A-League Men: Perth Glory midfielder Will Freney credits experienced teammates for helping adjustment period

Perth Glory youngster Will Freney has hailed the impact of the club’s senior players, including his captain and a pair of veteran midfielders, for easing his transition into senior football.

Freney, who joined the club on a two-year scholarship contract from Macarthur FC in the off-season, has made four appearances in his debut season.

The 19 year-old midfielder will look to make it back-to-back starts for the first time this season when the Glory host Central Coast Mariners on Friday night at HBF Park.

And if he looks comfortable at the top domestic level, it is because he has been able to lead on his side’s older heads.

“I’ve really enjoyed this transition from youth football into men’s football. Our group that we have here is so good, so it’s been really easy to transition into,” Freney said.

“We’ve got older players that are acting like mentors for me, like Nicholas Pennington, (Adam) Taggart, Brandon O’Neill — they’ve all been really good for me to smooth the transition into the game.

“Obviously Adam Taggart, he’s the captain of the squad, he’s a leader. When I first came into the squad, he was really good in making me feel comfortable, feeling welcome, helped me feel confident in my starting debut against Wanderers.

“And then in my position, since I’ve come into the A-League set up, Nicholas Pennington and Brandon O’Neill, they’ve been top for me to learn how to play football at this level, always giving me information on certain scenarios.”

Also easing the move up from youth football to the top level of the game is the presence of several teammates from the Glory’s NPL side in their A-League set-up.

“Last NPL season, there were boys like Andriano Lebib, Jaylan Pearman, Khoa Ngo, Joel Anasmo; we all played in the NFL and we all know how we play,” Freney said.

“Coming into the A-League, it really it does help, knowing how we all play. Playing with them just makes them more enjoyable.”

Freney prefers to play through the middle in a deeper-lying role, but has played on the left side of an attacking midfield duo which allows him to drift inside and add an extra body to the centre of the pitch.

While he has enjoyed his increased exposure to the top level in Australia, Freney said he was still adapting to the intensity.

“The speed of the game is obviously much higher than anything I’ve been used to, it’s much higher than NPL football,” he said.

“Nothing really has been too distant what I’m used to — probably the speed of the game, but I feel like every game, I’m getting more and more used to the speed.”