New Fremantle CEO Simon Garlick’s admiration for the purple army began back in his playing days, long before his opportunity came to join the club.

Speaking to the media on Friday, Garlick reflected on the impression left on him by the Freo faithful after playing in a losing Western Bulldogs team.

“I still have this enduring memory of walking off Subiaco Oval as a player,” Garlick said.

“The (AC/DC) ‘TNT’ Fremantle experience, which I wasn’t aware of, just struck me and that’s something that is incredibly powerful.

“To come to a club that has that passion and the opportunity to build on that is incredibly exciting.”

Garlick, who played a combined 181 games for Sydney and the Western Bulldogs (1994-2004), said he had a great appreciation for the history of football in Fremantle and was honoured to take on the CEO position.

“I’ve got this underlying respect for the footy club, it hasn’t done it easy,” Garlick said.

“I love the significant heritage perspective, which I think a lot of people over east wouldn’t appreciate that much.”

Garlick expressed his excitement to get to work alongside Fremantle’s senior coach Justin Longmuir in 2020.

“I had a great chat (with Justin) today from a cultural and values perspective,” Garlick said.

“I don’t think there’s anyone better and clearly he is incredibly talented in knowing the game.”

Garlick, a former CEO of the Bulldogs (2010-2015), is looking forward to his new beginnings at Fremantle and the opportunity to move to Western Australia with his young family.

“There’s certainly similarities between the two clubs, the Dogs supporter base is incredibly passionate, and I’ve seen firsthand what the Freo supporter base can be like,” Garlick said.

“There’s a hell of a lot of work to do, I understand that there are more challenges in this industry than there are pats on the back.”

“(My family and I) think it’s a phenomenal opportunity for us to come to a state like this and embed ourselves within the Freo family.”