Supporters got to meet their favourite Fremantle Dockers, have their photo taken with them, get their signatures and even sing them a song.
Anthony Morabito was a welcomed sight as he recovers from a third operation on his left knee.
He ran into a group of four boys who had come all the way from Harvey in WA’s south-west – the same town ‘Mora’ hails from.
Elsewhere, Ryan Crowley got a pleasant surprise from an old friend – young Damon Rossi.
‘Crowls’ first met Damon back in 2007 through Redkite, when the young boy from Bunbury was diagnosed with cancer.
The pair struck up a close friendship and Crowley has been Damon’s favourite player ever since.
Now healthy and much taller, Damon showed ‘Crowls’ some of the skills he’s learnt in junior footy when they went out onto the oval for kick-to-kick.
Hayden Ballantyne had a big fan of his in attendance, too, as he was serenaded by a lady who had written a ballad for ‘Ballaz’.
While Crowley and Ballantyne are open training session veterans, 19-year-old Tanner Smith experienced his first.
Smith made a surprise debut against Hawthorn on the weekend, which led to a lot more supporter recognition than he had anticipated.
“I got my name called out by a few of the fans from the crowd,” he said.
“I was a bit surprised by it actually and I wasn’t really used to it.”
Just like his performance on the field on Saturday, Smith spoke with maturity when asked what he thought of the open training session.
“It’s great to get the fans out and watch the boys train. We get the opportunity to give something back to them for all the support they give us throughout the year.”
The second open training session of 2013 will be held on Wednesday 10 July at 9.30am.
Make sure you’re there to catch up with the boys and maybe sing them a song or two.
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