FREMANTLE will make a last-minute decision on returning utility Michael Johnson, with coach Mark Harvey declaring he will be named in the squad to take on Port Adelaide this Saturday.
Johnson, who was suspended by Fremantle for six matches and dropped from the club’s leadership group after facing drugs charges, is eligible to make his AFL return this week.
The 25-year-old was encouraging in his first WAFL hit-out on the weekend, and Harvey said fitness would not be a concern when the match committee decides whether to select him in the final 22 this week.
“He’ll train with the group tonight, we’re still going through that at selection, (but) he’s in the squad at this stage,” Harvey said from Subiaco Oval on Wednesday. “The pros and cons are whether he’s earned it and whether it fits in with what we’re doing on the weekend.
“He’s in the squad, so that would give you an indication that he’s not far away.
“We thought he played okay on the weekend, his attitude has been really good, it’s just whether the team is ready for Michael.”
Harvey, who said there would be no input from the leadership group when deciding if Johnson plays, was open to playing the utility alongside ruckmen Aaron Sandilands and Kepler Bradley, who has performed superbly throughout Johnson’s absence.
“I think Michael‘s a guy that can play in different positions - he’s effectively played back, wing, forward, ruck - so I wouldn’t think that’d be a problem in our side at the moment,” he said.
Harvey said star full-back Chris Tarrant was pushing through a “minor problem”, but it was nothing that would keep him out of Saturday’s clash.
The coach added that nobody was in doubt to open up a spot for Johnson, although midfielder Paul Hasleby had an injury scare at Wednesday’s training session, tweaking his left ankle and leaving the ground to have it re-strapped.
Harvey said Fremantle would need to select a good running side against Port Adelaide at Subiaco Oval, with Nick Suban a possible inclusion after missing the side’s round 13 win over Carlton with an elbow injury.
Port Adelaide will claim a club record losing streak if it loses its seventh straight match on Saturday, but Harvey said he would not be preparing any differently, despite the prospect of a fired up Power outfit.
“Every game is like that,” he said. “That’s the competition, that’s the nature of the competition, it’s unforgiving.
“They’ve had success, they’ve got a very sneaky coach who can come up with things that you don’t necessarily expect, (so) you plan for that.”
