Fremantle must take a patient and conservative approach to the return of ruckman Sean Darcy. If that means a significant stint at Peel Thunder in the WAFL, then so be it.
Darcy Dilemma
The Dockers’ ruck combination has been a hot topic all season. With their forward line, midfield and defence all settled, it seems to be the only question hanging over the team headed into the second half of the season.
Darcy hasn’t played since round five because of a concussion and then a calf injury. In the meantime, the Dockers have not skipped a beat with Luke Jackson supported by Mason Cox in the middle.
On Tuesday, Darcy was listed as a week or two away from being fit, meaning coach Justin Longmuir will have to consider when to name him sooner rather than later.
Cox has so far failed to cement himself in the side in the absence of Darcy, leaving the door ajar for the 27-year-old to return when fit.
What is clear is that Darcy needs to be at his best to ensure his comeback doesn’t disrupt the Dockers’ momentum. Instead of rucking him back, Fremantle should send Darcy to Peel Thunder for at least a fortnight, and maybe even up to a month, to regain form and fitness.
Darcy can start with managed minutes and then get towards about 75 per cent game time, showing he can play nearly a full game just in case he is called upon to do so.
It is clear that Jackson is the number one ruckman at Cockburn, but should disaster strike and the mercurial footballer pick up an injury, Fremantle need a back-up plan. A half-fit Darcy is not going to cut it. So even if he is only required to play around 50 per cent game time when Jackson is fit and firing, he must be prepared to handle more of the load if called upon.
Fremantle shouldn’t even consider playing Darcy before the bye, and even then, he must meet several key markers of fitness and form before he is in the selection mix. The Dockers are the real deal in 2026, and they must take a no-risk approach to the rest of the year to ensure they don’t let a golden opportunity for a maiden flag slip through their fingertips.
Time For Eagles To Hunt
West Coast should embrace the next three-game stretch where they can firmly cement that the rebuild is well and truly on track.
Many laughed at and questioned my suggestion that the Eagles could win five to six games this season after only the solitary victory last year. Well, they’re on track to maybe even exceed that expectation courtesy of upset victories against Port Adelaide and Greater Western Sydney, as well as a strong home victory against North Melbourne.
Other than the slip-up against Richmond in round eight, as well as a pair of disappointing triple-point thrashings, Andrew McQualter’s outfit has shown positive signs.
In the next three weeks, the Eagles have the luxury of every game being at home at Optus Stadium before the bye. During that time, they take on an injury-hit and downtrodden Essendon, the Power under lights, and then are the “away” team against the Kangaroos, who sold two home games to the West Australian Government.
West Coast should aim to win two of these at a minimum, but in an ideal world, they should walk away with three wins headed into the bye and plenty of confidence headed into the second half of the season. They come out of the bye and then take on Carlton, who have plenty of issues as well, and a win there isn’t out of the question.
Potential targets like Chad Warner, Trent Rivers, and Mitch Georgiades need evidence that the Eagles are moving forward. Being able to show them a month of solid form with a series of wins will surely only help convince them to return to WA.
Most importantly, as McQualter has pointed out on several occasions, winning is a habit, and the Eagles need to make it such once again. Meeting expectations and claiming wins they should bank is an ideal start.
They need to learn from the lessons of the past, carry the burden of being favourites, and show that McQualter, John Worsfold, and Don Pyke have this team moving towards success. A month at home with three winnable games — a rebuilding team rarely gets a chance to make a big splash in such a favourable fixture. West Coast, it’s up to you now to stand tall.
Voss Recruitment
Speaking of West Coast, they should look to make a move from the past and bring in Michael Voss in a role as part of their football department.
In 2008, Voss signed on as an assistant coach at the Eagles before he was unexpectedly given the role as coach of Brisbane, where he is a three-time premiership captain. The Brownlow medallist has not been able to make his mark as a senior coach at both the Lions and Carlton, but from all reports, he was an influential assistant coach at Port Adelaide under Ken Hinkley.
Some coaches are better in the passenger seat rather than behind the wheel, and maybe that is the case for Voss. If so, West Coast should make an approach to Voss to see if he wants to have any sort of role at their club to help the likes of Harley Reid, Willem Duursma, and the rest of the young stars develop.
Voss as a full-time assistant might be the ideal job for the AFL champion, but even if the Eagles can get him in a part-time mentor role, it would only help. Imagine if Voss spent a few weeks at the club pre-season and then for patches in season working with the likes of Reid and Duursma on how to take that next step to becoming absolute superstars of the AFL.
Voss has done it all as a player. He has led great teams at a non-Victorian club that has battled against the odds to reach the ultimate success. And again, while he hasn’t made it in the head coaching role, there is surely some knowledge he could pass on to McQualter and his assistants to help the Eagles’ development.
There are cries for the Eagles to add experience on the field, but experience off it is just as important, and there are few with more knowledge of the game than Voss.
