After Fremantle’s backline was stretched to the limit in a 59-point RAC Derby loss on Sunday at Optus Stadium, senior coach Justin Longmuir has his fingers crossed star back Luke Ryan will be fit to face Brisbane in a week.
Fellow defenders Heath Chapman and Ethan Hughes are also in doubt after hurting their shoulders during the clash.
“(Ryan) will be touch and go, so we’ll just see how it plays out,” Longmuir said.
“Fingers crossed he comes back but it will be touch and go.
“We think (Heath) will be alright. Clearly, he’ll be sore early in the week. He’s a competitor, and he’s a tough bugger.
“I am proud of the way he fought it out after copping such a big hit. Fingers crossed that we can get him up for next week.
“Ethan got a big hit on that shoulder and he’s going to have to get that scanned and we won’t be able to give you too much information until we get that done.
“He’ll get that done (on Monday) and we’ll put something out.”
Longmuir empathised with fans’ frustrations after Fremantle lost their 11th consecutive RAC Derby.
“I understand the disappointment. I wouldn’t have liked to watch what they would have watched in the third quarter and in that second half,” Longmuir said.
“We need to get more consistent across all positions on the field.
“We are probably relying on too few to do too much at the moment. We need to get more consistent at executing our roles, but we also need to get more consistent in the contest and get better.
“There’s no sugar coating it, we need to get better as a club and as a team. That starts Tuesday when we get back to the club.”
