Smooth moving midfielder Hayden Crozier was influential in Fremantle’s win against Essendon and his impact across halfback came as no surprise to captain David Mundy.

Crozier finished with 23 touches and used his left foot to great effect, and Mundy said the youngster possesses traits that translate well to a rebounding defender. 

“’Croz’ has been down there the past few weeks and he’s a natural forward so he picks up the flight of the ball really well,” Mundy said.

“(He) took a couple of great marks tonight and he’s really growing in that role and getting better every week.” 

Talking points from Essendon win  

It wasn’t just Crozier who caught the captains eye in the 79-point win, with a number of Freo’s younger brigade stepping up and playing key roles in the game. 

“We’ve seen continual growth from those (younger) guys,” he said.

“Lachie Weller was in again tonight and Michael Apeness gave us a great target up forward and he’s a big aggressive man.” 

From the start, we came to compete

Freo first round pick Darcy Tucker came back into the side for his third game of AFL football and equalled his career high with 16 disposals. 

While the midfielder is still in his football infancy, Mundy said Tucker has an ideal skillset for a young player looking to improve. 

“Darcy was back in the side after a stint at Peel Thunder,” he said.

“He’s got a lot to work on but he’s only a first year player and he already has so much in his kit bag so it’s about educating him and improving him as quickly as possible.”