Fremantle recruit Leon Kickett has recounted his memorable trip back to his hometown of Bunbury, following the Club’s two-day Community Camp in the Southwest last week. 

Speaking after a school visit on Friday - where Kickett returned to his secondary school,  Newton Moore Clontarf Academy, following the morning Intraclub game at Hands Oval - the young forward said seeing familiar faces was a welcome sight. 

Kickett, who came through their Clontarf Academy at the school before being drafted to Fremantle, described the experience as both nostalgic and deeply rewarding. 

“It does make you pretty happy, puts a smile on your face to kind of be back home and seeing all these boys,” Kickett said.

“Obviously, at one point it was me (in school). Hopefully some of them can follow my footpath and hopefully get drafted in the next few years.” 

For Kickett, returning to Clontarf wasn’t just about reminiscing on his school days, it was about giving back to the next generation coming through the same pathway he once walked. 

“It was a bit weird seeing all the teachers, seeing some of the people that you tormented in classes,” Kickett laughed. 

“It’s a pretty good feeling to be honest… some of the blokes here were younger than me when I was in my last year of school, so it’s pretty good to see them actually finishing off their years here and having their last days.” 

Having once been the kid at the clinic dreaming of an AFL career, Kickett is now the one wearing Fremantle colours, inspiring those same dreams in others. 

“I remember we had a few footy clinics here and always knew that at one stage it would be me, and it is now,” Kickett said. 

“So it’s pretty wicked… a pretty deadly feeling.

“Knowing that I can actually come back and be at Clontarf whenever I want, and they would always welcome me, and I always feel really warm coming back.” 

Playing in Fremantle’s Intraclub at Hands Oval in his hometown also meant he had a large contingent of family in the stands, kicking a goal Infront of them a highlight for the teenager. 

“I was hoping to actually kick a goal in front of everyone on the home soil,” Kickett said. 

“So it’s pretty good feeling to actually kick it in front of all of them in the mob.” 

Kickett’s visit to Clontarf was part of Fremantle Football Club’s broader school outreach across the Southwest, with a large contingent of the playing group visiting 10 schools throughout the region as part of the Community Camp.