Fremantle captain Nat Fyfe and coach Justin Longmuir have shut down claims from former Fremantle assistant Peter Sumich that Fyfe's shoulder injury could be career-ending.
Fyfe has had his career plagued by shoulder setbacks, with his pre-season again hindered by surgery, causing him to miss the opening rounds of 2022, while recent back surgery has pushed back a season debut for the star midfielder.
Speaking to SportFM, Sumich claimed that the 30-year-old's shoulder was continuing to cause him serious issues after another hampered pre-season and could be "deteriorating really, really badly".
"He'd be nearly done and dusted if his shoulder can't come up," Sumich said.
"I'm hearing he's having a lot of trouble with contact, can't even touch his shoulder."
However, Longmuir was quick to shut down such claims when speaking to 7 News Perth on Tuesday night, with the Fremantle coach labelling Sumich's claims as "categorically wrong".
"At the moment, his shoulder's going fine. He's really comfortable in the progression he's made and the work he's put into that shoulder and feels like its strength is really strong," Longmuir said.
Nat Fyfe also put an end to such claims, declaring that he is almost certain to make his return to the field this season.
"Shoulder's fine, back will recover fully and I will be playing footy this year for sure," Fyfe told Triple M Perth.
The three-time All-Australian's back injury is expected to keep him out for at least six weeks. With Longmuir "positive" about Fyfe's recovery with the club expecting him to return to running "in the next couple of weeks".
