Hayden Young could be both to Fremantle.
By any measure, 2023 has been a dour season for the Dockers but, amid the frustration, they might have found a Swiss Army knife to serve them well into the future.
We know what Young can do in defence. This season, his first in Fremantle’s leadership group, Young is going at an average of 22.1 disposals, 1.7 intercept marks, 4.7 rebound 50s and 491.2 metres gained. They’re career high numbers.
But on Saturday against Geelong, the 22-year-old tackled a completely foreign assignment.
Instead of lining up in defence, he started in the midfield, on Brownlow medallist Patrick Dangerfield of all players.
In the 70 minutes the pair were matched up, Young not only went head-to-head with the Cats’ captain, but arguably took the…