Senior coach Justin Longmuir expects to only make one change for Saturday night’s clash with Carlton at Optus Stadium.
Forward/midfielder Michael Walters is set to return from injury as a replacement for Travis Colyer, who hurt his hamstring against Hawthorn in round 11.
Exciting forward talent Liam Henry will need to wait at least one more week for a debut, according to Longmuir.
“At this stage, Liam’s going to be an emergency,” Longmuir said.
“It looks like we’ll hopefully only make one change and that’s Trav out and Sonny in. That’s where it sits at this moment.”
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Longmuir said Fremantle could be patient with bringing players like Henry in due to the current form of the team after back-to-back wins against Collingwood and Hawthorn.
“It’s a good position to be in, we’ve got guys that are pushing for selection and the guys in the side are holding their place and that’s what winning form does,” Longmuir said.
“It’s hard to make too many changes when our performances have been so consistent and even.
“Liam’s in really good form, he’s clearly got a lot of talent and his intensity into the defensive side of his game has really lifted. He’s pushing his case but there’s just not a position at the moment.”
Longmuir said Jesse Hogan was in a similar situation as Henry. The key forward is currently training as a defender to help bring some height and depth to Freo’s backline, however Freo’s backs have been impressive in recent weeks.
“Our back seven in the last three weeks have conceded the least points in the AFL, so it’s hard to mix with the chemistry of those guys and the performance of those guys at the moment,” Longmuir said.
“It’s been well documented that we’ve been playing Jesse back for the last two weeks at training and in the reserves last week.
“There’s not a spot for him in the backline at the moment but that doesn’t mean we won’t play him forward in the future, it doesn’t mean he’s solely going to be a back for us, it just means at the moment he’s adding a string to his bow and something, in the long term, will help him as a footballer and help our flexibility as a team.
“Like Liam, there’s not a spot for Jesse at the moment, he’s going to have to work his way into the side. We’ve just been so even in the last two weeks, it makes changes hard.”
