New assistant coach Matthew Boyd said he saw Fremantle’s backline make the most of a difficult situation in 2020 to develop new skills after injuries hit a number of key players.
Boyd watched Fremantle from afar in 2020 as the backline coach at Collingwood, and said he was impressed with how well Fremantle’s defenders adapted to the lack of height down back when Alex Pearce and Joel Hamling missed the season with ankle injuries.
Luke Ryan was the standout last season, winning the Doig Medal and being named All Australian, while Brennan Cox and Ethan Hughes also had career-best years.
While the returns of the defensive duo would be an obvious boost, Boyd added that the growth of Freo’s medium defenders in 2020 would see a stronger backline across the board.
“Fremantle showed last year that they had great versatility with some of their medium sized defenders playing against key position players. For me, that says it’s a great experience for those players to play in different roles and have the experience of playing on bigger and smaller types,” Boyd said.
“When we’re able to add experience and size, and the leadership that Joel and Alex provide, I think it just adds another dimension to the group. Hopefully, we go from strength to strength on that front.”
Boyd acknowledged that it would be a difficult job to pick the best seven defenders to fit into Fremantle’s starting 22 in round one.
He added that he was impressed with how his players were handling the pressure at training.
“We’ve certainly got some talent and some really good competition for spots, which is the dilemma that all coaches want,” Boyd said.
“(It’s) a list that’s really creating competition from within. It’s a friendly competition too, where we challenge and support each other as well.”
A premiership player at the Western Bulldogs in 2016, Boyd said he was impressed with the culture at Fremantle.
“I’ve really enjoyed my time at the club so far, getting to know all the players and all the staff. It’s been a really good experience and a very welcoming environment and a great culture to be a part of,” Boyd said.
“It’s a really young, emerging and exciting group that we get to work with and in particular, I’m really excited about working with that group of players down in the backline.”
