FREMANTLE coach Justin Longmuir says his ladder-leading team can be trusted to hit the ground running after the bye and continue a brilliant run of form, with the Dockers preparing to welcome back up to four first-choice players for Thursday night's blockbuster against Geelong.
Star midfielder Caleb Serong appears certain to return from a calf injury after being given extra time to recharge for the second half of the season, while key defender Brennan Cox (knee) and midfielder Matt Johnson (hamstring) also trained fully on Monday and look ready to take on the Cats.
Ruck Sean Darcy was particularly impressive on the track after two strong WAFL performances, with the big man moving well and laying a big tackle during a handball drill that lifted his teammates.
Longmuir said the Dockers had proved over their club-record 12-game winning streak that they had the hunger needed to switch on quickly after the bye and produce their best football against the only team that has beaten them this season.
"We've got a lot of trust in this playing group. They've earned that trust over the last 12 weeks, and they've been able to show up really consistently and then perform really consistently," Longmuir said on Monday.
"We spoke about it a little bit before the bye, but ever since they've been back they've been keen to get back into it.
"Clearly you don't want to break that momentum at times … but we've got a lot of trust in the fact that they'll go through their preparation, and we'll show our best against Geelong."
Darcy, Cox and Johnson all took part in match practice alongside Serong on Monday, giving the Dockers' match committee some tough decisions to make at selection this week.
Serong has missed three games with a calf injury and was held back from the 124-point win against North Melbourne in Bunbury after travelling to Brisbane with the team the week prior for specialist treatment.
"We probably had the luxury of giving him an extra week off to make sure we get him right for the back half of the year," Longmuir said of his three-time club champion.
"I'd be surprised if he didn't get through training and be ready to play. It's a bit of a luxury to get him back.
"We'll get through training and see where everyone sits. There's still a few boxes for players to tick (but) we're expecting a couple back."
The Dockers have been keen to build Darcy's fitness to the point where he can ruck close to a full game if needed, with the 27-year-old enjoying a break over the bye but completing his own work with slightly adjusted loads.
His most recent WAFL performance saw him rack up 21 disposals, 27 hitouts and three inside 50s in a hard-running performance that saw him cover the ground well and ramp up his push for a recall after a month-long calf injury.
"He did slightly different loads to some of the players [over the bye], but it was more about giving him a bit of a rest as well," Longmuir said.
"He'd done a lot of work in rehab and obviously the two games back at WAFL level. His loads were slightly different, but it wasn't a big difference to the rest.
"He's been in good form in the WAFL. We'll sit down after training and have a chat about whether he comes in or whether he keeps building his form. We haven't made a call on it yet."
Longmuir said the scenario of facing Geelong after a bye was different to the round one clash when the Dockers had a week off while the Cats played in Opening Round.
Fremantle lost that match at GMHBA Stadium after leading by 35 points before half-time, but Longmuir said there were positives to come out of their only loss so far this season.
"We understand the scenario and we couldn't quite get it done last time we played them, but we still played some good footy and got the game looking how we wanted to for a fair portion of it," Longmuir said.
"So there were some positives to take out of that, but we just need to do it for longer."
