Player Column – Cory Dell'Olio Round 9

IT is a great challenge for us this week, Subi have been the benchmark not just for this year but for the last 10 years in the WAFL and we know we are in for a tough day but something we are really looking forward to.

It is a bit of a cliché but in terms of preparation I feel both teams would be preparing no different to any other game, no matter who you are playing. But it also gave me the opportunity to sit down and look back on the some of the biggest home and away season games I've been part of throughout my career.

The biggest WAFL home and away game I have played in would have to be the 2009 Foundation Day Derby. We were going quite well that year and East Freo were also. There ending up being a little over 10,000 people at East Freo Oval that day and to see that and be involved in it at a suburban ground was great to see.

It probably wound back the clock for a few of the old timers remembering what it was like in the '80s. We ended up losing that game by a point which was disappointing at the time but looking back it was a great day for WAFL footy and both Fremantle teams. 

At Essendon, I think my first two games are the ones that stick out the most. We played Carlton on a Saturday afternoon at the 'G with both teams being undefeated and the build-up for the game was huge and obviously like nothing else I had been involved in before. We ended up winning and it was a day I will never forget.

The second game ended up being a couple days later which was Anzac Day. We did lose that day but looking back it was an honour to play and amazing experience in front of a crowd of about 90,000. 

The club is an exciting place to be around at the moment. It always helps when you are winning I guess. Both the league and reserves teams have been going really well this season which has made it an enjoyable vibe. 

Looking back, in 2009 we had a similar sort of start to the year with both sides going well but besides that it isn’t overly comparable. The '09 team was a very experienced side with not many young guys playing, especially in the league side. With the side this year both the league and reserves have a mixture of a both senior and young members. 

Looking at the reserves side I believe there is around 10-12 players who played colts last year and some of them have featured in the league side at times which is a great sign for our depth and talent coming through. 

The biggest positive is I believe the club is in a really strong place for the future with so many young guys around the place.