Emerging Fremantle forward Matt Taberner will play for Peel Thunder in the WAFL this weekend as he comes back from an Achilles injury.
 
Senior coach Ross Lyon isn’t taking any chances with players who have missed chunks of the pre-season as his side prepares to take on Port Adelaide this Sunday at Domain Stadium.

Match preview: Fremantle v Port Adelaide
 
“We have a good handle on who has done the work,” Lyon said.
 
“It can't just be about the last two weeks, if you have missed or not.
 
“Hayden Ballantyne hasn't played the last two, but he's done 99 per cent of the summer - we have a couple like that.
 
“If they get through (training), they'll play.”
 
Lyon said Taberner will miss the Port Adelaide game to better prepare him for the rest of the season.
 
“We are really thrilled with him - he got a kick on his Achilles; he got a bit of thickening and after NAB (Challenge) 1 he was really sore.
 
“So we said we want to get you right for the whole season - it may cost you round 1.
 
“We're disappointed he's not there - he'll play at Peel tomorrow.
 
“He's ready to go, he won't play so we just think as a young player, to miss nearly every practice game and then just throw him in would be unfair to him and then those guys that have done the work.
 
“That's the balancing act. The bona fides like Ballantyne and (Michael) Barlow - Barlow and (Paul) Duffield played last week (for Peel), so there is a little bit of a decision to be made there…but bona fides who have done the work will play.”
 
Fremantle takes on Port Adelaide at Domain Stadium on Easter Sunday, 5 April.

Match day information
 
It will also be the club’s annual Starlight Purple Haze game supported by Fremantle Ports, for the Starlight Children’s Foundation.

Bounce down 4.40pm.

Tickets are still available for the game via Ticketmaster.