Fremantle will have at least three handy ins for Sunday’s clash against Adelaide at Adelaide Oval, according to senior coach Justin Longmuir.
In an interview on ABC Grandstand, Longmuir confirmed that ruck Rory Lobb, forward Lachie Schultz and defender Griffin Logue would all play after making the trip to Adelaide.
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Lobb played 100 per cent game time on eight occasions in 2020 but Longmuir said the ruck would have one scheduled break per quarter in his first game of the season.
Schultz returns after sustaining a concussion in round three against Carlton.
“We think Lachie’s form was good enough, particularly in the first two games of the year, to warrant coming straight back in,” Longmuir told ABC radio.
“He plays a really important role for us and he’s improving every week as a player.”
Logue is set for his first game of 2021 after battling a hamstring injury in the pre-season.
“Griff will come back in and strengthen up our backline and give us a bit more flexibility and height back there,” Longmuir said.
“I’ve been really impressed with what he’s done.
“Over the last three weeks, we probably gave him a little bit longer with that hammy given it was a reoccurrence.
“We gave him two extra weeks of full training and he obviously played a game last week in the WAFL. We think he’s ready.”
Forward Sam Sturt will be one of Fremantle’s omissions with Longmuir confirming he would play for Peel against South Fremantle at Pingelly Oval.
“(Omitting Sturt) was a bit of a late call and it’s probably why he wasn’t named in the Peel side,” Longmuir said.
“Last week he probably did look a bit rusty … his contest and his defensive pressure wasn’t quite up to the level. He’s spent so much time out of the game, he’s still learning his craft and he just needs to go back and work on a few things that let him down at AFL level.
“He’s a player that I think can really add to our forwardline and play a lot of good footy for us in the future. This is just a road bump for him at the moment.”
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