Pearce and Young clear fitness tests for Brisbane

Fremantles’ hopes of upsetting reigning premier Brisbane next Saturday at the Gabba were boosted on Saturday when key pair Alex Pearce and Hayden Young successfully completed training sessions. In what looms as a possible grand final preview, captain Pearce (knee) and Hayden Young (concussion) go through their workouts and look like to face fitness tests later this week for the Lions’ clash. Young has missed two games with concussion, while Pearce has also been sidelined for a fortnight with a knee issue. But vice-captain Caleb

Serong, the Doig medallist and an All-Australian the past three seasons, has already been ruled out of the Lions’ clash with a calf injury, with the Dockers eyeing a return against North Melbourne in Bunbury in round 13. Ruck Sean Darcy also got through the session as he builds loads on a calf injury that the Dockers hope will allow him to return permanently in the second half of the season. “They both completed a really strong footy circuit this morning,” Fremantle head of football

Joe Brierty told ABC Radio. “As it stands Alex and Youngy will both be tests to play and we will have a look at Sean’s loading and obviously he is on a continued build and what his progression in a return to football looks like, whether that’s building through minutes at WAFL level or whether he’s available for AFL selection.” Brierty said Serong was would aim to build into next week and then face a fitness test. “He is probably that one where we are

looking at a test for North,” Brierty said. “Again that is going to be dependent on how he progresses through this week as well. He is obviously going to miss Brisbane but he is building towards the North game and what that looks like.” Veteran midfielder Jaegar O’Meara is returning through the WAFL this weekend with Peel Thunder after recovering from facial surgery. Meanwhile, Brierty praised the performance of Patrick Voss in quelling the influence of All-Australian defender Callum Wilkie in a defensive-forward role in

Friday night’s 30-point win at Optus Stadium, their 10th in succession. “He is pretty invested when he has those roles. He had a similar role on (James) Sicily (in round nine),” Brierty said. “He gets the crowd involved and it’s a way that gets him into the game as well in terms of the focus of what he needs to do and ultimately … his ability to hit the scoreboard and have an impact. “(Wilkie) is the No. 1 interceptor in the competition. I think

he had one intercept mark last night and that plays a big part in the way that they want to defend the ground and set up their ball movement from the back half. “That was one component and then our ability to lock the ball away in our front half and our front half defence when we had it there obviously gave us repeat entries.” Jye Amiss kicked four goals on Friday night, Voss chipped in with three, while Josh Treacy posted 2.2 from a

game high 11 marks. “At times there are questions around does Vossy have the impact on games we want him to have, there are questions around Jye at times,” Brierty said. “From our perspective internally they all understand they are all going to get their opportunities. “It is just the way that they work together and the way that they know each other’s games and even their leading patterns from a selfless perspective which allows us to throw different looks at the opposition. “They are

not all going to be on on the same day but when they get the opportunity to step up I just know they love working together and the whole forward half group. “Credit (forwards coach) Jaymie Graham and the work that he is doing with the key forwards in the front half.”

Fremantle, Brisbane Lions, Gabba, Alex Pearce, Hayden Young, Sean Darcy, Caleb Serong, Joe Brierty, Patrick Voss, Callum Wilkie, Jye Amiss, Josh Treacy, Jaegar O’Meara