Fremantle defender Brennan Cox has revealed he missed his one-year-old son Arlo’s first steps while away on the Club’s week-long road trip for Gather Round and the clash with the Demons at the MCG on Saturday.

Speaking at his Tuesday morning media conference, Cox said he frequently uses FaceTime to keep in touch with his family back in Western Australia.

“I FaceTime about 20 times a day just to see him (Arlo),” Cox said.

“When I get on the phone, he lights up and crawls over to it.

“Got that on video, so that was cool.

“I’m keen to get back to him, but being around the boys helps as well.”

Cox has been building into his season, gathering a season-high 18 disposals and eight marks in the Club’s win over Richmond in Gather Round. He said he is open to going forward or even taking on some ruck responsibilities against Melbourne in Round 6, pending team selection later in the week.

“I have rucked from centre half-back before a couple of years ago. It was pretty fun, but we’ve still got a couple of days before we know what the team will be.

“If the team needed me to, I’d be happy to play ruck — and maybe sneak a goal in there, that’d be nice.”

Speaking on the Club’s upcoming match with the winless Demons, Cox said the team would not underestimate them and were expecting a dangerous side.

“They're still a strong side… they’ve got some really good stars," Cox said.

“When teams are up against the wall, they often come out firing.

“We won’t go in there thinking it will be easy at all. We’ll be expecting their best.”

Fremantle are on a three-game win streak against the Demons, with the last time the two teams faced off at the MCG coming in 2023 — with Freo walking away seven-point winners in a thriller.