FREMANTLE defender Karl Worner was playing his third game back in the WAFL last year after a serious concussion when the first contest arrived that tested his ability to put his body on the line. 

It was a groundball against Swan Districts and the courageous 22-year-old "just had to go", making the decision without hesitating and realising after a two-month period that he was ready to get back to being the player he was. 

An unheralded 188cm defender and wingman from the Oakleigh Chargers, Worner's ability to play an unflinching brand of football has earned him plenty of respect at Fremantle after a patient 14 games in four seasons. 

It also earned him the first concussion of his career in round one last season when he turned to intercept a ball at half-back and collided with Brisbane forward Lincoln McCarthy in a scary and accidental incident that saw him taken from Optus Stadium on a stretcher. 

Worner's courage at ground level and in the air was on show against Adelaide last Friday night in an excellent performance that highlighted why he is quickly becoming part of the Dockers' preferred backline. 

Those contests felt normal for the young Docker, but getting back to that position took a little bit of work after the McCarthy collision.

"It rocked me quite a bit at the time, and it rocked my family as well considering it was my first ever concussion and it was a pretty significant one as well," Worner told AFL.com.au this week. 

"But I think it just takes time and we're very lucky that we have the support that we do with the doctors and the rehab network at the club, and we were able to get me back to play at the right time and whenever I was comfortable and able to tick through the correct protocols.

"That gave me the confidence that when I came back that I was OK, and to be honest I found pretty quickly that I was able to go back out there and play the way that I wanted to due to the steps that are in place."

Adding to Worner's challenge was the fact he was playing away from family, with Mum Siv trying to arrange a flight to Perth that night before ex-Docker Josh Corbett could assure her the defender was being looked after.  

Worner returned through the WAFL after four weeks and didn't have his approach to the game properly tested until a clash with Swan Districts a few weeks later.   

"There was a groundball where I just sort of had to go. I just went really and didn't really think twice about it, and that was actually the first moment where I got quite a bit of confidence that it was OK," Worner said. 

"It probably did take a couple weeks to get back into the swing of things, but that was probably the first one that comes to mind where I thought, 'Hey all right, I'm good to go'."

Worner has now played the past five games for the Dockers, and six in total this season, to establish himself as a versatile defender who can lock down on small forwards and compete against taller opponents. 

He kept Adelaide forward Ben Keays goalless for the first time in 16 games and shapes as a potential opponent for equal Coleman Medal challenger Jack Higgins against St Kilda at Marvel Stadium.     

"It can be tricky playing on those small forwards, but it's something that I've really built into my game over the past couple of years," Worner said.  

"The big strength of our backline group is to be able to play multiple positions at any given time. 

"I think 'Drapes' (Josh Draper) and 'Chappy' (Heath Chapman), they quite often get the hard tasks against some of the best forwards in the game. 

"But I think that's why we really work well as a backline group because when we need to shift or need a handover, just because of the circumstances of the game, it just gets done no questions asked."

Worner has found himself opposed to much bigger opponents like Riley Thilthorpe and Tom Fullarton at different stages in the past two weeks, but a focus on adding strength to his frame has helped him compete. 

The Victorian has always been an elite runner after arriving as a wingman via pick No.8 in the 2021 Rookie Draft, but becoming stronger and more dynamic was required if he was going to play multiple positions. 

"My overall vision is just to try and keep getting better and better and just find small ways to continue to develop," Worner said. 

"I know I'm still very early into my AFL career and there's still a long way to go in the year, so I can still just try and find different ways to get better and do anything I can really to help the team win, because ultimately I love winning.

"The win on Friday night and being a part of that on such a special occasion was just such a good feeling. 

"So ultimately I want to try and just keep getting my game better and help win games for Fremantle."