For a two-year period, the careers of two of Fremantle’s greatest Indigenous players crossed over when Des Headland and Michael Walters were teammates in 2009 and 2010.
With the pair both living in Perth’s north east, they naturally shared the two-hour return drive to Fremantle Oval every training day.
In the latest episode of Old Bull, Young Buck, Headland said he had some fond, and some not-so-fond, memories of the drives.
“I was coming into the end of my career and I was trying to get into Real Estate, so I moved out to the Ellenbrook area, it was a big development and it was a bit of a strategic move,” Headland said.
“Sonny was out at Midvale and when he was drafted and we had the family connection and I was driving that way, so I’d cruise over to Roe Highway and off I’d go and grab Sonny.”
Headland said the pair never had a shortage of things to talk about, mainly thanks to Walters’ incessant talking.
“An hour later we’re (still) in the car, you know what Sonny is like, that was every day!” Headland said.
“It was 5.30 in the morning, 6 in the morning, I’d just woken up, I just needed a coffee and he’s there chirping the whole way.
“You have a big training session and afterwards you’re absolutely buggered and he’s chirping the whole way home.
“He loved his music and we had a lot of country and western and also a bit of rap and hip hop. You name it, every single song. They were good drives and we had good yarns.”
Before the podcast, Walters had asked co-host Griffin Logue to rile Headland up about Walters being the better boxer, and Headland reluctantly agreed.
“He throws it all right (but) it’s small man syndrome and you just keep him away,” Headland said.
“When someone says they’re better than someone else on the pads, you know they’re trying to (exaggerate) you never say how good you are, it’s up to other people to judge you!
“We all know Sonny can throw them. I think Sonny could be a good boxer. If he wanted to be a full-time boxer back in the day, I think he would have went far.”
On Sunday at Optus Stadium, Fremantle will run out against the Western Bulldogs wearing an Indigenous jumper designed by Headland, as well as AFLW player Mikayla Morrison and artist Kevin Bynder.
