Justin Longmuir has backed Freo’s use of Caleb Serong as a tagger when taking on Essendon on Sunday.
The tactics drew some criticism following the clash but Longmuir was pleased to see Freo’s players be more physical in the contest.
It was a stark contrast to the last time Fremantle played at Marvel Stadium, when Freo were outmatched by a physical Carlton.
“(The reaction to the tagging) was a little bit (surprising) to be honest. I didn’t think our tactics were outside of the game,” Longmuir told 7NEWS.
“Maybe people are speculating one hit from Darcy Tucker. Outside of that, there was nothing really in it.
“People can say what they want, I thought we played the game in the right way and our players stood up for each other. I’ve got no issues with the way our players approached it.”
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Longmuir was confident defender Luke Ryan would recover from a calf injury in time to take on Sydney, who are set to bring star forward Lance Franklin over for the contest.
“He’s definitely in the mix. He’s had a really good weekend on the training track,” Longmuir said.
“We expect him to get through training tomorrow and put his hand up to play, he’ll be a welcome addition.
“We’re looking forward to getting back in front of our home crowd. It’s been four weeks since we played in front of the Purple Army and we’re looking forward to getting back down there on Saturday.”
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