Next Saturday’s round two clash between Fremantle and Brisbane will mark 53 days between Freo’s round one game against Essendon on 21 March.
To jog your memory, here’s the team Justin Longmuir selected for round one.
Back: Luke Ryan, Griffin Logue, Ethan Hughes
Half-back: Reece Conca, Brennan Cox, Taylin Duman
Centre: Brett Bewley, Nat Fyfe, James Aish
Half-forward: Sam Sturt, Matt Taberner, Bailey Banfield
Full forward: Travis Colyer, Rory Lobb, Michael Walters
Ruck/follower: Sean Darcy, Darcy Tucker, Andrew Brayshaw
Interchange: Adam Cerra, Lachie Schultz, Mitchell Crowden, Cam McCarthy
While Cam McCarthy and Sam Sturt remain in doubt for the clash, there are a number of Freo players who could come in.
David Mundy
The 316-gamer has recovered from his leg fracture sustained in December. He played all of Freo's match simulation on Friday 5 June and will be a lock for round two. The Freo veteran is likely to start in the midfield and may also switch forward at times.
Nathan Wilson
Fremantle will potentially add some welcomed experience to their backline with the return of Nathan Wilson, especially with injured leaders Alex Pearce and Joel Hamling on the sidelines. If selected, Wilson will slot in at half back and will likely to juggle kick-in duties with Luke Ryan.
Blake Acres
Acres is in line for a club debut after recovering from an injured hamstring sustained at training in March between Freo’s two Marsh Community Series games.
Brought in from St Kilda as a winger, Acres also shone as an inside midfielder for Fremantle in the club’s scratch matches and in their Marsh series clash with Carlton, collecting a game-high 31 disposals.
Stephen Hill
The elite midfielder made his return to full training in the past week and has recovered from re-injuring his quad in the pre-season. In a promising sign, Hill got through Friday's match sim and improved as the session went on. A 206-game player, Hill would add some important pace, experience and ability if available for selection.
Connor Blakely
After playing regularly at half-back in the past two seasons, Blakely trained predominately as a midfielder this pre-season. He will be one of a number of midfielders vying for a place in the engineroom against Brisbane.
Brandon Matera
The small forward was overlooked for selection in round one but may get his chance in round two, especially if Sam Sturt can’t retain his place in the side after having limited training time in the past fortnight due to a minor back injury.
A Matera in top form will be an asset for Freo after he kicked 30 goals from 20 games in 2019.
Sam Switkowski
Switkowski is on the comeback from a back injury, which saw the dynamic forward miss round one.
Switkowski is expected to return to full training next week with the aim of being available for selection. He played 18 games in 2019, and while he kicked just six goals, he brought plenty of pressure to Freo’s front half with five tackles per game.
Tobe Watson
A travelling emergency in round one, Watson remains on the brink of a debut. The young defender has taken great strides this pre-season, with assistant coach Michael Prior recently singing the praises of the 22-year-old.
“Tobe had a fantastic pre-season before the shut down,” Prior said.
“He played more as a tall defender at Peel but we’ve settled him into that half-back role which was more what we drafted him for. He’s proven he can really play at the top level so I’ve got no doubt he’ll get his opportunity at some point.”
Caleb Serong
The no.8 selection at the 2019 NAB AFL National Draft was also a travelling emergency for round one. The young midfielder shone in the pre-season and illustrated why he was rated so highly by selectors. The only issue for a round two debut would be Freo’s full-strength midfield, especially with the likely return of Mundy and addition of Acres. The 19-year-old impressed in Friday's match sim as he ran through the middle on occasion and held his own against his more experienced opponents.
Hayden Young
The talented half-back, taken at no.7 in the draft, would be also be in consideration for a debut against Brisbane. Despite a strong showing on Friday, Young may need more time to build to AFL level after being restricted in this first AFL pre-season.
Jesse Hogan
While Freo fans would love to see the talented forward run out in round two, senior coach Justin Longmuir has stated Hogan would only return when he is physically and mentally ready.
“We have to make sure Jesse can back up sessions and run out a full game,” Longmuir said in a media conference on Wednesday.
Hogan showed good signs by getting through Friday's match sim and kicking a goal.
