Fremantle’s Joel Hamling and Sam Switkowski are excited about their future careers at Freo after the pair signed contract extensions with the club.

Hamling, who has played 63 games including 40 for Fremantle, has signed a four-year extension on top of the one year remaining on his current contract, which will see the key defender at Freo until at least the end of the 2023 season.

The 25-year-old, who was recently elected into the leadership group in January, said he was thrilled to sign a significant extension with Fremantle.

“I’m honoured to be a part of the club for the next five years and really getting stuck into my role,” Hamling said.

“I’m feeling really good about my footy. I’ve had a full pre-season this year. It’s season eight for me now so I’m really comfortable in my body and my ability.

“I’m just looking forward to round one, just getting stuck into it again.

“It’s another exciting year for us, we’re very optimistic as a team and we’re looking to build each year.

“We’ve simplified our game plan, made it a lot easier, we’re going to go forward, attack the ball and try and kick some more goals.”

HAMLING: Back six building something special

Switkowski has played two games at AFL level, impressing with 17 disposals and a goal in round 23 against Collingwood in 2018. The 22-year-old has signed a two-year extension on top of his one-year remaining, which will see him at the club until at least the end of the 2021 season.

The small forward said he was recovering quickly from a minor hamstring strain and couldn’t wait to return to Freo’s forward line.

“It’s just great to be able to extend and take a little bit of pressure of this year and just focus on my footy. Knowing that I’ll be here for at least a couple more years is really exciting,” Switkowski said.

“I’ve had a really good pre-season, probably my best pre-season for a long time. I had a little bit of a setback a couple of weeks ago but it’s very minor and the recovery is going really well. Hopefully, I should play a big part in 2019.

“We have such a young team and it’s super exciting seeing the guys starting to step up with a little bit of experience.

“We saw in the JLT, Andy Brayshaw, Adam Cerra, Bailey Banfield, those sort of guys stepping up. It’s great that there’s a lot of opportunity for us young guys.

“I think there’s no limit with what we can achieve this year and in the future.”

Fremantle list manager Mark Micallef said that the pair set an excellent example at the club.

“Both Joel and Sam live the values of the football club,” Micallef said.

“We really look forward to seeing what he can bring to Fremantle over the next five years.

“Joel is someone who provides great leadership, and between him and Alex Pearce, we’re confident they will form the two main defensive pillars at Fremantle for many years to come.

“Sam covers the ground really well and he’s a really good pressure forward. We’re excited to see what he can bring to the park.

“His character is first class, he’s a professional, he does everything right. He’s very diligent and he will get everything out of himself.”