Fremantle are hopeful Taylin Duman can recover in time for Fremantle’s clash with North Melbourne at Metricon Stadium on Saturday.
The defender starred before coming off with an ankle injury in the third term in a 14-point win against Melbourne at Cazaly’s Stadium on Monday.
Senior coach Justin Longmuir said Duman had pulled up well on Tuesday morning but added the 22-year-old was no certainty to take on the Kangaroos.
“He went over on that ankle, so he’s going to be a little bit sore. He’s going to get scanned and we’ll assess it from there,” Longmuir told SportFM.
“I spoke to him this morning and he seems to be confident that it’s pulled up well but we probably won’t know for a couple of days.
“We’ll just take it day-by-day, we’ve got a pretty quick turnaround into the North Melbourne game, so I imagine he’ll be pushing it to play in that game.”
Longmuir highlighted Duman as one of Freo’s unsung heroes in the backline this season, alongside medium defender Ethan Hughes.
While Luke Ryan has earned well-deserved praise for his performances this season, Longmuir said Freo’s backline doesn’t function without a full team effort.
“I think Luke’s getting a lot of accolades and Brennan Cox is getting a lot of accolades but really the back seven, they’re getting the job done week-in-week-out,” Longmuir said.
“They work really well together, they’re tight knit. They love the challenge, they’re hard at it and they work really well together.
“(Hughes and Duman), in particular, they’re able to play tall and small, they’re good in aerial contests and good in ground balls as well. They’re quite flexible players.
“Duman’s first half (against Melbourne) was outstanding and Hughesy’s been a really solid contributor all year for us.
“Ethan maybe had one bad half against Brisbane, that’s the only time I can think about where he’s been beaten. He’s been really reliable and I’m happy with he way both those guys have been going and I’m happy with how our back seven is combining as a group.”
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Longmuir didn’t rule out Griffin Logue as a potential replacement for Duman but added that Fremantle would be conservative with the athletic backman, saying there was a chance he would not play again in 2020 as he recovers from a toe injury.
“Logue is (pushing for selection), he’s really close with that toe,” Longmuir said.
“Whether he gets back or not, (playing again in 2020) has been a good carrot for him to have in front of him. It’s allowed him to go about his rehab knowing there’s a light at the end of the tunnel.
“Whether he plays or not, he’ll be set up for a good off-season.
“He’s someone who can lock away talls and lock away smalls. That’s a valuable asset.
“I look forward to seeing what he can do in the future and, hopefully, it’s the near future or round one next year.”
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