Senior coach Justin Longmuir says Fremantle won’t be patting themselves on the back after showing signs of progress in their seven-win year in 2020.
After losing the opening four games of the season, Fremantle steadied to win seven of their next 13 and remained competitive in almost all contests.
While Fremantle’s young and talented list bodes well for the future, Longmuir said he wouldn’t be letting his players sit back and expect the improvement to come naturally.
“We’re not satisfied with where we’re at. We can’t be a club that accepts where we are on the ladder,” Longmuir said.
“We’ve got to drill down a little bit further than that, look at our game, look at our players and see where each and every individual can grow.
“That’s including me, where can I get better as a coach? How can I help our players to get better as a leader of the footy club?
“Improvement’s not going to come without hard work, dedication and being a group that helps each other and guides each other through all situations that are in front of us.
“We can’t sit back and wait and hope for natural progression.
“We’ve got to demand more of each other, demand more of ourselves, search for improvement areas and drive ourselves to get better.”
Fyfe: I’m here to follow someone who wants to take us places
Fremantle’s 30-point loss harkened back to a similar loss to Richmond in round 15, where Freo were within reach in the final term and let the game slip away.
Longmuir said such fade-outs aren’t acceptable for a team that wants to be competitive at AFL level.
“It’s disappointing. There’s been too many games this year, we touched on it after the game, where we’ve been in it at three-quarter time and given ourselves a chance and we just haven’t got it done,” Longmuir said.
“But as far as reflecting on the season, we’ve made some inroads. I think we’ve grown as the season’s gone on.
“As a group and as a club, we’re not where we want to be. We’ve got a long way to go on the journey.”
