Ross Lyon says Hayden Ballantyne should be available for round one despite suffering a hamstring injury during Fremantle's win over Richmond in Friday night's NAB Challenge clash at Rushton Park.
The Freo Dockers goalsneak left the ground early in the second term and headed straight to the rooms.
He had ice and then a compression bandage applied to his left hamstring.
Freo strong in first hitout
He did not take any further part in the match but Lyon said the injury wasn’t too serious and he expected Ballantyne to be right for the start of the season proper.
"He's got a hamstring but it's at the minor end," Lyon said post-match.
"We expect him to play round one, but he'll jump (through) all the hoops that they put in front of him."
Skipper David Mundy and Chris Mayne were both omitted from the final team prior to the opening bounce. Mayne suffered a head knock at training during the week and did not pass a fitness test to play, while Mundy had a tight groin. Lyon said both would be fine to play next week.
Match Highlights v Richmond
Lyon said he also expected Harley Bennell (calf) and Alex Pearce (groin) to be in full training on Monday.
Nat Fyfe only played the second half but still collected 18 disposals. Lyon said the Brownlow medallist would likely play more game-time over the next two NAB Challenge matches.
Freo face Adelaide in Mount Barker next Sunday but it is unlikely they will rest many of their senior players.
"We've only got two games left and we're preparing for round one," Lyon said.
"One would suggest that we need to play some senior players against some fierce competition to get them ready."