AFL
Brayshaw: Freo's midfield plans without Serong

Fremantle have made four forced changes for Saturday’s game against Collingwood at the MCG.

Joel Hamling, Corey Wagner, Bailey Banfield and Sam Sturt all come in, replacing the injured Michael Frederick (quad), Brennan Cox (ankle) and Hayden Young (ankle) and the suspended Caleb Serong.

A substitute against Carlton, Karl Worner has also been ruled out due to a calf injury.

Travis Colyer, Nathan Wilson, Nathan O’Driscoll and Ethan Stanley are the emergencies, with one of the four to be confirmed as the substitute an hour before bouncedown.

It will be Hamling’s first game since round two of the 2022 season as he slots into the backline following Cox’s injury.

Wagner will play his third game for Fremantle after making his Club debut against Gold Coast and also playing against the Western Bulldogs.

Sam Sturt has played seven games this year, kicking 5.5, while Banfield returns for his 13th game having kicked 10.8 this year.

Senior Coach Justin Longmuir said he was proud of Hamling’s efforts playing for Peel. Last week the key defender was one of the Thunder’s best with 17 disposals and 10 marks in their win against Subiaco.

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“Joel Hamling will come in this week off the back of his best game of the year where he was really dominant in the contest. He’s put on a really good block of a month of footy and deserves the opportunity,” Longmuir said.

“It’s disappointing we’ve lost Coxy but it’s a great opportunity for Joel who’s worked really hard behind the scenes to get his footy in good order and he’s deserving of an opportunity.”

Bouncedown for the clash is at 1.45pm EST (11.45am WST) and will be broadcast live into WA on Channel 7, Fox Footy and can be streamed on Kayo.

TEAM v COLLINGWOOD
IN: Joel Hamling, Corey Wagner, Bailey Banfield, Sam Sturt
OUT: Michael Frederick, Brennan Cox, Hayden Young, Caleb Serong, Karl Worner (sub)

B: Joel Hamling, Alex Pearce, Corey Wagner
HB: Brandon Walker, Luke Ryan, James Aish
C: Liam Henry, Neil Erasmus, Jordan Clark
HF: Sam Switkowski, Sam Sturt, Lachie Schultz
F: Josh Treacy, Jye Amiss, Michael Walters
R/Fol: Sean Darcy, Luke Jackson, Andrew Brayshaw
I: Bailey Banfield, Matthew Johnson, Jaeger O’Meara, Ethan Hughes
E: Travis Colyer, Nathan Wilson, Nathan O’Driscoll, Ethan Stanley

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