If Fremantle is given the green light to rest senior players for its round 23 clash with Port Adelaide at Adelaide Oval then it could open the door for a couple of potential debuts.
Fremantle’s early assessment of its line-up for Saturday’s round 23 game against Port Adelaide is that up to 11 players who played in Sunday’s 54 point win over Melbourne may be rested for the last home and away game of the season.
When Ross Lyon opted to rest players en masse in round 23, 2013 against St Kilda, he handed three players AFL debuts.
Craig Moller, Alex Forster and Josh Simpson all played their first game against the Saints, which the Freo lost by 71 points.
The Purple Press: Monday 31 August
Three players - Alex Pearce, Lachie Weller and Ed Langdon - made their AFL debut this year with only Michael Apeness and Max Duffy debuting in 2014.
Lyon was pleased with Langdon's performance on Sunday and he would almost certainly keep his place, while Weller is also be a big chance to return after two games as the sub in rounds 18 and 19.
Connor Blakely has been knocking on the door all year for an opportunity but an ankle injury rules him out of a potential debut.
Midfielders Brady Grey and Jacob Ballard have been performing very consistently at WAFL level and could potentially be called up if the likes of David Mundy, Stephen Hill and Lachie Neale are rested.
Grey, who was drafted in 2013, collected 24 disposals in the WAFL on Saturday and has been very consistent this season.
Ballard, a mature-age rookie, has averaged 24 touches in 19 WAFL games this season but has collected 33, 30, 34 and 29 disposals over the last four weeks. He would need to be promoted off the rookie list to be eligible to play.
Matt Taberner and Pearce were emergencies for the match against Melbourne and both would come into calculation if Matthew Pavlich and/or Luke McPharlin were rested.
Apeness (knee) and Alex Silvagni (suspension) are both unavailable as key position options.
Hayden Crozier, who was omitted last week, and Duffy will also be in the mix to take on the Power.
If Aaron Sandilands required a rest, Zac Clarke and Jack Hannath are both available.
