Judd McVee will return to the Fremantle lineup at the expense of Brandon Walker, after the latter succumbed to the ankle injury he sustained in the Dockers' qualifying final loss to Hawthorn.
Walker was brought in for McVee to quell Nick Watson - one of the game's most daunting challenges - and was struggling to do so, before a nasty ankle roll ended his night early.
The former Demon has played 21 games under Justin Longmuir in his first season in purple, but has found himself on the fringes at the wrong time of the season.
Dockers coach Justin Longmuir addressed the selection call on Thursday afternoon, and was expansive when asked why McVee was dropped initially.
“I'm not going to give too much away with roles, but he'll clearly play down back. I can't give you any others (selection calls)," Longmuir said.
“Probably a bit similar to a few - just (needs to) trust himself. I think when he's playing his best footy, he's playing on instinct and just trusting his ability. He's seen his contest drop away a little bit. The pressure of others playing really well at Peel found him out of the team, but when he's playing his best footy he's working with his teammates well, trusting his read on the ball, and trusting himself in the contest, and the rest will flow off that."
It is further bitterly disappointing news for Walker, whose cameo against the Hawks was just his second appearance at the top level in 2026 - the first being the Dockers' Round 1 loss at the Cats' hands.
Last off-season, Fremantle parted with Pick 23 to secure McVee as part of a mega trade that also sent Brandon Starcevich to the West Coast Eagles.
The Geraldton product managed 65 games at the Demons after being picked up in the 2021 Rookie Draft, and chased a move home to Western Australia fervently at the end of last season.
