Fremantle will not fear the ‘go home factor’ heading into the first round of the 2019 NAB AFL National Draft on Wednesday, according to senior coach Justin Longmuir.

While Fremantle have attracted a number of WA-born players home in recent years, they also saw midfielder Ed Langdon head back to his home state of Victoria in the 2019 NAB AFL Trade Period.

Fremantle hold pick 7 and 8 going into the opening round, and Longmuir said Freo can back themselves to take the best available player, no matter where they are from.

“I think it (the go home factor) plays a part (in decision making) but as a footy club, we need to back ourselves in to get the best talent and set up an environment where kids want to stay for the entirety of their career,” Longmuir told AFL.com.au.

“We’re in the early stages of that at the moment and that’s what we’re looking to build, we’re looking to build an environment where, if players want to be the best they can be, Fremantle is that place to be.”

While Longmuir did not specify who Freo would take in the draft, he said he was confident that there would be highly talented players available for their two first-round picks. 

“Every club has done their (predicted) orders and we’re a little bit unsure of what clubs are going to pick in front of us,” Longmuir said.

“We’re really confident that we’ll get some really talented young players and most importantly, the kids that are coming through, they’re of a high character and that’s really important for our footy club. 

While much is uncertain, Fremantle know they at least have the right to bid on exciting forward prospect Liam Henry, who is a member of Freo’s Next Generation Academy.

Although Henry is no guarantee to end up at Fremantle, Longmuir said he was excited about what he could bring to the club.

“Liam clearly has a lot of talent, he’s come through our NGA, he’s a fantastic person as well and that’s really important,” Longmuir said.

“He’s really invested in becoming a really good person on and off the field and we’d be privileged to have him at the club if that happens tonight.”

Longmuir added that Fremantle would like to add some outside run at some point over the two-day National Draft.

“It’s pretty clear that we lost Bradley Hill and Ed Langdon in the trade period so we’ll be looking to add a little bit of depth in that area,” Longmuir said.

“Having said that, we’ve recruited James Aish and Blake Acres to fill those roles as well.

“We’re just about adding depth and adding good players, just like any other club.”

Since arriving at Fremantle, Longmuir has spoken about empowering his players on and off the field.

That philosophy is the same with the recruiting team, with the senior coach happy to take a back seat in the decision making process.

“I’ve had a limited impact I would say on the recruiters,” Longmuir said.

“For me to come in and tell them what to do, that would be a wrong thing to do. I’m about empowerment, about roles and responsibilities as a coach.

“They’ve put a lot of time into watching these young kids all throughout the year, they would have watched hours and hours of each player in action in a live environment and on tape.

“I’ll back them in to make the calls tonight.”