Fremantle Dockers coach Justin Longmuir disappointed for forward Matt Taberner after latest injury setback

Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir is disappointed for injury-prone spearhead Matt Taberner after his latest setback, just as he was returning to his best. After just one goal in two games heading into Saturday night’s finals-cementing win over Western Bulldogs at Marvel Stadium, Taberner had two in the first term alone. He finished with 2.1 and eight marks in just under three quarters before suffering a right calf strain with Liam Henry subbed on at the final change. “It’s disappointing because he was just starting to look like the Tabs of old,” Longmuir said. “He started marking the ball inside 50, his set shots were really strong and he was looking dangerous again so it’s disappointing for him and us. “We’ll rehab it and see what the rest of the year looks like.” Longmuir said while Taberner’s injury history may force the Dockers to be cautious with his return time frame, there wasn’t much time in left in the season to do that. He’s been restricted to 12 of a possible 20 games this season due to hamstring and back issues. The hulking Josh Treacy, who has only played four games this season, Bailey Banfield and in-form WAFL forward Sam Sturt will be the leading contenders for Taberner’s spot in next Saturday night’s western derby should he not get up. “We’ll see what the scan says and see what the doctors recommend for his time out but there’s not much of the season left to be too cautious so we’ll see how it pans out over the next couple of days,” Longmuir said. While one key forward went down, the other half of Freo’s twin-tower duo in Rory Lobb impressed Longmuir with a game-high four majors and six marks inside 50 in a monster performance. Longmuir also highlighted the method going inside attack which was lacking during their winless three-game run previously. “He was great,” Longmuir said. “And I thought our method going inside 50 was as good as it’s been in a few weeks. “Our forwards got on their bikes and started leading a bit more and we started rewarding them a little bit more on the lead. “I don’t know how many marks inside 50 we had (18) but it was probably the most we’ve had all year and Lobby was a big part of that.” Longmuir was pleased with his players’ approach to the game, coming off a dismal Friday night loss to reigning premiers Melbourne at Optus Stadium. “I loved the way the players approached the week,” he said. “They came to work knowing we hadn’t put in a good performance last Friday night and got to work. “We set the week up really well, they prepared themselves really well and I thought we were back to one of our more consistent performances of the year.”