Meet Minairo Michael Frederick, South Sudan’s Man in Australian Rules

• Minairo Michael Frederick was born in Australia to South Sudanese parents
• 'Freddie' has been playing in the Australian Football League for five seasons
• He has a twin brother named Manguru who also had a short spell in the AFL

On every field of play that the African diaspora touches, excellence follows.

Brothers, Minairo and Manguru Frederick, grew up in Adelaide after their parents left South Sudan before the boys were born.

The pair go by their Christened names, Michael and Martin, and both made their way into the professional ranks of Australia's most popular sport.

Martin has dropped into the semi-professional tiers of Australian Rules but Michael's career is flourishing in his fifth season with the Fremantle Dockers.

Sadio Mane jokes about Jurgen Klopp's next destination when German decides to return

Football

Aussie Rules and the AFL is the most attended and televised sport in the country, as per Upmove. Michael's big break came in 2019 when he was drafted by the Dockers at age 19.

Known as a fast and agile forward, he has recorded successive seasons with more than 25 goals. Speaking to Fremantle about his upbringing, Michael said:

"We have no blood relatives at all in Australia. We have a lot of people that my Mum grew up with in Africa who live in Adelaide, and we call them family. We have a lot of respect for our elders who came here and allowed us to have a better life in Australia."

Looking forward, the Adelaide-born lynchpin has been putting the hours in on the training ground as his team reaps the benefits through their strong start to the season. He was quoted by Fremantle as saying:

Chuba Akpom: Ajax Striker Shifts Focus to Family and Form After Missing Super Eagles Call Up Again

Football

"We put in a mountain of work throughout the pre-season to help us get those wins. It's good to see that we can play some good footy against some good opposition."

Fremantle have recorded wins against Brisbane, North Melbourne, and Adelaide, and will next face Carlton before a trip to Port Adelaide.

Fremantle beat Adelaide on Good Friday

Sports Brief recently reported on the Fremantle Dockers beating the Adelaide Crows at the Optus Stadium.

Over 50,000 people in Perth watched as their home heroes extended their unbeaten start to the AFL season.

The Crows remained winless in the 2024 season, as they lost by nine goals to four, with a final score of 69-34.