working forward where he looked dangerous, and we were really please with his defensive run. The feature of his game was his ball handling in close congested situations.
Tom Sheridan (PT) - 17 disposals (6 kicks, 11 handballs), 4 marks,
It was a quiet day by Tom’s standards. He did display a good attacking piece play off half-back, which was encouraging. We were happy with his wing positioning, but overall Tom needs to get back to what he was doing a couple of weeks ago, which is playing good consistent football and having an influence around the contest. It won’t take much for Tom to get back on track.
Anthony Morabito (PT) - 15 disposals (12 kicks, 3 handballs), 1 goal
Anthony played in the midfield and improved his intensity in the second half. He did his best work for the game at the centre-squares bounces with some strong clearances. He is building on his game time and we are looking for more as the week’s progress.
Sam Menegola (EF) - 15 disposals (9 kicks, 6 handballs), 5 tackles
Sam played on the wing and as a half-forward but he didn’t have any significant effect on the game. He has addressed this early in the week and he will have his focuses. One positive was a nice goal assist in the last quarter from a good front and square ground ball win and quick give. He had a few clearances and some goal scoring opportunities that he missed. Sam will bounce back this week.
Dylan Roberton (EP) - 12 disposals (8 kicks, 4 handballs)
Dylan has been playing some good football with East Perth. He started as a defensive-mid opposed to Paul Mugambwa and shut him out of the game. Dylan also gave a lot of rebound out of defence. We were very happy with his line at the ball. Just before half-time, he saved a goal and he also put his body on the line going back with the flight and had a smother to save another goal in the third. He is really showing some great effort and putting his body on the line physically and we are really happy with his one-on-ones at ground level and in aerial contests.
Jayden Pitt (EP) - 22 disposals (15 kicks, 7 handballs), 6 marks, 1 goal
Jayden played as a high forward where he looked lively throughout the game. He positioned well off stoppages. The good thing for us is that he got used where he would release and spread hard. There were a couple of great efforts at the contested ball. He set up East Perth attacks by showing poise, looking inside and attacking the corridor. A good game from Jayden and reports from East Perth have been positive.
CLICK HERE FOR WAFL WATCH PART 2 - DEFENDERS
CLICK HERE FOR WAFL WATCH PART 3 - RUCKS AND FORWARDS
WAFL League results
Peel Thunder 12.14 (86) Swan Districts 27.15 (177)
Perth 8.16 (64) West Perth 16.10 (106)
East Fremantle 10.19 (79) Subiaco13.7 (85)
South Fremantle 8.10 (58) East Perth 16.21 (117)
