Player Column – Shane Hockey Round 14

PERSONALLY the move from Frankston to South Fremantle has been an easy one. After my first training session back in December, I knew I had made the right decision.

The way the board, the players, the coaches, the volunteers and the supporters made me feel welcome from the start is something SFFC should be proud of. It’s also great to be part of a club with such a rich history like South Fremantle.

I am enjoying time off the field with the boys as well wither it be catching up for dinners, playing golf or sharing a beer or two with them after a win.

Tristan Marmo made the move over here with me this year and we are both living with Cooky. I’ve known Tristan since the under 12s so it’s a lot of fun with the three of us living together. We enjoy constantly pranking each other and the only bad thing is that they are both terrible cooks so I have to fend for myself at home.

As for things on the field, as a midfield group we have been great this year and keep getting better each game. It’s been amazing playing alongside guys like Hamsy, TK, Stevey Verrier, Higgo and Branchi. I feel we have a good mix of in and under players, guys with speed and ball use, and the chemistry between us is great.

Statistically we’re also the best defensive team in the comp and when we are doing our bit to put pressure on in the middle we know it makes the job of the backs easier, which is when we are at our best as a team.

Apparently it’s been an unusually wet season for WA or at least when we are playing on a Saturday or Sunday. It hasn’t seemed to rain much during the week for some reason! But being from Melbourne I have really enjoyed the wet weather footy and I’ll be up again this Friday night doing my rain dance!

We are sitting 9-2 which is great but with how tight the competition is we know we have to keep getting better and better. Heading up to Joondalup to face West Perth this weekend who have won seven on the trot is another huge challenge. We are looking forward to it.