Senior coach Justin Longmuir has praised Michael Walters’ efforts to bounce back and help lead Fremantle to victory with three goals in a 14-point win at Cazaly’s Stadium on Monday.
Longmuir said it was only a matter of time before Walters returned to his best form after going goalless for six consecutive games between rounds six and 14.
"The expectations on 'Sonny' are high but since he's come back from injury (round 12), he hasn't been in horrendous form like it was made out to be during the week," Longmuir said.
"Tonight he got some reward for effort.
"He led our forward line really well, helped it function a lot better than it has in the previous few weeks.”
Longmuir said he was proud of Walters’ efforts after what was a difficult week for the midfielder/forward, where he appeared frustrated about his form at half time against Richmond.
"His frustration got the better of him last week and it's hard to execute your game when you're frustrated and your emotions boil over," Longmuir said.
"He was a lot calmer tonight, he was committed to playing his role for the team which he did exceptionally well."
"I couldn't be proud of the way he bounced back.
"He got on the front foot when somebody told him about it (last week's incident) and that was the first I heard of it to be honest.
"He assured me it wasn't directed at me, it was just his frustration at his performance and the previous play and of course I take his word for it."
Longmuir added that Fremantle would need to assess a third-quarter ankle injury to defender Taylin Duman ahead of the five-day break into Saturday's clash with North Melbourne.
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