Fremantle midfielder Hayden Young expressed the Club’s optimism about facing the reigning grand finalists, the Brisbane Lions, in their round one clash on Sunday at Optus Stadium. 

“We are really looking forward to playing against Brissy. They are a really solid outfit and it’s a great opportunity to test ourselves early in the year,” Young said on 96fm on Wednesday morning.

“It was weird not playing in the first game, you feel like you want to jump into it, but there was an element that was nice being able to sit back and watch some footy and not feel anxious about having to go out and play yourself.

“We’ve been working away really hard over the off-season, and we are really confident in where our game is at, and we just can’t wait to get out there on the weekend and show our brand.”

The 57-game player said Freo was looking to improve on their 2023 finish, highlighting that the Club’s youth offered an exciting element for fans to see in season 2024.

“There is a feeling amongst the group that there isn’t as much outside noise on us,” Young said.

“We feel like people are writing us off a little bit, and no one is expecting big things, which we don’t mind as we are quietly confident within the four walls.

“We felt like we were young (last year), but we are trying to change the script on that, and we are using youth as an advantage.

“Certainly around the group we are really happy with the way JL (Longmuir) is coaching, and the vibe around the group is really strong, and we’ve had a great pre-season.”

When asked about how he felt about not playing during Opening Round, the 22-year-old said the Club was focused on bringing their brand of football to Optus Stadium on Sunday.

“It’s hard to say as we have never seen this before (Opening Round), we are certainly feeling fresh and excited, and we will control what we can control which is bringing our brand of footy.

Fremantle begin their 2024 campaign on Sunday 17 March against the Brisbane Lions at Optus Stadium with bouncedown at 3.50pm WST.