Nat Fyfe has made his successful return from injury as Fremantle's sub in their 69-point win over Hawthorn on Saturday night.
Fyfe entered the game in the third term of the big Dockers win, impressing plenty in his first match since Round 1. The 31-year-old played both in the forward line and midfield as he collected 10 disposals and a goal, with senior coach Justin Longmuir admitting that a return to playing prominently in the midfield is on the cards as he builds fitness.
"We got him into the game at the right time and into the right role and he got a good taste for it. That's what we were hoping for (and) he can build off that," Longmuir said post-game.
"When he kicked his goal he was transitioning forward out of the midfield and he had a midfielder on him. They're the types of looks we want to get for him.
"We weren't getting what we wanted out of centre bounce, so to have that sort of player to be able to influence in different areas is handy.
"He'll get himself up to a level where he's been able to do the role we're asking, there's no doubt about that."
Fyfe played just under a half on his return, with Longmuir not ruling out the potential for the two-time Brownlow medalist to start as the sub again.
"You just get caught up in talking about where we're going to play him, how we're going to play him. I like to keep a few of those things under wraps, because it keeps the opposition guessing a little bit," Longmuir said.
"We'll look at the best way to prepare him to see out the season. Whether that's another game as the sub, or we play him and sub him out, or we play him and manage him through minutes. There's a lot of different options."
Fremantle, who now have a 3-5 record, will next face Sydney in Round 9.
