Fremantle defender Luke McPharlin says injury won't rule him out of Grand Final

FREMANTLE defender Luke McPharlin insists he will be right to take on Hawthorn - and Lance Franklin - in Saturday's Grand Final.

Luke McPharlin

FREMANTLE defender Luke McPharlin insists he will be right to take on Hawthorn - and potentially Lance Franklin - in Saturday's Grand Final after external fears he might have aggravated a calf/adductor injury.

McPharlin, who missed eight weeks when he tore his calf muscle in Round 15, spent extended stints on the interchange bench during Saturday night's 25-point preliminary final win against Sydney.

But the Dockers veteran said it was the Swans' forward structure rather than injury concerns that limited his game time during the later stages of the match.

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"It was a pretty physical game, but I am all right," McPharlin said on Sunday. "I've pulled up well.

"I came off a bit more often than I normally would in a game, but I think given the way Sydney was structuring up, they didn't play two or three legitimate talls, we had the opportunities to rotate myself, Michael Johnson and Zac Dawson.

"We were just getting looked after a bit, the key defenders, because we didn't have to be out there, all of us together.

"So, yeah, no issues."

McPharlin did not kick the ball in the warm-up before the game, prompting some observers to question his fitness.

But the 31-year-old, who returned to the team in the qualifying final win over Geelong, said talk of any recurrence of an injury or soreness was "blown out of proportion."

"I had a little bit of a layoff with injury over the last couple of months, but I feel aerobically really good and (I'm) really excited about this week."

There has also been concern about Michael Johnson, who missed two matches with a calf injury before returning for Saturday night's game. He looked to be sore at times and got plenty of attention on the boundary line, but played the game out.

Several Dockers' players, including Matthew Pavlich, admitted yesterday that they were a bit sore following the preliminary final, but all look to be right to go.

"My daughter woke me up, so I bounced out to go and grab her, and then realised I was a bit sore," Pavlich said.

"But (I'm) really happy overall with how I've pulled up over the last few weeks."

Fremantle coach Ross Lyon declared after the win that his team had come through the match unscathed, but there is little doubt the Dockers will have a light week on the track ahead of Saturday's game.