Fremantle Dockers coach Justin Longmuir reveals Sean Darcy recovering well, Mason Cox in western derby frame

Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir says ruckman Sean Darcy is recovering well from a heavy concussion sustained in Friday night’s clutch victory over Collingwood while giving the best indication yet former Pie Mason Cox will debut in the western derby.

Darcy sparked concerns for his well-being as he groggily left Adelaide Oval in the first half of the six-point win that has moved the Dockers into second on the table just over a month into the campaign.

The 27-year-old also looked unwell as he joined his teammates in singing the club song, clearly dazed and swaying.

However, Longmuir revealed positive news on Monday evening, saying the injury-prone ruckman had recovered well over the weekend.

“He’s bounced back well,” he told AFL360.

“The concussion and the headaches have gone. He’s still got a bit of soreness in his neck, but we expect that to resolve itself. We don’t think there’s any structural damage there.

“So, he’s entered the protocols and will tick off the boxes as they need. It was disappointing to lose him so early, and it’s disappointing for him because, as everyone knows, he’s just getting back into footy.”

While a fortnight on the sidelines is a setback for Darcy, who has battled numerous soft tissue injuries in recent seasons that even saw him fly to Qatar to see a specialist, his departure opens the door for an extraordinary debut for American-born big man Cox, who joined the men in purple via free agency in the off-season.

The premiership-winning Magpie has been made to wait as Fremantle stuck with Luke Jackson and Darcy as a dual ruck threat in the opening rounds of the year.

However, Cox has been in rare form in the WAFL, drawing praise from Peel Thunder and Fremantle staff as well as opposition players after racking up 34 hitouts to go with 19 disposals and six inside 50s against Claremont.

He could have had two goals had he kicked straight. And now, it seems he is set to become the latest player to make a western derby debut in purple.

“It’s definitely a chance (to play),” Longmuir said.

“It’s the model we’ve gone with for a while now, and especially the last year and a half, so we’ll discuss that later in the week.“

“He’s in good form at Peel Thunder, and he’ll definitely put his hand up. I don’t think there’s been any doubt whether he’s AFL ready or not; it’s been more about the opportunity, but we’ve also hopefully got a couple of players returning this week, so we’ll just have to look at the structure of the team.”

“He was looking forward to playing on the weekend; he was pretty disappointed when I told him he wasn’t going to face his old mob, but he’ll be up for any game, I imagine.”

Claremont ruckman Oliver Eastland told The West Australian that Cox was “one of the best” opponents he’d ever faced in his career, despite having battled the likes of Darcy, Hawthorn’s Lloyd Meek, and even West Coast premiership big man Nathan Vardy.

“In the first quarter, I was a bit overawed by his height. I played him in the pre-season game, but today was another intensity,” he told The West Australian.