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Fremantle star Caleb Serong suffered a dead arm the first time he faced his brother on an AFL field, and there could be plenty more bruises on Friday night with a grand final berth on the line.
Serong will lead a star-studded Fremantle midfield into battle when they take on Jai Serong’s decimated Swans in Friday night’s preliminary final at the SCG.
Jai started his AFL career as a key defender for Hawthorn, but jumped at the chance to lock down a wing role after moving to Sydney at the end of 2025.
The suspension of the Pullman Five, which included star on-ballers Isaac Heeney and Chad Warner, means Jai has been spending more time as an inside midfielder over the past two games.
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That shift has significantly boosted the chances of the two Serong brothers spending extended stints on each other when they face off for a grand final berth.
Jai, at 193cm, towers over the 180cm Caleb.
But given Caleb has three All-Australian blazers and three best-and-fairests under his belt already, there’s little doubt as to who has enjoyed the stronger career to date.
That didn’t stop Sydney players from telling Caleb the Swans actually boasted the better Serong brother during the round 18 clash in Perth.
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Fremantle had the last laugh that day by piling on 100 points in the second half to secure a 38-point win.
The Serong brothers have faced each other twice in AFL ranks – and Caleb has it etched in his memory. The first time, Jai was playing for Hawthorn.
“He was playing key defence, and I remember I went to check his run at one point, and he raised an elbow at me and gave me a dead arm,” Caleb said.
“And then the second time this year he dumped me in a good tackle, and that was about the only time we kind of crossed paths.
“But I think with him playing a bit more inside mid this week, there might be a few more opportunities to line up on each other, which would be good fun.
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“If it happened like that at a few centre bounces, I’d love to get a photo of that.”
Jai is two years younger than Caleb, but he had already caught his brother height-wise by the time he was 14 or 15.
Now 23 years old, Jai has flourished as an inside mid over the past two games, tallying six clearances against North Melbourne and a career-high seven in Sydney’s qualifying final thrashing of Brisbane.
Jai considered joining Fremantle after struggling for game time at Hawthorn, but decided to make a name for himself at Sydney.
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Barring injury or suspension, there will be a Serong featuring in next week’s grand final.
“It’s extremely exciting for the family,” Caleb said.
“Growing up we thought it would be nice to play with each other and win a grand final together, but it’s not to be.
“We go against each other. It’s going to be a strange one.
“One’s going to be stoked when the final siren goes, and the other one’s going to be pretty disappointed.
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“I’m sure, at the end of the day we’ll both be extremely happy for each other.”
AAP
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