FREMANTLE is preparing for Sunday's clash against Sydney to be held at the SCG, with coach Justin Longmuir not concerned about bringing captain Alex Pearce back from injury on the troubled surface.
The AFL has inspected the SCG this week and will return on Friday for a final inspection after concerns that the slippery and shifting playing surface presented injury risks during last week's clash between the Swans and Western Bulldogs.
Longmuir on Thursday said the club was expecting the game to go ahead at the SCG and had spoken to Pearce about returning from a hot spot in his shin at the ground, with the club and its key defender holding no concerns.
"If the AFL tick it off we'll play anyway. We discussed that with him (Pearce) and if he gets through training and what we ask of him today, he'll play no matter the surface," Longmuir said on Thursday.
"He'll have to complete the whole lot and then we'll just see how he pulls up. He put his hand up last week and he was trying to get up for that game.
"So that's a good sign when you have to hold a player back, so we're confident he'll get up, but he'll have to do the work."
SCG ground staff have been working since Saturday morning to prepare the ground, with confidence that the turf management plan would have the surface in suitable condition by Sunday after all training and other activities were removed from the venue this week.
Longmuir said the club would embrace any challenge presented by the surface and accept the AFL's view on the ground.
"Both teams will have to play on the same surface, so we'll embrace it and just get to work," he said.
"We've had a fair bit of practice at playing on slippery surfaces. Optus last year wasn't great and it was a bit slippery, so if that's all it is then we'll be able to handle it.
"We'll get a good look at the captain's run and the players will be well prepared with their boots and we'll get to work."
Longmuir expected the ruck battle between Luke Jackson, Sean Darcy and Swans star Brodie Grundy to be a good one, with the Sydney big man in "phenomenal" form.
"Last week, I thought he was the best player on the ground," the coach said.
"I might be biased because I look at the big boys a bit more, but I thought his influence on the game was huge.
"It's going to be a challenge for Luke and Sean but it's a good opportunity to throw two different guys at him.
"The fact that both our rucks are slightly different in the way they will approach it and they'll throw a couple of different things at him."
Dual Brownlow medallist Nat Fyfe will sit out Sunday's clash after confirmation he would miss at least two weeks with a calf injury suffered during a half-time warm-up last Friday night.
Longmuir said his advice to the champion midfielder had been to complete his rehab as best as possible present himself for selection.
"Last time he was meticulous, and we played him as the sub the week he was ready," Longmuir said.
"I'm not guaranteeing that, but he's got to put the disappointment aside, which he's a pro and he will, and rehab it the best he can and yeah come back like he did last time."
On the fitness of veteran forward Michael Walters, who is a week-to-week proposition with knee soreness, Longmuir said the club would likely look for "off-site" support to help the club great return.
"It's frustrating for him, frustrating for us, but we'll see where it lands," Longmuir said.
"He's working through his knee issue at the moment and we're probably going off-site to get some recommendations on what we can do in the short term."
