Fremantle forward Shai Bolton is a test to play against Geelong on Saturday as he deals with leg soreness following the AAMI Community Series match against Melbourne.
“Playing his first full game (against Melbourne), he pulled up a little bit sore early last week,” said Fremantle Executive Manager of Football Joe Brierty.
“We wanted to send him for some precautionary scans, which just came back with a little bit of signalling which shows a stress response in his lower leg.
“Taking precautions, he’s gone through some de-loading over the last week and we’re looking for him to complete main training to be available for selection.”
Brierty said captain Alex Pearce could be available if he gets through main training on Wednesday.
Pearce has been nursing an ankle injury from late in pre-season, sitting out both the Indigenous All Stars and AAMI Community Series matches.
“We need to make sure we take our time with Alex, ensuring he can build into his load after that minor ankle injury,” Brierty said.
“He’s gradually built really well over the last couple of weeks, and I’m looking forward to him leading the group.
“I’m expecting him to be available this weekend.”
Veteran midfielder Nat Fyfe could also be set to return to football, again depending on main training. Fyfe underwent a minor knee arthroscope at the beginning of January and progressed back into full training two weeks ago.
“After that surgery, it’s needed to be a bit of a slow build for Nat,” Brierty said.
“He’s been in main training the last couple of sessions and we’ll look for him to complete main training tomorrow as well. Then we’ll see what he looks like for this weekend, but he’s progressing well.”
Key defender Josh Draper will be a test for selection following the minor hamstring strain sustained in an intra-club match last month.
“He’s hitting all the targets pleasingly for Drapes, so that low-grade hamstring has seen him integrating back into running and then footy tomorrow is the plan,” Brierty said.
“We’re looking for him to complete main training and be available as well.”
Veteran forward Michael Walters also faces a test at main training to be available for selection after a knock to his knee against Melbourne.
“Sonny had knee surgery earlier in the year and unfortunately had a contact injury during the (Melbourne) game,” Brierty said.
“He was able to play out all of the game, but similar to Bolts (Bolton), he pulled up a bit sore after the game.
“We are just taking our precautions with Sonny. He’s gone through a de-loading period in the last week and again, he’ll need to be one that gets through main training tomorrow to be available for selection.”
Brierty confirmed midfielder Hayden Young’s expected return date to football is three weeks away following his second hamstring injury of pre-season.
“He (Young) had the recurrence of his hamstring injury probably two weeks ago and he’s been building really nicely,” Brierty said.
“It’s just one of those ones you need to be cautious with, in terms of the location of where he had that low-grade injury and the minor recurrence.
“At this point in time, the plan is for him to be available for selection in Round 4.”
Ruckman Sean Darcy continues to build back to football following the removal of a screw to clear infection from an old surgery, with his timeline on track for a Round 3 to 5 return.
“It’s been frustrating for Sean, obviously,” Brierty said.
“He’s had a couple of setbacks through the pre-season, most recently with the infection.
“He’s been really diligent and a pro in the way he’s gone about it.
“Pleasingly, he’s been able to complete probably about four or five sessions in the last week from an on-field running point of view, and that will allow him to integrate into footy over the next week or two.
“Timeline-wise, it remains at that three-to-five-week range, but it’s really about how he progresses over the next fortnight, which will allow us to get a really strong read on when he’s back to playing competitive footy.”
Draftee Charlie Nicholls is yet to have his timeline confirmed for a return to football, with the 18-year-old battling a back stress fracture throughout the pre-season.
“Charlie had the scan and had a stress fracture in his back,” Brierty said.
“Pleasingly, he’s had another scan a couple of weeks back, and it looks like he’s healing really well.
“At this point in time, he’s reintegrating into the running program, and we’ll get another scan in the next couple of weeks, which will allow us to set a really clear timeline for when he’ll be available for selection from a football perspective.”
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