Walyalup (Fremantle) is expected to play it safe with Sean Darcy this week, as the top ruckman is expected to miss Saturday’s matchup between St Kilda and former coach Ross Lyon. The team called Darcy’s substitution during the Dockers’ victory over Richmond earlier this month a “conservative approach” due to calf pain. Darcy, however, is expected to miss another game against the Saints after sitting out the subsequent loss to Sydney following a five-day break. On Tuesday, midfield colleague Caleb Serong hinted that the team will probably play it easy with the star big man before this week’s trip to Melbourne.
“He will try to put his hand up. I’m sure they’ll probably try to keep him out another week and give him another week of training,” Serong told Triple M.
“We’ve got training (on Wednesday), so we’ll know more then. But I’m thinking he’ll probably have another week (out) – I’m not 100 per cent sure though.”
If Darcy misses, it means the 2021 Doig medallist will have played just two full matches out of Fremantle’s past 17 games.
The 25-year-old sat out the back end of last season with an ankle issue and then made a delayed start to this year following knee surgery before his latest setback.
Serong said Darcy had been left frustrated by his fresh injury blow, which has again left Luke Jackson to shoulder the burden in the ruck.
“(Darcy) was a bit flat, obviously, with another little setback there,” Serong said.
“He’s had a very interrupted past 12 months.
“He wants to be impacting the game and helping the team out, helping the team win and getting us to where we want to.
“We love that, but he just needs to get his body right now so we can get him back in the best shape he can be.”
The Dockers have no forced changes to make from their line-up that was soundly beaten by Sydney last weekend amid the emotion of Cam McCarthy’s death in the preceding 24 hours.
Last week’s substitute Michael Walters is set to return to the starting side for the club’s Sir Doug Nicholls Round clash, marking the first time he will have clashed with former mentor Lyon.
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