Fremantle have named an almost full-strength squad for Sunday’s round one clash with St Kilda at Marvel Stadium.
Michael Walters (achilles) is the notable omission from the extended squad of 26, with the star forward set to build his match fitness in a Peel practice game on Saturday against Subiaco at Rushton Park.
Michael Frederick (quad) and Luke Ryan (back) have both proved their fitness and have been named on the field.
The game will be the Club debuts of trade acquisitions Luke Jackson and Jaeger O’Meara, with Jackson named at centre half forward and O’Meara at half forward.
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James Aish and Ethan Hughes have been confirmed as the starting wingers for the clash, while fellow winger Liam Henry remains a chance to play after being selected on the interchange.
Will Brodie, who will play his 50th AFL game, has been named in the midfield alongside Andrew Brayshaw, Caleb Serong and ruck Sean Darcy.
Henry, Brandon Walker, Matt Taberner, Bailey Banfield, Matthew Johnson, Josh Treacy, Sam Sturt and Nathan Wilson have all been named on the extended bench, with the final team of 22 to be finalised and announced at 2pm WST on Friday.
The 23rd selected player, a tactical substitute in 2023, will be confirmed an hour before the 4.40pm EDST (1.40pm WST) bouncedown.
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If Sturt is selected, it will be his first game since playing his lone game of the 2021 season, where he kicked 1.1 against Hawthorn on 11 April 2021.
Johnson, who turned 20 on Thursday, is a potential debutant as a member of the extended squad.
In Thursday’s media conference, Senior Coach Justin Longmuir praised Sturt’s efforts in the pre-season and added that Walters would not be rushed back into the team.
"(Sturt’s) a chance. We're really happy with his pre-season form and we seem to have unlocked the intensity required and the effort required," Longmuir said.
"He's been super, not just with ball in hand, but with his pressure and contest, so we'll have to wait and see.
“(Walters) is still on a build and we want to make sure we get that right and not do anything silly and rush him in.
"He's a really important player for us and we want to make sure we're smart about it."
Bouncedown for the clash is at 4.40pm EDST (1.40pm WST) and will be broadcast live into WA on Channel 7 and Fox Footy, and also streamed on Kayo.
SQUAD v ST KILDA
B: Jordan Clark, Alex Pearce, Luke Ryan
HB: Brennan Cox, Hayden Young, Heath Chapman
C: Ethan Hughes, Will Brodie, James Aish
HF: Michael Frederick, Luke Jackson, Jaeger O’Meara
F: Lachie Schultz, Nat Fyfe, Sam Switkowski
R/Fol: Sean Darcy, Andrew Brayshaw, Caleb Serong
Interchange from: Brandon Walker, Liam Henry, Matt Taberner, Bailey Banfield, Matthew Johnson, Josh Treacy, Sam Sturt, Nathan Wilson
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