Fremantle midfielder Hayden Young confident in body again after Doha trip, draftee Toby Whan impresses in fitness test
Hayden Young has suffered a horror run of injuries, but he’s got two main reasons to be hopeful he’s in the clear for 2026 — and beyond. Plus, see who’s shone on the Dockers track.
Fremantle midfielder Hayden Young is supremely confident that his injury woes are behind him after spending a week training at the world-renowned Aspetar Sports Medical Clinic in Doha.
Young endured an injury-ravaged 2025 campaign, playing just nine games due to a series of soft- tissue setbacks.
The frustrating run stemmed from the final game of 2024 when Young broke his leg against Port Adelaide, delaying his start to pre-season.
Aspetar has quickly emerged as a popular retreat for AFL stars. Fremantle teammate Sean Darcy compiled his most consistent season in years after a visit to Doha, while Jeremy McGovern and Elliot Yeo have also spent time at the facility.
While the 24-year-old has returned with some new strategies and focuses for 2026, Young said there is no substitute for doing the work.
“The overwhelming feeling is I left there with a lot of hope and optimism,” Young said.
“When you have an interrupted year, you can get down on yourself and feel like you’re prone to injuries. That’s not the case. I left there with a lot of solutions and things I can work on.
“A lot of it is to do with my preparation. The reality is that last year, I completed 27 per cent of pre-season.
“It’s not like I need a secret formula. It’s just getting out there and doing the work at training.
“Last year, I had a broken leg and didn’t do much of my off-season program. This year, I completed all of it.
“It is hard when you miss a lot of training to prevent injury. You can do all of the work, but sometimes you’re prone to risk and some things are out of your control.”
The big takeaway from 2025 is that Young was still able to be one of Fremantle’s best players in the games he did play despite lacking confidence in his body.
He won his first Glendinning-Allan medal against West Coast after racking up 23 disposals and three goals in just his second game back from a long-term hamstring injury.
Young was also crucial in the Dockers’ final round win over the Western Bulldogs to book a finals return after overcoming an abductor strain.
“The promising thing for me is that despite all of my adversity, I was still able to come back and perform,” he said.
“It gives me a lot of confidence that, despite what happens in pre-season or at any stage of my career, I can do my job for the team.
“Already, I feel really confident. Coming back last year and playing, there were times I didn’t feel confident in my body. It’s not a great feeling going out there and playing big games while not being confident about your body holding up.
“Hopefully, I can give myself the best chance to play a lot of footy next year. I’m feeling really optimistic about 2026.”
TRAINING NOTES
The mercury soared to 39 degrees in Perth on Monday, with several players spotted feeling the effects towards the back end of a testing session
With Fremantle’s 5+ year players returning to training, the players were put through a new fitness test by new head of performance, Adam Beard
The 30/15 shuttle test required players to run for 30 seconds and rest for 15 seconds in between sets, with the speed increasing each rep in a fight against lactic acid, designed to simulate the high-speed intensity efforts seen on a football field
Michael Frederick was a standout, NGA draftee Toby Whan impressed in his first hitout, while Corey Wagner, who missed Fremantle’s return to finals with a pec injury, caught Young’s eye
New recruit Judd McVee checked in for his first session at Fremantle and Young noted the former Demon “looked pretty lively”
-he Dockers have noticeably been trying to put more speed on the ball coming out of defence in the early stages of pre-season and some players were visibly disappointed when they ran into trouble on Monday
Young was spotted competing in the ruck against Luke Jackson in one drill with Sean Darcy on light duties, the midfielder noting, “I was ripping into Doggo because I think I was 2/2. He was saying I was crossing the line, though. It was a bit of fun.”
Originally published as Fremantle midfielder Hayden Young confident in body again after Doha trip, draftee Toby Whan impresses in fitness test
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