The players might be on their off-season break, but that hasn’t kept a couple of Freo stars from using the oval at Fremantle headquarters to ensure they stay in good nick in their holidays.

And it’s a tactic that is set to pay off in more ways than one for Michael Walters and Stephen Hill, with the pair timing their visit to the club perfectly on Monday. 

They were running and having a kick of the footy on Victor George Kailis Oval as Justin Longmuir arrived for his first day as the club’s new senior coach. 

In a light-hearted moment during Monday’s media conference, Longmuir said that the pair had already won him over.

“I did see them. I told them that it was a smart move to come for a run when the senior coach gets appointed,” Longmuir said.

“They’ll be in the starting team come round one next year!”

Walters is coming off his first All Australian season while Hill is looking to bounce back from an injury-interrupted year.

Longmuir said he wasn’t surprised to see Walters and Hill working hard during their breaks.

“They’re just two quality people. I was actually in recruiting at the football club when we drafted them and their personalities haven’t changed,” Longmuir said.

“'Hilly' is quiet and 'Son Son' is loud and boisterous. It was great to see them and good to see them working hard during their breaks.” 

Longmuir said that Walters had already tried to plant the seed on where the versatile forward/midfielder should play in 2020.

“He gave me a few tips, he told me he wanted to play in the midfield.”