Fremantle put the scoreboard pressure on the boys early, with some silky ball-movement and accurate goal kicking in the first quarter giving them an early lead.

However, after quarter time the Naitanui Academy boys really stepped up their pressure and work rate and controlled multiple patches of the game.

Missed opportunities in front of goals meant the boys ultimately couldn’t claw back into the deficit but there were positive signs throughout the match.

Naitanui Academy Manager Chris Brown was extremely proud of the boy’s efforts with many playing their first game in the blue and gold.

“We were slow to start but our tackle pressure and work-rate was off the charts and we controlled large parts of the game. It’s what we were hoping to see in comparison to the first game with the boys staying involved all day even though the score wasn’t in our favour,” he said.

“There was about five months between the first and second game and with an expanding group we were able to play 11 different players, giving them their first opportunity to represent the football club which is big for them.

“Over that period the boys have become a lot more comfortable playing at a high level and some of the boys were playing at that level for the first time. Fremantle have a strong squad so for us it was about seeing improvement from our training and development program which we saw from all of our players.”

Multiple boys who played in the match were invited from our regional academies as an opportunity to strengthen the connection between our metro and regional players and programs.

“Really exciting for two boys who received the opportunity to play after being part of our new Northam academy, as well as another player from Kalgoorlie who came up,” Brown said.

“For these regional boys it’s a massive opportunity for them to be exposed to high level footy and it’s a chance for them to connect with our metro players and coaches, whilst allowing us to see them play a proper game.

“We’re just really excited about the journey for these boys and how they’re developing. We’ve seen a big jump in the first four months and when they play again in April as 15-year-olds we expect to see a bigger jump and hopefully close the gap even more.”

Our 14-year-olds will continue their training through the rest of this year leading into their windup in November. The Naitanui Academy will continue through our other age groups with further games being played in the coming months.