Earlier in the year, Fremantle star Caleb Serong labelled Karl Worner as the club's most courageous player, but at the mid-point of the season, the 23-year-old is proving he has much more craft to his game than just blind bravery.
Worner has been a development project for the Dockers since he was taken in the 2021 Rookie Draft with pick eight. The 188cm defender was raw and had to bide his time playing for Peel Thunder (Fremantle's reserves side) in the WAFL.
Despite the Dockers' rise and obvious depth in the backline (the number one rated defence in the league in 2026), Worner has cemented his spot in the 23 alongside the likes of Jordan Clark, Alex Pearce, Brennan Cox, Heath Chapman, Judd McVee and Luke Ryan. Even keeping the latter, a two-time All-Australian, out of the side to start the season.
Back in 2019, Worner and his blonde locks were rolling around the Eastern football league for the East Burwood Rams, a club his family has a long history with. Then-East Burwood under-19s coach Jim O'Shannassy says he remembers how excited the Rams were when the Worner name returned to the club.
"Karl's family's got a huge history at East Burwood," O'Shannassy said in an exclusive interview with Zero Hanger.
"His father (Andrew) was president of the senior club, his uncle (Stephen) was president of the junior club, and both his father and his uncle played at East Burwood and won a few flags.
"We sort of knew Karl's potential, at that time he was involved with Carey, and he was also involved with Oakleigh Chargers, so we were lucky enough to get as many games out of him as we did.
"I can't speak more highly of the man. He was absolutely well loved by all his teammates.
"Humility is one of his biggest assets. He's not a big flamboyant guy, he looks like he is, but he's an intelligent human being and he just goes about his business, very humbly.
"You could tell he was a cut above everyone else in his ability, but at no stage, did he show any arrogance or anything. He was just a normal young boy who wanted to play footy with his mates, and he loved, loved the club."
Worner currently sits first at Fremantle and top 20 in the league for intercept possessions. He is also ranked third at the Dockers for intercept marks and averages a tick under 20 possessions a game while going at 84 percent disposal efficiency.
Although those numbers point to a consistent and impressive defender, what can't be displayed in stats and figures is Worner's bravery in the contest and willingness to put his body on the line for the club.
In Round 1 2024, Worner was knocked out cold after colliding with Brisbane's Lincoln McCarthy. He was stretchered off the ground before missing four weeks as he fully recovered. But the incident that would have left most scarred, hasn't made a dent in Worner's readiness to put himself in harm's way for the club that took a chance on him.
O'Shannassy said the Fremantle defender's bravery on the football field runs deep through the Worner DNA.
"He is an instinctive footballer, he's also a thinker, but when he was playing instinctively, it didn't matter... he would just see ball get ball and he would go for it no matter what," he said. "Some of the marks he took were extraordinary, really.
"Quite often I'd ask him his opinion on the game, even from my coaching perspective, what he thought he could see, you know, to get a different opinion while he was out there, so we used to take that on board as well as coaches.
"His cousins played with him as well, he's got two twin cousins and they were in the same side at the same time, Ben and Liam Worner, and they both were very hard at it as well. I know his old man pretty well, so yeah, I think there's a bit of a crazy streak in there.
"(The Worners) don't lack courage, there's no doubt about that. They don't take a step back."
Worner spent the lead up to his draft toiling away doing extra running sessions and any one per centers that would see him get picked up.
But as the draft rolled on, excitement turned to despair as Worner's name wasn't called.
O'Shannassy, who remains in frequent contact with Worner, was at the family home during the draft. A night he remembers fondly.
"I was there the night he got drafted with his Dad and his uncle," he said. "That was a big moment. I wasn't there when Freo turned up, but I was certainly there on the night of the draft and that was, it was very exciting for him.
"(The night) was up and down, because I think Geelong had their eye on him, and he never got chosen, and then Freo popped up and grabbed him, so yeah, I think it was a roller coaster of a night.
"He's also pretty good friends with Nick Daicos, so he turned up later on as well that evening, and they sort of celebrated together, so yeah, it was good. Great night really, it was."
