Pre-season trip to remember

Three Balmain Dockers’ footballers will return to pre-season training fitter, stronger and better than ever before after spending the past six weeks training with East Fremantle in Western Australia.

For the past six weeks, Brad Plug, Luke Duignan and Marshall Lee were part of an elite training squad at the East Fremantle Colts Academy who were commencing their pre-season training.

The trip of a lifetime for the three up and coming players was made possible through Balmain’s affiliation with the Fremantle Football Club.

The pre-season training trip allowed the trio to gain a valuable insight into what’s required to play AFL at the elite level ahead of the 2012 representative season and the end of season drafts.

“All three were outstanding elite footballers in their respective junior football careers over past seasons and have shown exceptional promise as they head towards the senior ranks of AFL competitions,” Dockers spokesmen David Yole said.

Brad Plug, winner of the 2011 Hart Medal in the AFL Sydney Under-18 Challenge Cup had a great first season at Balmain.

Dominating in his junior competition, Plug often played two games most weekends and got a taste of premier division football lining up with the Dockers’ seniors and reserves sides throughout the year.

“The Perth trip was a great insight into how professional football is [played] in the west,” Plug said.

“I was really taken by the experience at Fremantle and look forward to being a lot fitter now for the start of next season as I hope to press for a permanent position with the Dockers Premier Division team.

“I’m looking forward to the rest period and the celebration of my 18th birthday in early January before another good season of football in front of me.”

Luke Duignan, the tall 17-year old from Holy Cross College Gladesville, excelled in his junior competition this season and was in a completely “new world” when he stepped onto the East Fremantle oval – one of the largest AFL grounds in Australia.

“This is certainly a step above life at Drummoyne Oval; with AFL on the increase across Sydney it shows me firsthand how far we still have to go as a team and a club,” Duignan said.

“The opportunity with the partner club is fantastic and I am very appreciative of the experience at this elite level.”

Duignan will also join the Balmain Dockers training in January under new coach Craig White who was recently recruited from South Fremantle. White will be joined by several other senior Western Australian footballers who are keen to  ply their trade in Sydney’s premier competition.

Marshall Lee, 16, a former Balmain Dockers under 18s player, is presently in Victoria on a three-year sports scholarship with St Patricks College, Ballarat.

Granted special leave through his school coach Howard Clarke, Lee was able to join the East Fremantle program in early November with assistance to complete year 10 school exams at local Christian Brothers College in Fremantle.

“East Fremantle’s conditioning coaches and combined fitness programs with senior players was an awesome experience, this is way above my junior days at North Ryde, Drummoyne and Balmain,” he said.

“The experience is certainly on par with my first season at Ballarat; where football is a way of life seven days a week and played in all weather conditions. Snow and mud this season was a benefiting challenge to my ball skills from my early junior days.

“I have met several former AFL players over here and was most impressed to meet one of my former Brisbane Lions idols Richard Hadley, who drove me home from training one night.”

Young Lee played with Redan Under-16s last season and will join their Under-18s, a strong Ballarat country competition in season 2012, as well as his mid week school football commitment to the elite schools competition in Melbourne.

Balmain’s David Yole said the experience for the three footballers has widespread benefits for the club.

“After six years in the partnership with Fremantle Football Club, Balmain Dockers are now really starting to see some real benefits for players and club development, setting the bar high, not just for Sydney but clubs Australia wide to form greater bonding relationships with the senior AFL Clubs,” Yole said.

“This is the beginning of a complete ‘new generation’ of AFL at the Balmain Dockers and we are very pleased with our West Australian connection and confident of greater things to come in football at the Dockers and in Sydney.

“We are very proud of the way the three young boys have been ambassadors for the club over west and hope to see them all achieve greater goals in the seasons ahead.”