When Nat Fyfe walked through the doors of the Fremantle Football Club in 2009, the Dockers immediately saw he was "raw and talented" but knew he was something special.
Well, according to former Fremantle captain and mentor Matthew Pavlich.
Pavlich was a superstar for the Dockers throughout his career, claiming six best and fairests and six All-Australians. He stood firm as Fremantle's best-ever player, until Fyfe, a product of Lake Grace.
Fyfe had all the makings of a future AFL Hall of Famer, and as Pavlich put it, he needed "guidance and hand-holding" in combination with his unique skillset to reach his full potential.
"I guess that's the thing about when you're a captain and a leader, you can't put a ceiling on somebody, and at the same time, you can't expect too much," Pavlich told Zero Hanger.
"He was a second-round draft pick; you could see the natural talent. That's the role as a captain and as a leader, to see the possibility in others. So we could see what it looked like in terms of the raw talent. But raw talent and competence is one thing, the character of someone and the ability to dig in and get it done time after time is another."
Fyfe never sought the limelight and has been more than content to go about his business quietly. But within the four walls of Fremantle, Pavlich and the club saw something else.
"Quietly driven and confident kid who had real aspirations and self-belief about what he could achieve," Pavlich continued.
"But I think we had to learn a lot early on about what that meant in terms of the preparation, the rigour, the discipline, the dedication to the craft.
"But he loved footy, and you could see that he was willing to work... he was obviously an extreme talent in the air and athletically, and just had to harness that into a team environment."
Fyfe has reached the pinnacle of individual success, but is still chasing the dream of landing a maiden premiership for Fremantle, and following his retirement announcement early in the week, he's only got weeks to achieve it.
The Dockers are placed precariously inside the top four, with monumental challenges against Brisbane and the Western Bulldogs to round out the 2025 home and away season.
"I wish him all the best and every success over the next six to eight weeks as his career comes to an end," Pavlich said.
"It's been amazing to see the journey up close and personal, when he first got drafted in 2009, where he was raw and talented, but needed a fair bit of guidance and hand-holding to apply himself to the rigours of AFL football and really prepare like a pro.
"And soon enough, after some feedback, he got there, and he became that very quickly. 2015 was the season that he took by storm, and really, for that period of time, he was the best player in the competition. To see him then lead the club for a few years when they were battling was, I think, a real challenge for him, but certainly saw him grow. Now, in the last little bit of his journey, it's a wonderful opportunity to present."
Pavlich agrees that a flag would be a fitting end to an extraordinary career.
