Source :- PERTH NOW NEWS
Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir has revealed his management plan for his team as they continue to fly towards a potentially historic finals campaign.
The Dockers are two games clear atop the AFL ladder while also boasting the best percentage in the AFL as they extended their record win streak to 14 with a dominant win over Gold Coast on Sunday.
Already boasting the shortest injury list in the league with just three players on the club’s injury list on Tuesday, Longmuir said they have plenty of latitude to minimise player risk over the final third of the season.
“I don’t know if rest is the right word; what I see is it allows us to not take any risks with sore players, but we don’t really have any at the moment, so it’s probably one week at a time with that type of stuff,” he told 7News.
“But it does give us the opportunity to manage players if they’re sore.”
However, rather than rest players for whole weeks, Longmuir said he will continue his strategy of moving players to the bench within games, which was on show at the weekend with superstar Luke Jackson sitting out the majority of the final term.
“I think certain games give us the opportunity to do that; [Luke Jackson] played a little bit less game time in the second half on the weekend because we had control in the game and I think that’s the approach we’ll take,” he said.
“A few others were a little bit lighter than they have been on previous weeks; it doesn’t seem like much in one game, but over the course of eight weeks, which is what we have left, it can add up to a substantial number of game minutes.
“We need to make sure to maintain player form as well as make sure they’re fit and firing at the right time of the season, so there’s management in that sense
“But every individual is different, a lot of our players are mid-20s, and they just want to get out and play every week so we’ve got to curb their enthusiasm at times.”
Longmuir also praised defender Karl Worner, who is in the midst of a career-best season with Longmuir labelling the 24-year-old as one of the most courageous at the club.
“He’s been really consistent for us; he’s been able to play on a number of different types of players, whether it’s close to goal or those high forwards that get up the ground,” he said.
“He’s really courageous and puts the head in the hole for us, and he’s using the ball really well, he’s really improved his footy, and it’s great to see him get a little bit of recognition.”
While Longmuir firmly has his sights on keeping the Freo train rolling, he did take pause to pay tribute to Jamie Cripps following the West Coast forward’s retirement, having worked alongside Cripps as an assistant coach at the Eagles from 2013-2017.
“I loved working with him, just an ultra-professional, gave everything he could for the team,” he said.
“He’s kicked a lot of good goals over his time, but he’s also valued the defensive side of his game, which I loved; he put a lot of pressure on and did a lot of selfless acts for the team.
“Overall, he was a great teammate that players loved to play with, so I wish him all the best in his retirement. He’s had a fantastic career.”
