As a no.8 draft selection, there was always going to be high expectations on midfielder Caleb Serong when he arrived at Fremantle.
And the 19-year-old has more than delivered in his debut season, winning the NAB AFL Rising Star Award and the AFL Players’ best first year player award, joining the likes of Adam Goodes and Joel Selwood as players who have won both awards in their debut season.
One of the first moments where Serong really impressed senior coach Justin Longmuir came before a pre-season scratch match when he asked for one of the most difficult jobs in football, taking on two-time Brownlow Medallist Nat Fyfe.
“I remember one of the first match sims we had, he asked to play on Fyfey,” Longmuir said.
“He’s been one to put himself out of his comfort zone and look for challenges.”
But what caught Longmuir’s attention the most was Serong’s dedication to get better during the AFL’s Covid shutdown period.
“It was the way he handled the shutdown for a first-year player,” Longmuir said.
“He wasn’t alone but he came back fitter and a better footballer after those eight weeks away from the club, which shows a lot about his desire and a lot about his ability to motivate himself. That was really pleasing.”
While it was brave to ask to play on Fyfe in his first competitive outing at training, Serong said he wasn’t immune to being overawed by the situation.
“It was pretty scary at the start to be honest (but) once I’m out there I’m just playing footy and trying to win. Whether it’s the team winning or in one-on-one battles, I just hate losing,” Serong said.
“When I came up against Fyfey, I didn’t really realise how big he was until you stand next to him and try and body him up.
“I had to work on little strategies to go up against him but, to be honest, I don’t think I had the best of him that day, he probably had 20 or 30.
“I learnt a lot, not just in that scratch match, it’s every training session I go up against him and Dave (Mundy), Andy (Brayshaw) and Cez (Adam Cerra). I’m just learning something every week.
“I definitely wouldn’t be in this position without those guys.”
Serong averaged 17 disposals, four tackles and eight contested possessions per game in his debut season but perhaps his biggest contribution came defensively when he played negating roles on some of the AFL’s best midfielders.
“I think throughout my whole career, I’ve tried to pride myself on having that balanced game defensive and offensive,” Serong said.
“This year, I knew that I wasn’t going to be able to come in and rack up 30 (disposals). I knew I had to have that defensive side of my game and I think I was really able to learn that at the start of the year playing on guys like Mundy and Fyfey.
“I think once I got to play on those really great players in the AFL like Patrick Dangerfield, Taylor Adams and Jaeger O'Meara, I learnt a lot each week, just taking notes on each player and you learn different things from different players. Playing on those guys really helped me.”
