FREMANTLE is hopeful that star stand-in skipper Michael Walters escaped Monday night's loss to Geelong purely with cramp, having limped from the field in the dying stages nursing his hamstring.
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The wounded Dockers endured a night to forget at Optus Stadium, restricted to the second-lowest score in the club's history and finishing with three players sidelined on the bench due to injury.
Darcy Tucker came from the field in the opening stages of the contest and failed to return due to a hamstring strain, while Walters and ruckman Sean Darcy also suffered hamstring issues towards the end of the contest.
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Brennan Cox had earlier been a late withdrawal from the match, having failed to recover from an ongoing hip complaint. He was subsequently replaced by young debutant Tobe Watson.
However, Fremantle should regain superstar captain Nat Fyfe (hamstring) for next Sunday's clash with Collingwood, while Jesse Hogan (calf) and Sam Sturt (ankle) are also an outside chance to return to the side.
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The injury carnage came as Fremantle kicked just 2.4 (16) for the entirety of the match, only narrowly evading the unwanted record of the lowest score in the club's 26-year history as Geelong eased to a 32-point win in wet conditions.
"There is a concern (with Walters)," Dockers coach Justin Longmuir said.
"We're hoping it's cramp. That's probably the diagnosis at the moment, but we'll see how it pulls up. We'll scan him and fingers crossed it is cramp.
"It's definitely a hamstring strain (for Tucker). It looks like it's a bad one at this stage, but until you get it scanned and get the results back it's hard to comment. But he's definitely done something."
Six goals ultimately proved enough for Geelong to record victory in trying conditions.
The Cats will now lick their wounds ahead of a crucial encounter with the in-form Eagles next Saturday night, with captain Joel Selwood (hamstring) and experienced midfielder Jack Steven (managed) a chance to return.
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Ruck duo Rhys Stanley (knee) and Darcy Fort (foot) have already been ruled out, as well as forward Luke Dahlhaus (foot), but onballer Quinton Narkle (hamstring) will attempt to prove his fitness later this week.
"I'm optimistic (about Selwood)," Cats coach Chris Scott said.
"I know from the outside, and I would think this way as well if I didn't see him train and talk to him every day, that why wouldn't you just give him the extra week? We're sort of thinking that this might be the extra week.
"He was pretty close this week, but we play on Saturday and then we play again the following Wednesday. We'd need to be really sure, but it's on the table.
"We're taking the long view with (Steven). We've had a plan in place for quite a while that's going to involve some things that are hard to understand from the outside.
"He's got a training program that we think will have him right to play throughout this little period with short breaks, but we don't intend to play him every week."
