Fremantle have ruled out Stephen Hill and Aaron Sandilands for Saturday’s clash with Essendon at Etihad Stadium.
In positive news for Freo’s ruck stocks, senior coach Ross Lyon said Sean Darcy is set to retain his spot in the lineup after some concerns with a groin injury sustained late against Port Adelaide last weekend.
“Aaron fell short this week so he won’t play,” Lyon said.
“Sean’s been cleared to play and (Scott) Jones was super last week.
“We were thrilled so they’ll get the challenge. In a real sense we’d love to have Aaron there but you just move on to the next man up.”
Lyon said Hill’s omission wasn’t due to a significant injury.
“It’s just a bit of (quad) tightness,” Lyon said.
“It’s certainly not a repeat (injury). He could almost play but in that area you risk a significant injury and it can be quite tricky.
“(We decided to) be a bit careful with Stephen, he’s a special player to us and he was super last week.
“It’s a big loss but again it’s next man up and we’ll move on. From there we’re just sorting some stuff out and try and get a well balanced team in.”
Lyon also confirmed that Darcy Tucker would make his return to Fremantle’s starting 22 while the likes of Michael Johnson, Lloyd Meek and Luke Strnadica could be on hand if Darcy is a late withdrawal.
Hill and Sandilands join the Nat Fyfe and Connor Blakely on the sidelines, leaving a youthful team to take on the Bombers.
“I think we’ll have six or seven of our best 22 out and every team’s facing challenges,” Lyon said.
“We coped with it quite well last week. It’s a young group, a big challenge.
“Our last performance at Etihad was really strong. Albeit, Essendon have won six of their past eight.
“They’re in pretty good nick and it’s a good challenge for us.”
