Senior coach Justin Longmuir expects key forward Matt Taberner to be fully fit for round two when Fremantle take on Brisbane on Saturday 13 June at the Gabba.
Taberner sat out Monday’s training session, which included some match simulation, as Fremantle prepare to resume the 2020 season.
Longmuir said resting Taberner was precautionary.
“Matthew had a little bit of an incident with his back last week,” Longmuir told Seven News.
“It was precautionary on Monday that we rested him.
“It looks like he’ll resume training on Friday but there’s no doubt around him for round two.”
Longmuir gave Sean Darcy the all clear to return to training by the end of the week after the ruckman had to leave the ground on Monday after sustaining an accidental knock to the head in a contest with Jesse Hogan.
“He’s pulled up really well,” Longmuir said.
“He’s got a head knock. It was a bit more precautionary to get him off the ground and allow him to recover from that.
“It looks like he’ll fully train on Friday and resume his preparation.”
While Longmuir has confirmed that Fremantle will bring all players to the Gold Coast, he said Hogan was no guarantee to play round two.
“He’s a chance, there’s still a few boxes to tick,” Longmuir said.
“He had only done 10 minutes of match sim at this stage and I’m sure he’ll be putting his hands up for selection.
“It’s been really positive so far.
“He’ll continue to progress in his preparation for the season and if that lands him at round two, we’ll make that decision when it needs to be made.”
Longmuir said Fremantle were planning for a four-week stay at their hub in the Gold Coast but remain aware this stay could be extended.
“We’d like to get back (to WA) as quickly as we can but we understand that this is a moving feast. We’re really just trying to control what we can control at the moment,” Longmuir said.
“Our focus is on round two and we’ll continue to work on what it looks like as it goes on.
“At this stage, we’re planning for four weeks. We’ve also put some plans in place if it does go longer. We’re hoping it is a four-week stay and we can get back to normal.”
