FREMANTLE will be boosted by the return of emerging star Adam Cerra for Sunday's clash with Essendon, but whether the 21-year-old pens a new deal at the Dockers remains to be seen.
Victorian-born Cerra comes out of contract at the end of this season and he has attracted plenty of interest from Melbourne-based clubs.
Fremantle has already tabled Cerra an offer, and coach Justin Longmuir said they wouldn't rush him into making a decision.
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"Yeah, it's been on the table for a while now," Longmuir said on Thursday.
"He's just weighing up his future. These things take time, and we're willing to give him time.
"He's clearly a big part of our future, we see him that way and that's why we've offered him the deal.
"These are big decisions young people have to make, and you have to make sure you cover them off the right way, so we'll give him as much time as he needs.
"All I can judge it by is his attitude, and his attitude has been first-class. He's really connected to the group, to his teammates and what we're trying to do."
Cerra has been grounded by a syndesmosis injury since the round-five win over Adelaide, but he'll slot straight back into the side against the Bombers at Marvel Stadium on Sunday.
Forward Sam Switkowski, who has recovered from a finger injury, will also go straight back in barring a late training setback.
"Clearly before they got injured they were both in good form, one through the middle of the ground and one up forward," Longmuir said.
"I really like that they bring us really strong contests, and they put good pressure on the opposition. It's something we haven't been good at the last couple of weeks, so those two areas would be great."
Defender Alex Pearce (ankle) is ready to play again, but he won't be seen at AFL level for at least two more weeks.
With Fremantle's WAFL affiliate Peel Thunder having a bye this weekend, Pearce will have to wait until next week to prove his fitness at the second-tier level.
Fremantle (4-4) has slipped to 10th following losses to West Coast (59 points) and Brisbane (24 points), and Longmuir is looking for an improved performance against the 15th-placed Bombers (2-6).
