Fremantle working overtime to avoid Covid-19 disaster

The Fremantle Dockers are enjoying a strong start to the season but know disaster could set in if they’re not careful.

While Fremantle is flying, it knows that one slip could be disastrous.

The Dockers are 5-1 after knocking Carlton down a peg at Optus Stadium on Saturday night.

But they face a challenge to keep Covid-19 from running through the playing group and impacting their season the way it has their cross-town rivals West Coast.

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Fremantle has no option but to restrict training this week ahead of a trip to Geelong.

“We are always on red alert,” coach Justin Longmuir said.

“Always taking the maximum precautions we can. If that means continuing to separate the groups early in the week, then we’ll just have to do what we have to do.

“It’s pretty wide knowledge that there’s a lot of Covid within the WAFL teams at the moment.

“The first step is to keep the Peel (The WAFL side that Fremantle is affiliated with) and AFL squads separated at the start of the week. Then it’s doing as much as we can in smaller groups and avoid having our whole team in large meetings indoors.

“It’s all pretty simple straightforward stuff, but it takes real application and maturity from our playing group to be able to handle those situations.

“We’ve got to work really hard to make sure we don’t become too disjointed and everyone feels like they’re belonging and contributing, but they’re just the measures you have to take in modern day AFL footy.”

The Dockers got the win in front of their home fans on Saturday night. (Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images)

The Dockers beat the Blues without in-form defenders Hayden Young and Heath Chapman, who were sidelined because of health and safety protocols.

Both are due out of the protocols situation just in time to make the flight to Geelong on Thursday.

Small forward Lachie Schultz returned after a week off due to Covid and kicked three goals against the Blues.

The Eagles have not been able to gain any momentum this season with Covid starting to run through their squad from Round 1. They have had to use top-up players from the WAFL just to field a side.

And after losing to Port Adelaide on Saturday, the Eagles dropped to the bottom of the ladder.

That’s what Fremantle is trying to avoid.

Covid-19 protocols forced Longmuir to miss two games earlier in the season. (Photo by Will Russell/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

The Dockers have another issue ahead of next week’s game against the Cats, with ruckman Sean Darcy set to miss due to concussion.

Longmuir said they would replace Darcy, opting not to play Rory Lobb as a loan ruckman.

“He’s so important to us as a forward as well, and although he probably hasn’t hit the scoreboard the way he would like, we’ve been really impressed with the contest he gives, and that contest to bring the ball to ground is really important,” the Dockers coach said.

“It’s allowing us to go to work at ground level, whether it’s winning it or pressuring.

“Without that strong contest in the forward line our small forwards can’t pressure. He’s been terrific with his contest all year.

“He probably hasn’t got the rewards with hitting the scoreboard, but that will come.”

Originally published as Fremantle working overtime to avoid Covid-19 disaster