Will Brodie and Neil Erasmus are among those vying to replace the injured Jaeger O’Meara for Saturday’s clash against Hawthorn at the MCG, according to Senior Coach Justin Longmuir.
 
It will be Freo’s final game of the home and away season and Brodie is looking to make his first AFL appearance since round seven against Brisbane, where he had 24 disposals and five clearances.
 
Brodie has been a victim of injury and Freo’s midfield depth this season, hurting his ankle mid-season and returning to play the past three weeks in the WAFL, averaging 30 disposals and 5.6 tackles over that stretch.
 
Erasmus has played 13 games this season and has been the sub for his past two AFL appearances, including 11 disposals and a goal from 26 per cent game time against West Coast.
 
“He (Brodie) will be in the mix, we'll work out the mix of the team. We've got a few options, Ras (Erasmus) was sub on the weekend.”
 
“(Brodie) just has to keep continuing to work on the things we want him to work on.
 
“I know a lot of people look at the stats and see he had 30 possessions. That’s not the only thing we look at as coaches.
 
“We look at the game a little bit more holistically than that and a little bit deeper than that.
 
“He’s really clear on what he needs to work on and he’s continued to chip away at that.”

Longmuir said the injured Nat Fyfe may also return to Fremantle’s midfield in 2024 when he returns to full fitness.
 
Fyfe showed he was progressing from the stress fracture in his foot at training on Wednesday as he kicked a football away from the main group.
 
“(Fyfe’s role) is body dependent as we know with Fyfey, he hasn’t been able to get that right for the last two or three years,” Longmuir said.
 
“The plan going into the pre-season is to get him more midfield time. See how his body holds up to that and if our forward line can continue to develop and these young players take the next step, he might be better served in the midfield.” 

Longmuir added that Matt Taberner would be a valuable asset to have fully fit in 2024.
 
“I've got no doubt ‘Tabs’ can get back to his best footy once he puts his injuries behind him,” Longmuir said.
 
“The second half of the year, we would have loved to have had Tabs available.
 
“He would draw the best defender and that takes a little bit of pressure off Jye (Amiss) and gives us a bit more structure ahead of the ball when JT (Josh Treacy) goes into the ruck.
 
“I think Tabs is an important player for us going forward.”

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