Senior coach Justin Longmuir says the Fremantle players can’t wait to get back to play in front of an almost-full Optus Stadium in 2021 with hopes that the capacity of the ground can reach 75 per cent early in the season.
 
And that will especially be the case for midfielder Andrew Brayshaw, who had to endure a unique situation in round one of the 2020 season against Essendon at an empty Marvel Stadium.
 
Brayshaw’s uncle James was commentating the game for Triple M, and not only could the younger Brayshaw hear the commentary in the strangely quiet stadium, he felt his uncle was being less than favourable at times.
 
“It’s such a different environment to play in than when there’s no crowd,” Longmuir said.
 
“I remember round one against Essendon last year, there was no crowd at Marvel and it was a really eerie feeling. The ground echoes a lot.
 
“The boys were saying the other day that they could actually hear the Triple M broadcasting because they had their sliding window open and they could hear James Brayshaw bagging Andy Brayshaw when he had the ball in his hand, which was quite unique!”
 
Longmuir said that nothing compared to playing football in front of a roaring crowd.
 
“The players feed off the crowd and especially at home in front of our own crowd,” Longmuir said.
 
“It really pushes our own players to go the extra yard when they’re back at Optus. I think (it could be) around 75 per cent, so that would be fantastic.”

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