THE IMPENDING return of luckless midfielder Anthony Morabito has his Fremantle teammates very excited, defender Zac Dawson says.
On Tuesday night, Freo coach Ross Lyon flagged the possibility of Morabito playing as the substitute in Sunday's Western Derby, on the proviso he was cleared by the WAFL Tribunal for a rough conduct charge.
The 22-year-old had the charge dismissed and is now in line for a return to senior ranks almost four years and three knee reconstructions on from his last appearance in the 2010 semi-final against Geelong.
Speaking exclusively to AFL.com.au, Dawson said regardless of whether Morabito played or not, the Fremantle squad was thrilled with how well the midfielder had recovered.
"It's an unbelievable story," Dawson said.
"It's been a long journey and a pretty grinding one for him. As you can probably imagine it's a pretty exciting time for him.
"Whether he plays, whether he doesn't, he's still thereabouts and that's the most exciting part."
Morabito did not train on Wednesday but that is not unusual, as a number of senior Fremantle players are managed regularly during the week.
One man who did train and is a prospect to return this week is Michael Barlow. The 26-year-old has been itching to play since injuring his knee against Gold Coast in round two.
Dawson said Barlow had been bugging the match committee constantly and was a likely inclusion this week.
"He's been saying he's been right for three weeks so I'd say so," Dawson said.
The experienced key defender said the mood amongst the group was upbeat despite consecutive losses, to the Sydney Swans and North Melbourne.
He also said the players needed to be more disciplined to avoid the unnecessary suspensions that have hurt the club so far this season. Dawson himself was a culprit, missing the Grand Final rematch with Hawthorn in round three because a one-week ban for tripping.
"It's something that we try to avoid," Dawson said.
"The undisciplined ones are the ones that you don't want. The ones that are in the contest are some things that you can't avoid. The ones behind the ball are things that we want to get rid of. Hopefully we can move on and go forward."
Dawson is preparing for a tough afternoon against West Coast on Sunday where he will likely have to match up on Josh Kennedy, Jack Darling, and resting ruckmen at different stages.
"(West Coast) will probably (play) all three talls," Dawson said.
"Usually I rotate through them all. Usually the deepest player is the one I'll be playing on, so they'll rotate usually through there."
