Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir has declared his team’s 23-point win over Brisbane showcased everything they worked on over summer but admits serious injuries took the gloss off the victory.
The Dockers fought back from four goals down to seize control of the match against a Lions team that played in last season’s grand final. Caleb Serong set a new possession record for Fremantle with 46 for the day.
But there are fears key defenders Brennan Cox (hamstring) and Oscar McDonald (knee) have suffered long term injuries, while Karl Worner will enter concussion protocols after being knocked out during the third quarter.
Longmuir had only coached one win in an opening round from his first four seasons and was proud that his players stood their ground under pressure.
“I thought we drew on everything we’ve been working on over the pre-season,” Longmuir said.
“Mental skills – being four goals down, being able to stick to the plan and not get flustered. I thought we were able to see our way through that period. We’ve done enormous work on our fitness. We had to draw upon that late when we lost a few soldiers. Most impressively, I thought we played for each other.”
But the injuries are a clear worry. McDonald hyperextended his knee and was in obvious distress shortly after Worner left the field on a stretcher. Then Cox grabbed high on his right hamstring after a contest in the final quarter. Michael Walters limped into the rooms but Longmuir said he wasn’t injured.
Longmuir is crossing his fingers for McDonald and Cox as he considers ways to replace them for the round two clash with North Melbourne at Marvel Stadium.
“They look pretty significant,” Longmuir said.
“We’ve got to get it scanned and see how we go. I’ve got fingers, toes and everything crossed for them.
“We’ve got players on our list ready to go. Seats on the boat aren’t always full. There’s going to be opportunities for players along the journey. Players are going to get some opportunities next week.
“It was really disappointing. It takes a bit of the gloss off a really, really good win having three guys get injured like that.”
Serong’s game saw him win 46 possessions and 10 clearances in a dominant display. The Lions tried to tag him in the second half to no avail.
“I thought he was outstanding,” Longmuir said.
“His first half he had high-20 possessions, but when he started getting tagged, he automatically flipped (from) not ‘how I can get the ball’ to ‘how I can help the team to win clearances and own the game.’ That shows great maturity. Caleb knows its not all about possessions but it’s a nice little box to tick along the way.”
Longmuir praised the amount of pressure his team put on the Lions, saying that followed on from the improvement the team showed in the latter stages of last season.
The Dockers also got plenty of potency out of their key forwards with Jye Amiss kicking four goals, Josh Treacy booting three and Luke Jackson kicking two while playing as the number one ruckman.