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Fremantle vice-captain Michael Walters ruled out of Bulldogs clash due to injury, Liam Henry returns

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Braden QuartermaineThe West Australian
VideoDockers coach Justin Longmuir talks Griffin Logue, Jesse Hogan and finals heartbreak.

Fremantle star Michael Walters will miss tomorrow’s final-round match against the Western Bulldogs after breaking down with a serious foot injury.

Scans this week revealed ligament damage in the forward’s right foot, opening the door for teenage livewire Liam Henry to return to face the Bulldogs in Cairns.

Walters will spend his 14-day quarantine period on returning to Perth in a moon boot and the injury is likely to impact the start of his pre-season training program.

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Dockers football manager Peter Bell said the 29-year-old would not need an operation “at this stage”.

Henry, 19, will play just his third senior game, and his first since round 14, as Fremantle aim to finish their 2020 campaign with a third-straight victory.

The Dockers made two changes, with Reece Conca returning from hamstring tightness in place of Tobe Watson. They left out key defender Griffin Logue, deciding the risk outweighed the reward after Logue’s recovery from the serious toe injury that has sidelined him since round five.

The game will decide the final spot in the top eight after Melbourne’s win over Essendon yesterday tipped the Bulldogs out of eighth.

The Bulldogs must win to play finals and if Fremantle wins, the Demons will grab eighth spot and prepare for a likely trip west to face West Coast in an elimination final.

The Dockers will miss the finals for the fifth straight season, but their ladder finish will be their highest since they last played finals in 2015.

Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir said his side would be motivated by pride rather than being able to end the Dogs’ season.

“We haven’t spoken about that at all to be honest. We’ve spoken about the motivation of playing for the jumper,” Longmuir said.

Liam Henry of the Fremantle Dockers celebrates after scoring his first AFL goal.
Camera IconLiam Henry of the Fremantle Dockers celebrates after scoring his first AFL goal. Credit: Will Russell/AFL Photos/AFL Photos via Getty Images

“There’s an expectation at our footy club that when you go out there and pull the jumper on, you play for each other and you give your all all the time.

“It’s really clear that they’re building this up as an elimination final for them, so we expect them at their best.”

Longmuir believed his side wouldn’t have looked out of place in the finals and could have “ruffled some feathers”. A win today would improve their season ledger to 8-9 and 8-5 since dropping their first four games.

The Dockers have beaten finalists St Kilda and Collingwood and possible finalist Melbourne.

“We’ve beaten some teams in the eight, which shows we’ve been competitive against sides above us at times,” Longmuir said.

“We’ve improved week-in, week-out. So I’d like to think if we had have made it we could have ruffled some feathers.”

The Bulldogs brought in Easton Wood and Patrick Lipinski for injured pair Toby McLean and Matt Suckling.

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