How do you look back on your first year at Fremantle?
Certainly not what was expected when we signed on to come over to WA. But in a number of ways, it’s really been positive. There’s the inherent challenges that we’ve had in relation to the COVID-related crisis and how we’ve had to realign the entire business, which has been incredibly difficult in a number of ways. But having said that, in times of crisis you really get to understand organisations and people within it and we’re hoping we’re through the worst of it.
Is there one surreal moment you can remember where you struggled to believe what was happening to the competition?
There was a small period in which time I think everyone associated with the competition thought there may be a genuine chance we don’t play games this year. For a period of time, there was that genuine level of uncertainty, which in regards to playing games of footy, obviously puts at risk the broadcast arrangements. And whenever you rip out that significant portion of an organisation or an industry’s revenue, it puts everything at risk. So I think that was the one moment that brought onto stark focus that we are dealing with a challenge of the likes which we’d never seen before.
Did you have those doubts yourself about a season being completed?
There’s elements of it that ended up turning into a bit of a blur. But there was so much happening and so much changing on such a regular basis, that you didn’t have too much time to sit and reflect.
How normal do you think next season will be?
That’s the $100 million question isn’t it? I think the approach we’ll be taking is certainly hoping for the best but planning for the worst. The reality of it is I think it’s relatively certain there’s not going to be any vaccine available by the time the season starts, on a broad level. I think Australia’s doing a remarkable job across the board in terms of controlling the level of community spread. And if that continues then I think we’re going to be reasonably well placed. But we’re certainly running a whole range of scenarios and plans from a financial perspective. Just because there’s just so much uncertainty still attached to it all.
Do you worry about WA’s strict border rules in particular and that they could still be in place in March when the season starts, and even the women’s comp which would be before then?
It’s certainly something that we think a bit about, but not spend a hell of a lot of time concerned on given our lack of input and controls of that. There’s obviously a lot of political discussion around that. You would like to think it would be a decision that’s based on the overall interests of the WA community, as opposed to being centred around an election.
How do you rate your season on the field after a 12th-placed finish and a 7-10 record?
Our primary focus going into the season itself was on the improvement and growth and development of what’s a very young playing group. And with that in mind, there was some genuine progress made. I felt like the playing group played with a real synergy and connection and instinctiveness that was really impressive. So while there were a lot of positives we gained from it, we’re certainly not where we want to be as a playing group and a club. We understand we’ve got a fair way to go for us and we’re certainly not content with where we’re currently at.
Justin Longmuir was handed the most extraordinary circumstances for a first-year coach. How do you think he coped with everything that happened?
I thought Justin did an outstanding job considering what he and his coaching staff and our football admin team were confronted with. You couldn’t have dreamed up the scenarios that he’d have to encounter as a first-year coach. In terms of the growth and development of our playing list, the competitiveness and consistency of our performance in the back half of the year … I think that’s the most telling indicator of the job that Justin and the coaching staff did this year. Because it’s very difficult to have teams improving and growing in that manner without the coach really building a connection and being able to communicate effectively with his playing group.
Is Justin the man to coach Fremantle to its first premiership?
I think we’ll focus on making Justin’s first finals series before we worry too much about the end result of a premiership. Justin’s got real strengths in areas of technical capability — in terms of knowing the game and the way that he wants it to be played. And the way that he can impart those thoughts and expectations on his playing group. But equally, he’s just as strong in terms of building relationships and showing genuine care and empathy for both his playing group and staff as well. Which is a really important mix to have. So I think, whilst he’s only a year into his coaching career and would be the first to admit he’s got significant amounts of growth and development within him, the first year provides us all with a level of enthusiasm and hope that Justin can be a successful Fremantle footy club coach for a long period of time.
It looks like you’re compiling a fair bit of talent in that younger age bracket. Is there a time where you see a flag window or opportunity opening?
I think the thing that modern day footy has illustrated is that clubs can rise and improve markedly in short periods of time. So I think, with that in mind, I wouldn’t want to limit ourselves to any sort of ceiling in the short term. We’ve got a stated aim of building a program that allows us to compete on a sustained basis for a long period of time. I think we’ve got a strong cohort of young talented players, which the industry will tell you is critical to be able to build to have ongoing success. If we can continue to add to that while that group grows and develops, then we think there’s an opportunity for us to build towards that sustained period.
Why did you decide you needed a new strength and conditioning boss?
I think there was an opportunity for us to refresh that area of the business. We’d had someone (Jason Weber) in that position for an extended period of time and there was opportunities we thought that we could have a different set of eyes come in and provide different thoughts and areas of expertise and focus that might increase our output in that area. They were the driving factors.
Is it an obvious observation that you had more injuries than you would have liked for a number of years now?
Yeah I think we’re on the record as saying that no one within the organisation was satisfied with where we sat from a games missed through injury perspective. And while there’s a whole range of factors that influences that, it certainly played a part in us considering how we structure up for season 2021.
Are you totally comfortable with the surface of your training ground at Cockburn?
We’ve got complete control over the ground, with all the appropriate levels of measurement and maintenance in place. We’re comfortable with where that sits.
What’s your view on the current fight over list sizes and the salary cap?
From our perspective, the sooner we get the resolution on it the better, to allow us to plan and ensure that we can do so appropriately. I understand the factors that are driving the discussion around reducing list sizes. It’s clearly got to be something that as and when it progresses, needs to be done so gradually. In one sense I think it absolutely is one of those formative decisions that we should look at with caution. And I think being able to do it in a staged approach that has it reduced by a small amount this year and then have a consideration of the implications and impact of that. Because once you go down that path, it will be hard to wind it back.
What’s the club’s position on Jesse Hogan’s future?
Jesse’s just recently completed his quarantine period and obviously had an issue which went before the courts (last) week. So we’ll work through that matter with him internally. Jesse’s a contracted player and we’ll work through that with him over the next couple of weeks.
So he’s still facing a club sanction over the quarantine breach?
We haven’t had an opportunity to sit with him yet. So that’s something we’ll work through. We need to sit with him and his management and get an understanding of the circumstances behind it all and go from there.
Are you open to trading Connor Blakely so he could chase more opportunity at another club?
Well Connor’s a contracted player who’s clearly got significant capability at AFL level. So at that point in time, that remains the case. And as I understand it, Connor is keen to continue to stay at the club and push his way into more regular senior contention.
What can you say to your supporters about David Mundy — will be definitely be running around in purple next year?
That’s certainly the intention of both David and the club. This is one that we’re working through in relation to the final list numbers. His form’s been fantastic. Culturally he’s an incredible resource for the club and we’re thrilled with what he’s teaching our younger players in that sense and the value he provides both on and off the field. So it’s certainly the intent of David and us to work through that in coming weeks. Hopefully we can finalise it all.
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