Fremantle senior coach Justin Longmuir has confirmed that Fremantle are expected to be without captain Alex Pearce and veteran Michael Walters for around a month following their injuries sustained in the Club’s 50-point win over Melbourne.
Speaking at his Friday afternoon RAC Derby media conference, Longmuir confirmed Pearce had undergone surgery on Thursday where a new plate had been inserted into his forearm, while scans revealed a new hamstring injury for Walters.
“He (Pearce) had surgery yesterday, he had another plate put in so he will be out of hospital today and start his journey back,” Longmuir said.
“We are thinking probably four to six weeks (for Pearce).
“It’s the same hammy but a different injury (for Walters).
“He had some awareness during the game and it’s a bit remarkable he was able to finish the game.
“We are thinking three to four weeks, its slightly worse than his other one but we are hoping he gets back before the end of the season.”
Joshua Draper and Tom Emmett were confirmed in Thursday’s team announcement as the replacements for the injured duo, with Longmuir expressing his confidence in the squad’s depth for the next man in mentality.
“It gives me satisfaction to know that Drapes has played a lot of footy this year,” Longmuir said.
“We’ve had Pearcy missing three of the last four weeks anyway, so players have had to stand up when Pearcy was missing for the first time.
“My message to him last week was ‘be ready, you never know when another opportunity is going to come. You’ve proven to yourself and everyone around the Club that you can play and belong at the level.’
“Tommy has played a lot of footy for us early in the year, he’s had to work on a few things… he’s gone back and worked on those things and has really been in really good form in the WAFL.
“Sometimes guys are in really good form in the WAFL but just have to wait for their opportunity to come.
“One has presented for him this week and I’m sure you’ll see a better version of Tommy with the work he’s put in while he’s been out of the AFL team.”
Regardless of the team changes, Longmuir was strong in his belief that fans would see an improved performance from the Club following the 37-point loss to West Coast in RAC Derby 58 earlier this season.
“We will set up slightly different and change some things up,” Longmuir said.
“Clearly, clearance was important that night and clearance has been one of our strengths and is an important part of every game, but there were contests all over the ground that we weren’t good enough in on that night.
“It’s not just on the mids, it’s on all of us."
Bouncedown for the highly anticipated RAC Derby 59 is at 6.10pm WST on Saturday 27 July at Optus Stadium.
