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Fremantle AFL coach bristles at Fyfe focus

Michael RamseyAAP
Dockers' Nat Fyfe back after injury and on the ball in their AFL win over Port Adelaide in Perth.
Camera IconDockers' Nat Fyfe back after injury and on the ball in their AFL win over Port Adelaide in Perth. Credit: AAP

Nat Fyfe's revised AFL role might be the subject of intrigue but don't expect Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir to provide a running commentary.

Fyfe played almost entirely at half-forward on Sunday as the Dockers survived an almighty scare from Port Adelaide to run out eight-point winners at Optus Stadium.

In his third match since recovering from a serious shoulder and back injury, Fyfe was virtually unseen at the centre bounces - the terrain where Fremantle's powerfully-built skipper plied his trade on the way to two Brownlow Medals.

It mattered little as an Andrew Brayshaw-led engine room powered the Dockers to a hard-fought 15.9 (99) to 14.7 (91) victory.

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But Longmuir bristled when asked whether Fyfe's change of scenery would be a permanent move.

"We'll play it by ear. I'm just not going to sit here and give the opposition a head start on what we're doing with Nathan Fyfe every week," he said.

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"It's supposed to be a secret, some of this stuff. And we're supposed to be able to go into a game and catch the opposition off.

"But I get asked 15 questions a week on where Fyfe is going to start his game time, his mid-forward split.

"Give the guy a break. We all want him back to his best and it's going to take a little bit of time.

"I thought he took a good step forward today and he was instrumental when we were playing our best footy."

Fyfe was held to just 11 disposals and two clearances in last week's 31-point loss to Carlton, a game in which the Dockers midfield was soundly beaten.

Longmuir said Fyfe and his midfield teammates had since been given clarity on their roles which "took a little bit of the confusion out of it for us".

The 30-year-old finished with 21 touches against the Power and slotted his second goal of the season.

"I don't think last week was because he was in the midfield. We had a lot of players down all over the ground," Longmuir said.

"He holds a lot of the blame sometimes when he's just one of 18 guys on the field."

The win over the Power lifted Fremantle a game clear in fourth position ahead of Saturday's clash with fellow finals hopefuls St Kilda.

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