7 minute read
From the AFLW Captain
DOig Medallist
SEAN DARCY
2021 Doig Medal champion Sean Darcy feels his best yet to come. Shocked to finish ahead of star veteran David Mundy, Darcy said he can only see improvement coming in his game as he judged his 2021 season with a critical lens despite triumphing as Freo’s best through the season.
In front of more than 1000 guests at Crown Perth at the Doig Medal Presentation Dinner in October, Darcy said he felt a premiership was on the horizon as he became the 16th Fremantle player to recieve the award.
He is the second consecutive player from Fremantle’s 2017 draft class to win the award, alongside Luke Ryan, and the no.38 pick reflected on his journey to Fremantle from country Victoria.
“It’s been a crazy ride so far moving from Cobham over in Victoria to here, it’s been a great ride so far and like Andy Brayshaw said, a premiership is the goal, we won’t rest until we get there,” Darcy said.
“It (winning the Doig Medal) still hasn’t sunk in at the moment, I really didn’t think I was going to get up, I thought David Mundy had it for sure so I’m a bit embarrassed to be up here. He was an unbelievable player this year. It’s a bit weird but I’m sure I’ll get used to it.”
Darcy joins two-time winner Aaron Sandilands as Freo rucks to win the award and now sits alongside Nathan Fyfe and Matthew Pavlich as the only players to win the prestigious medal as a 23-year-old.
As his ruck coach, Darcy credited Sandilands for his career to date.
“I think (improvement came from) my follow up around the ground, it’s something that my coach and I, Aaron, always talk about,” Darcy said. “When that’s going, I feel like our roles are going. Around the ground, following up, clearances, handball receives, ground ball gets, tackles – it’s something that we really pride ourselves on, especially as ruckmen.
“We feel like our game flows from that and it’s something I do a lot of work on in the preseason and we went from there.”
The Doig Medal goes alongside Darcy’s selection as one of three rucks in the All Australian squad as the 23-year-old continued to be recognised for his breakout year.
Darcy hopes his growth can continue and feels there is more to work on this summer.
“I want to get better in a whole lot of areas,” Darcy said.
“First of all, my fitness, we have a time trial and I want to come back in really good shape, I want to lose a couple kilos and get a bit leaner.
“My goalkicking, I thought that tailed off in the last six to seven weeks. I was a bit inconsistent with that, so I need to get that back on track.
“My marking, I thought was inconsistent, tackling as well. I think everything in my game I can improve on.” In his speech, Darcy paid tribute to his teammates and those who have had the biggest impact on his career.
“I’d love to thank the boys, I honestly love every single one of you guys. You make life so much easier seeing you every day. Secondly the coaches, you put so much trust and faith into me and working with me every day, I can’t wait for the next few years,” Darcy said.
“To my family, it’s been a disappointing couple of years not having you coming over and hanging out as much as we want, I really miss you deeply and hopefully the borders can open up soon so we can hang out.
“To the fans, you guys are awesome, we love the Purple Army and it gives us an extra gear when we play at Optus.”
beacOnAward
HAYDEN YOUNG
Hayden Young only needed to play eight games to earn enough votes to be awarded Fremantle’s Beacon Award winner, announced at the
Doig Medal Presentation Dinner in October.
The Beacon Award uses the same criteria as the AFL’s NAB Rising Star Award, excluding the age criteria where a player is still eligible to win the award in his second year if he has played 10 or less AFL games in his first year.
In a year that was hampered by a serious hamstring injury, Young earned votes in seven of his eight appearances in 2021.
He was one of Fremantle’s best in round one when the defence was under siege after Alex Pearce and Joel Hamling sustained injuries and was crucial in the win against Richmond with a career-high 23 disposals.
The 20-year-old said he wasn’t expecting the award but was pleased to have some reward following a difficult injury run to start his AFL career.
The no.7 pick has played 13 games since being drafted ahead of the 2020 season, battling significant ankle and hamstring injuries.
“I’m a little surprised to be honest but it is nice to get some recognition for the work I’ve put in during the past two years,” Young said.
‘I think it’s a credit to the physios and strength and conditioning staff that have really helped me because I had a lot of injuries that hampered my progress but it’s nice to be recognised. “It’s been a journey, but I’ve been very lucky that the Freo family, footy Club and the broader community have really embraced me.
“I’m really loving it over here and although it’s been a challenging two years with injuries and Covid and being away from family, I feel really supported, my girlfriend is over here and she’s loving it. I’m loving my time here and I’m really looking forward to the future.”
Young said he had an important support network with his teammates while rehabilitating his injuries.
“To the playing group, you guys have been massive for the past two years,” Young said.
“The boys I’ve spent time with in rehab, Alex Pearce, Joel Hamling, Sam Switkowski, Sam Sturt, I really appreciate you boys.
“It is really challenging when you come to a Club and have high ambitions and have a few setbacks.
“To those boys that have helped me along the way, I really appreciate it.”
beST Clubmen
CALEB SERONG & DAVID MUNDY
Not only did David Mundy and Caleb Serong share an award at the Doig Medal Presentation Dinner in October, the pair also share the same love for Freo as they gave context to their efforts both on and off the field throughout 2021.
The award acknowledges the player that consistently puts the needs of the Club first and willingly accepts responsibility to improve the whole Club environment.
As co-winners, the pair were both delighted to share the award as they paid tribute to each other’s hard work and dedication.
Serong said he’s had an ‘amazing’ time since joining Fremantle ahead of the 2020 season and is already feeling settled in WA. “I’ve absolutely loved being over here and everyone in this room, the supporters, the coaching staff, the players have embraced me immensely and I’ve absolutely loved being over here and my partner Chloe absolutely loves it as well. She’s settled in and we definitely call WA home now,” Serong said.
“(Learning from David Mundy) it’s not just on field, everything from stoppage craft, running patterns to preparation for games. Off field, it’s the mental prep, the way to approach training and get through a season. He’s elite in all those areas and he’s teaching us young boys about it so he’s a great guy to learn off.”
Mundy said Serong was an example of Fremantle prioritising good characters when building its list. “For a long time this award was won by either Matt de Boer or Tendai Mzungu. Those guys really epitomised what it means to be a great clubman and I hold those guys up on a pedestal of the best clubmen that I’ve ever seen and tried to model some of my behaviour on those guys so it’s nice to be up here to get this award,” Mundy said.
“In terms of being dedicated to their craft and really eager to learn, listen, ask questions and doing anything it takes, Caleb certainly has those elements.
“The Club over the years has really prioritised great character. We’ve brought in a lot of great people into the football Club, not just in a playing aspect but in the football admin and the upstairs staff as well so it’s a pleasure to be here.”
