Fremantle’s pre-season woes continue with first-year player Leno Thomas charged with drink driving offence

Fremantle’s pre-season woes have worsened with first-year player Leno Thomas charged with a drink driving offence after being stopped by police in Kununurra.

Thomas had been given permission by the club to stay on over the weekend following Fremantle’s community camp in the Kimberley.

“Leno was given permission to stay in Kununurra so he could catch up with family and friends,” general manager of football Peter Bell said.

"Whilst only having just joined the club, we value Leno very highly as a part of the Fremantle family and will work closely with him to ensure he is able to uphold the standards expected of both an AFL player as well as the broader community.

"We are confident he will learn valuable lessons from this incident."

Pending his court hearing, Thomas also faces club-imposed sanctions, including community service, and alcohol counselling and education.

Thomas was recruited as a Category B rookie via Fremantle's Next Generation Academy program, following a successful colts campaign with Claremont in 2019.

Thomas was third in the Tigers’ best and fairest and starred in the grand final, with his smother in the dying seconds of the game against Peel Thunder one of its highlights.

Growing up in Warmun, about 3000km north-east of Perth, Thomas never expected his dream to become a reality.

“It’s amazing. It’s a dream come true from when I was a kid. It’s so, so good to be at Freo,” Thomas told the club’s website late last year.

“I wasn’t expecting this at all, I just dreamed of it. I just kept growing up and showing up.

“I pretty much grew up in Warmun all of my life. It’s a small community. Footy is a big thing back there, everyone loves it. It’s a great community.

“There’s a lot of people congratulating me at the moment. I’m just thankful to my family.”