Hayden Ballantyne says Fremantle has plenty to play for in his 150th game as Freo continues to develop a new crop of players at AFL level.
Several of these players were subject to the heaviest loss under Ross Lyon’s tenure at Fremantle against Sydney on Saturday.
Ballantyne said that the young group is hungry to learn and make amends for the 104-point defeat.
“They’re going to learn so much from that game,” Ballantyne said.
“They’re going to learn what to do and what not to do in certain situations. When to tackle harder and really make a contest of it.
“In saying that, we got beaten by a lot. We’re going to take so much more from that loss and that learning is more important than the loss.”
Despite a focus on development, Ballantyne was quick to state his desire to see Freo back to their winning ways.
“We could lose by one point and I’d be just as hurt,” Ballantyne said.
“I hate losing and I love winning. I’m disappointed in any loss but as long as the boys are learning from what we do, I’m happy with that."
Ballantyne had plenty of praise for Brennan Cox, who extended his contract at Fremantle until the end of the 2020 season on Monday.
Cox, who turned 19 on Sunday, is the youngest player on Fremantle’s list and Ballantyne says he can see a lot of potential for the versatile key player.
“I think Brennan Cox is one that’s really going to take leaps and bounds over the coming years,” Ballantyne said.
“He’s got unbelievable hands, he clunks everything. Once he gets his run up and can run games out a lot better, he’s someone who’s going to stand out for me.”
