Source :- PERTH NOW NEWS
Fremantle won’t have Brennan Cox at their disposal for a do-or-die semifinal against Geelong, but fellow defender Brandon Walker has been listed as a test.
Walker rolled his ankle in the third term of the Dockers’ bitter 32-point qualifying final loss to Hawthorn at Optus Stadium and sat out the final term with the joint wrapped in ice.
However, after coach Justin Longmuir said he was still a chance to feature in Friday’s elimination game on Monday, the club officially listed him as a test in a bid to give him until the last possible moment to prove his fitness.
The news wasn’t so good for Cox, who needs another week of conditioning after sustaining a calf strain in round 24 against Carlton at Marvel Stadium.
“Brennan’s training really well. We got him into a football drill at main train today. We just want to get a bit more conditioning into him over the week. He’ll be one week,” Fremantle Director of Performance Adam Beard said on Tuesday.
Walker had been a shock selection from the Dockers ahead of the Hawks final, having only played three AFL games across two seasons before that due to injury and form woes.
But he performed a role on electric Hawks small forward Nick Watson admirably before leaving the game.
“We got him scans this week, which have come up quite good, so he’ll be a test of play,” Beard said.
Walker’s teammates were pictured consoling him after the defeat on Friday night.
Ruckman Sean Darcy has also been listed as a test as he pushes to earn a recall from the WAFL.
Former Collingwood premiership player Mason Cox has held him out of the team since round 17, but his performance in the qualifying final left room for Darcy to make his case after a decent performance in a WAFL final for Peel Thunder as they booked a grand final berth.
However, Beard revealed he’d need to get past some knee swelling first.
“Sean had a knee-on-knee knock (playing for Peel). He’s got a bit of swelling, but he’ll be a test to play,” he said.
The Dockers also revealed that Sam Sturt successfully went under the knife on Monday to repair his hamstring injury.
FREMANTLE INJURY LIST
Sean Darcy (knee) test
Brandon walker (ankle) test
Brennan Cox (calf) 1 week
Aiden Riddle (foot) 1 week
Sam Sturt (hamstring) TBA
