Brandon Walker appears likely to make his return to Fremantle’s 22 as Senior Coach Justin Longmuir looks for a replacement for Heath Chapman.

Chapman injured his calf in the RAC Derby and was subbed off in the third quarter.

Walker played 21 games in 2022 as the 20-year-old provided flair and dash out of half back.

With Chapman set for at least three weeks on the sidelines, Walker appears to be the natural replacement.

“It’s disappointing to lose Chappy, he’s an important player for us and I thought he played a really good role on the weekend. I feel like we’ve got some depth there that can fill that space,” Longmuir said.

“I haven’t gone through selection yet, but Walks is waiting in the wings.

“He’s played a lot of good footy for us over the past couple of years and he’s itching for a go.”

Longmuir said it had been a tough call to go with the more experienced Nathan Wilson for the opening three rounds, with Wilson impressing throughout the pre-season.

“Willo was going slightly better and it was only slightly,” Longmuir said.

“You can only fit seven guys in (the backline) and we’re always cautious of the balance between talls and smalls down there.

“Last year Walks had the upper hand and Willo’s had a really good pre-season and swung the ledger in his favour, but only slightly.

“If we could play eight down there we would, as we love what Walks does, but unfortunately one of them had to miss out.”

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