Liam Anthony joined the East Fremantle senior side in 2006 and has now strengthened his links to the club by becoming the development officer last month. When Stephanie Walding left her post for a position with the East Perth Football Club, Anthony’s study in sport and recreation management at Notre Dame University made him a great fit for the position.

East Fremantle district manager Troy Kirkham said Anthony’s sport’s management background and his involvement in East Fremantle clinics meant they knew what they were getting. “It’s also great to have such a direct link between our development team and the senior side,” Mr Kirkham said.

Anthony’s role will require him to run junior football in East Fremantle, organise school clinics, organise Auskick, run Friday night junior football and do some marketing and promotional work for the club. Anthony said his co workers had been fantastic in welcoming him and he enjoyed his work, a privilege he said not many people had.

“This is a great opportunity straight out of university working in the industry I want to end up in,” Anthony said. “It’s a great stepping stone.”

Anthony is yet another Geraldton product to find a home at East Fremantle and his love for the club was bred early with his father a former player and his grandfather a mad fan. Anthony who is also Paul Haselby’s cousin still hopes to be drafted by an AFL club but is currently concentrating on his form for the senior side and developing junior football in the East Fremantle district.

“I am hoping to boost junior participation numbers, improve membership and attendance numbers for East Fremantle games and create better cohesion between players and junior development in the district,” he said. The 20 year old’s form for the Sharks has also improved in recent times and he said his development work would not interfere with the work he put into his on-field performance.