DEFENSIVE STAR STROM REACHES 100 GAMES

LIKE most defenders and his family, Noah Strom has quietly gone about his WAFL career but the accolades have continued to rack up for one of the standout key defenders of the competition as he reaches 100 games this Saturday.

Following his colts career, Strom had to do a three-year apprenticeship in the reserves before the opportunity presented for him to make his WAFL debut in Round 1, 2018. It'll forever be a story around the family dinner table that it happened because older brother Zac had to be a late withdrawal.

Ever since, the Strom brothers have been cornerstones of the South Fremantle team including being key players in the 2020 premiership triumph and now Noah's career reaches a significant milestone.

Along the way, he has represented Western Australia, he's been named to the WAFL Team of the Year twice and now this Saturday, he will play his 100th WAFL game for South Fremantle against Claremont at Fremantle Community Bank Oval.

REACHING 100-GAME MILESTONE

Strom's name will forever be etched onto the No. 28 locker at Fremantle Community Bank Oval after Saturday now and it's a deservedly proud moment for the 27-year-old to bring up the century following in older brother Zac's footsteps.

"It's definitely a pretty proud moment to get the name on the locker for sure," Strom said. 

"To have something there that's going to be there forever is something I'll be able to look back on and always have a piece of me connected to the football club. So that's going to be good to always be able to come back to look at. I'm pretty proud of that."

After graduating from colts in 2015, it took time for Strom to earn a chance at league level so he deserves an enormous amount of credit for sticking with it and not only waiting for a chance, but improving himself all the team to earn that opportunity.

That certainly made him appreciate it even more when he eventually got his first game to start the 2018 season after playing 57 reserves matches over the previous three years.

"Early on when I first started to play it definitely made me appreciate the opportunity that was given to me because of how hard I had to work to get it," he said.

"I just tried to take that into every time that I played to make sure that I put my best forward, and did everything that I could to continue to play because opportunities aren’t always to come by. 

"I've just continued to want to play at the best level that I could and it's definitely made me appreciate when I did get that first game because I did have to wait a while. 

"I still think about that now when I'm having a down game or something to remember that it's hard to come by to play at this level so I try to appreciate it while I can."

CIRCUMSTANCES OF DEBUT

It was remarkable circumstances when Strom made his debut in Round 1, 2018 against Subiaco at Fremantle Community Bank Oval. 

Older brother Zac had to withdraw through illness and it was a reward for Noah after doing a significant apprenticeship in the reserves but sticking with it and honing his craft all the time. 

He had put in an enormous amount work on his defensive game over the previous two seasons but even now he still shakes his head a little over how his whole debut eventuated, and how he's never looked back since.

"It's pretty crazy when you look back on it that Zac missed out for me to come in for that game. I don’t know how long it would have taken if he was available, I might still be toiling away waiting for an opportunity," Strom said.

"It's good that I was still in the team when he came back obviously so that we got to play together, and we have played together for a while now. That makes it pretty special."

SETTLING AS A KEY DEFENDER

It was largely through necessity that Strom started his career as a defender when he made that debut with his brother unavailable, but he had worked hard on being a key back in the lead up in the reserves to get himself ready for any opportunity that might present.

"I did bounce around a little bit in the reserves and I played half-forward quite a bit as a junior, and in the ruck," Strom said.

"But I did try to focus on nailing down that position in the back-line over a couple of pre-seasons when there might have been an opportunity. I had good guys to look up to who showed me the ropes and how to play that position pretty well, especially Josh Pullman. 

"I'm not trying to down play it, but it's probably a bit of an easier position I think when you can just think about defending your opponent rather than trying to make everything happen some of the forward boys have to do. It makes it a bit easier for me when that's all I have to focus on."

While being isolated as a key defender can be a daunting task, the fact that Strom has such faith in his fellow backmen means that he knows things will generally turn out well.

That's a big reason why the South Fremantle back-line has been the best defensive unit in the competition over Strom's entire career with Chad Pearson alongside him the whole time.

"The only time I feel a huge amount of pressure is when you're isolated on the football field somewhere, but generally I feel pretty comfortable just because of the people around me," he said. 

"I've played footy with guys like Chad Pearson for every game that I've played, and he's such a good player. I feel like we support each other so well and we don’t talk about individual efforts or anything much, but we just focus on match ups and talk about how it's everyone's responsibility to help the other backs out."

TOUGHEST OPPONENTS

Given Strom has been given the job on most of the most dangerous key forwards in the competition over his 99-game career, there are plenty of tough opponents he's had but the two that standout would be ex-teammate and Subiaco spearhead Ben Sokol and West Perth's Tyler Keitel.

"I think probably in the past a fair bit has been made about me playing on Ben Sokol a few times now, but Tyler Keitel would be another one," Strom said.

"We've been playing on each other since we were both in colts really so that's a match up definitely that I will get every time we play West Perth just because he's the main tall forward for them that we need to defend. 

"I remember him at one point a couple of years ago shaking my hand before the game and commenting that we'll be playing on each other for another 10 years. It's probably looking like working out that way and he's someone I respect a lot who has done a heck of a lot in WAFL footy so I get myself up for that match up."

Strom has had a host of fascinating match ups with Sokol including in a couple of grand finals. To come up against his former colts captain was a little strange early on, but he's just like any other tough opponent now.

"Then with Sokol, in early days we were pretty flat seeing him do so well at Subi when he bloody could have been doing it for us," he said. 

"He was a captain for me as well at colts level and he was such a good person and player so I have a lot of respect for him. In those early days matching up on him was a bit odd, but he's become such a big part of their club now that it's a fair way in the past and you kinda forget he ever started his career with us."

SHARING WHOLE JOURNEY WITH BROTHER

For Strom to share his entire journey in the WAFL with older brother Zac is something he'll always cherish. He still looks up to him even now when they have played almost all his 99 WAFL games together and share in that 2020 premiership glory.

The whole family has made the move from Exmouth as well with his sisters Mim and Indi having also played with South Fremantle. For all four children to share the journey with their parents as their greatest support is rather special.

"We're pretty family oriented people and we were brought up in a pretty close and tight knit family, and at least the parents have something to do on the weekend to come watch us play," Strom said.

"I think they enjoy that and they've done a lot for us, and for me and Zac to play together other than making it easier so they only have to come to one game on the weekend, has been really good. 

"To have someone that has always been there for me to rely on for anything or just to ask things, or to know he'll give his best effort all the time on the footy field. He gives his all each week and he's been a great role model for me. 

"We roll into training and games together, and I see the way he goes about things firsthand, and he doesn’t take any shortcuts with the way he prepares and gets himself up to play games. He just sets such a good example and to have success together has been pretty special."

GETTING TO PLAY MILESTONE ON BIG OCCASION

For a whole host of reasons, Strom is now looking forward to Saturday and getting to celebrate his milestone at home at Fremantle Community Bank Oval is a nice bonus.

For it to then also fall on the annual NAIDOC Week clash with Claremont for the Jimmy Melbourne Cup only adds to the occasion, and Strom sees no reason the Bulldogs shouldn’t be aiming to knock off the league-leading Tigers.

"Playing the game at home is really nice so it's somewhere familiar, and somewhere that I know our fans are going to come to and our family can easily come to," Strom said.

"Then for it to be NAIDOC Round, it's pretty big. We've done a few things already this week at the footy club to celebrate NAIDOC Week which has been great and we haven’t done too much of that in the past.

"Seeing the Indigenous boys really get around it and be so proud of it has been pretty special. So that's great and Claremont is going so well and the only thing I'm looking at the game is just focusing on the job ahead of us. 

"We've got nothing to lose really and people might not expect us to win but it's a special occasion and being at home we're definitely setting ourselves to beat them, and we think we're capable of doing that."