FREMANTLE coach Ross Lyon has expressed sympathy for the plight of injured forward Scott Gumbleton after the 25-year-old suffered yet another hamstring injury in Wednesday night's NAB Challenge game against the Western Bulldogs.
Gumbleton was hurt during the first quarter of the contest against the Dogs. Lyon said the injury meant the Dockers may select ruck/forward Zac Clarke to play in round one of the home and away season despite an interrupted summer.
Speaking after the 28-point win against the Dogs, Lyon encouraged Gumbleton to persist in the hope the wheel of fortune would turn his way eventually.
He said the initial report on Gumbleton was that he suffered a standard hamstring injury and was likely to miss three weeks. However, he recognised that Gumbleton would be feeling flat because of his history of hamstring problems.
"I feel for him because he has worked his hardest [and] he has shown his character," Lyon said.
"He needs to be resilient from here and keep going and not drop his bundle."
Gumbleton had not missed a session in the Dockers' pre-season after crossing from Essendon during the exchange period. He played just 35 games in seven frustrating seasons at Essendon and got through his first game for Freo last week against the Eagles.
Lyon said it was obviously disappointing for Gumbleton and his new teammates but it was not a doomsday scenario.
"I can't guess what is going through their head but when you invest so much and see that investment slip away in the short term and near term … longer-term all that work is done and it should pay off," Lyon said.
Gumbleton's injury also puts pressure on the Dockers' tall stocks.
Aaron Sandilands was outstanding against the Bulldogs and his performance drew praise from Lyon.
However, the question of who is chosen to back him up in the season-opener remains unanswered. Jonathon Griffin and Kepler Bradley are sidelined after knee reconstructions last year and Jack Hannath and Matt Taberner are inexperienced.
It means the possibility of Clarke – who was injured during the Christmas break – playing in round one is alive.
"Based on what is happening there. Gumbleton has gone down. [Matt] Taberner needs to stand up, so yeah that would throw him into the mix. It might be a Bradbury," Lyon said.
He said it was hard to tell whether the Dockers were where he hoped they would be, but he was encouraged by their second half.
