Latest AFL News

‘It’s horses for courses’: Fremantle coach provides insight on Jackson-Darcy combination

Sean Darcy is set to return to the AFL.

Published by
Aidan Cellini

After a turbulent week following a goal-review blunder, Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir has insisted his side's moved on from the controversial loss to Carlton, as they look to the tough task of Port Adelaide at Adelaide Oval.

Ruckman Sean Darcy is poised to return in a big boost to the senior side, pending he gets through main training.

Darcy - who hasn't featured since the practice match against West Coast - underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee on the eve of the season and will be eased into his return, with Luke Jackson to shoulder the majority of the load.

"He's (Darcy) looking great," Longmuir said on Wednesday.

"He's in good spirits. Clearly, it's a pretty important box for him to tick, main training, so hopefully gets through that and he plays."

How both Darcy and Jackson fit into the Dockers' lineup will once again feature across the AFL landscape given the latter's red-hot form, but it's something Longmuir is excited about.

PERTH, AUSTRALIA - MAY 20: Sean Darcy of the Dockers celebrates a goal during the round 10 AFL match between Walyalup/Fremantle Dockers and Geelong Cats at Optus Stadium, on May 20, 2023, in Perth, Australia. (Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images)

"It will be (restricted minutes for Darcy). It will take a little bit of time to build his fitness and get back to playing large ruck minutes," Longmuir said.

"It'll look different whether that's this week or next but gives us flexibility to use Luke in different roles.

"Both have different strengths in the ruck, so it's a bit horses for courses."

The Fremantle coach is still adamant there was plenty to take from the Blues loss while understanding Port Adelaide's midfield strength as an area of focus throughout the week.

"The players had a day off and they look really switched on, so that's a good sign.

"A lot gets made externally about maybe one moment or the last four minutes but when you review the game, you review it holistically and thought we did a lot right, which maybe got lost.

"We take a lot of positives from the game as well.

"I think our midfield has been a real strength of ours for the first four weeks of the year and it's a great challenge this week against the better midfields in the comp.

"In certain aspects in the midfield, in certain stats, they (Port Adelaide) are at the top end, especially centre bounce so they've got a good mix of inside and outside."

MORE: Power ruckman Ivan Soldo surging power into club's premiership aspirations

In sour news, Fremantle will be without small forward Michael Frederick (hamstring), while Sam Switkowski (calf) is in a race against the clock for the crucial Round 5 clash.

Michael Frederick during the 2022 AFL Round 19 match between Richmond and Fremantle (Photo by Cameron Grimes / Zero Digital Media)

Longmuir rues Frederick's absence but ensures someone will step up in his place, naming Neil Erasmus as a potential inclusion.

"He (Frederick) plays a really important role for us," Longmuir said.

"He's got elite speed in our front half. He forces defenders to make quick decisions and sometimes they get that wrong.

"He's a loss for us, he's an important player but we've got others ready for the opportunity."

The Dockers will not need to stress about Power forward Jeremy Finlayson for this weekend's clash.

The AFL handed down a three-match suspension to Finlayson for his homophobic slur toward an Essendon player.

Published by
Aidan Cellini