Fremantle High Performance Manager Phil Merriman has confirmed that Jaeger O’Meara (foot/hamstring), Michael Walters (knee) and Quinton Narkle (knee) should all return to football this weekend.
Young defender Karl Worner, who was subbed out of the side’s win over Gold Coast with hamstring awareness, has also recovered well ahead of the Round 14 meeting with North Melbourne at Optus Stadium.
“He (Worner) came out really well (from the Gold Coast game). He’s actually been training since last Friday without any issues,” Merriman said.
“We will test him, but he’s likely to be available to play.
“Quinton (Narkle) has been quicker than we thought he would be.
“He’s been training most of last week and this week, so he’ll be a test to play.
“Jaeger (O’Meara) and Sonny (Walters) have also progressed really well and will be tests to play this week.”
A definitive return date for skipper Alex Pearce is still to be determined, but Merriman confirmed the captain has resumed running.
“Alex is going well. He’s begun his on-field running program and we will have a volume build for him,” Merriman said.
“He’s not playing this week, but we’re looking to get him going for the Essendon game.”
Positively, defender Brandon Walker has made significant strides in his return to football following a dislocated shoulder in Round 2.
“Walks (Walker) has progressed really well,” Merriman said.
“He did a little bit of training today and the plan is to introduce him to contact later this week, with a test to play the following week.”
Fellow defender Cooper Simpson continues his rehabilitation program after surgery to repair an AC joint injury in Round 11.
“He’s (Simpson) back in the cross-training room, sweating it up,” Merriman said.
“He’s been doing some range-of-motion exercises and we will likely see him in the later part of the year.”
Unfortunately, forward Sam Sturt has experienced a setback in his rehabilitation from knee surgery, with Merriman saying the Club will continue to closely monitor his progress.
“Sam’s just progressing in his reconditioning and, every now and then, he gets episodes of knee soreness,” Merriman said.
“We’re just monitoring that closely and will continue to progress him.
“We’ll know more on timeframes in probably the next week or two.”
Brought to you by
Last Updated:
