Rejuvenated Clutterbuck savouring passion at Swan DistrictsWednesday, April 13, 2016 - 2:58 PM - by Chris Pike

FREDDIE Clutterbuck savoured his first win since joining Swan Districts on Sunday but even during a tough opening three weeks for his new club he was already enjoying his football more than he has in years.

Clutterbuck became a regular member of the East Perth team as a hard-running wingman after making his debut in 2010.

His leadership was recognised quickly with him added to the leadership group while still relatively inexperienced and he brought up his 100th game with the Royals last season.

But a couple of difficult years with his body and with what he had noticed was a change in atmosphere at the club left Clutterbuck weighing up what to do with his football at the end of 2015.

In the end he chose to join the club he grew up supporting, Swan Districts, and even though his first three games were disappointing losses to East Fremantle, South Fremantle and Peel Thunder, he knew instantly he had made the right decision.

He then played his best game with Swans in Sunday's come from behind win over Claremont at Steel Blue Oval with 22 possessions and a crucial last quarter goal.

He couldn’t help but get caught up in the excitement after the win and admitted to enjoying it more than he has any with East Perth for some time.

"It's a fantastic feeling. The atmosphere from our supporters and the whole team was great after the game. It was a really good feeling out there. We just knew that if we kept coming and kept the effort up after tweaking a few things at quarter-time that we'd be in the game," Clutterbuck said.

"It was a bit of a relief when the siren went because it's been a bit of a difficult month but it was fantastic to get the four points. This win means the world to me. It has not been the best couple of years for me, but Swans showed faith in me and confidence in me, which i really appreciate.

"To be able to stand in the middle of the circle when we were singing the song was a bit of a different feeling again, but I really enjoyed that. It's a fantastic club and there's a great bunch of blokes, and the coaching's great.

"The club is on the up with a young and exciting group. The season hasn’t started as we would have liked but hopefully now this can be a turning point for the rest of the year. We have Subi next week and we can't wait for that."

Following a Claremont behind during the last quarter, Clutterbuck got on the end of some good work to kick a goal that brought Swans within six points before Kirk Ugle and Ricky Cary added majors to secure the black-and-whites' first win of 2016.

He hopes Swans can now build on the momentum from that performance starting against Subiaco this Sunday back at Steel Blue Oval.

"It's always nice to get on the end of a bit of hard work. The boys worked pretty hard and I got the easy handball out, but it was great to finish and the atmosphere when I kicked that goal was amazing," he said.

"The club has been fantastic for me with what they have done for me, the supporters have been great and the boys have been great.

"To be able to play a part in the win means a lot to me and I really appreciate all the stuff the club has done for me, and all the hard work the boys put in to get this win. It's a great environment to be in and it was a great game to be part of. Onwards and upwards from here for our season."

While Clutterbuck did grow to love East Perth and is proud to always be a 100-game player for the Royals, he never forgot his fond memories of coming to Bassendean to watch Swan Districts play growing up.

With teammates like Tallan Ames and Justin Simpson who have similar stories, the passion at Swans is something Clutterbuck wanted to be part of both in the playing group and among the supporters when he was deciding where he wanted to play in 2016.

"It was the obvious choice and I did spend a lot of Saturday afternoons down here as a kid. I lived in the East Perth zone and loved my club when I was there, but they have chosen to go their way and the opportunity came up for me to come here," Clutterbuck said.

"I can't thank Swans enough for the faith and confidence they have shown in me, and hopefully I'm getting going a bit now. The body wasn’t fantastic during the pre-season but I can't thank the club enough for what they've done to put their faith in me so hopefully I can start to repay that from now.

"I feel like coming to the ground here you know there'll be a lot of passionate supporters and you'll be playing alongside 21 passionate, committed blokes putting in 100 per cent effort. It means a lot knowing you have 21 other blokes out there willing to do anything to win a game of footy.

"It has been a fantastic feeling so far being around the club and obviously our season didn’t start the way we would have liked, but it's still young and we're only four games in. we have a long way to go and hopefully this win gives us the confidence to go onwards and upwards from here."

Clutterbuck's best football with East Perth was always when he was left to his own devices on the wing where he could use his ability to run all day to make a strong contribution over the four quarters.

He hadn’t been able to spend as much time on the wing as he'd like in recent years, but has enjoyed getting back there so far this season with Swan Districts.

"I have really enjoyed getting back to the wing. The role has changed a bit over the years and I'm not as young as I used to be, but I still enjoy playing on the wing and it's obviously where I play my best footy," he said.

"For various reasons I wasn’t able to play there the last few years as much, but Swan Districts has shown a lot of faith in me and I really appreciate that.

"I really think it's helped my footy and my confidence, and hopefully I can start making more of an impact on the field and lead a few blokes off the field as well."

While Swans do have three games in between against Subiaco, West Perth and Perth, Clutterbuck's first game against East Perth in Round 9 at Medibank Stadium will be interesting and the battle on the wing between him and good friend Steven Payne looms likely.

"I haven’t really put too much thought into it yet and we do have a few games before that. But people mention it and I do still have a lot of good friends at East Perth footy club so it comes up in conversation occasionally," Clutterbuck said.

"It's not something I've pencilled in at all, though. I'll try and take it like any other game, but I am looking forward to getting stuck into Payney if I can.

"I'll worry about that when it comes, though, and right now I'm happy to help us beat Claremont and to be 1-3 going into playing Subi. Hopefully we knock them off and it's onwards and upwards from there."