There was a worried look amongst Fremantle fans as they watched Luke McPharlin trudge through the warm-up before Saturday night’s AFL clash with Sydney.
McPharlin, who had only recently returned from an eight-week calf injury, shuffled around uncomfortably and didn’t even want to kick on his preferred right foot as Fremantle were put through their paces.
Was it his calf playing up again? Or perhaps his suspect hamstrings?
The supporters became even more worried when McPharlin continually came off the ground for treatment on his adductor during the 25-point preliminary final win.
But the 31-year-old allayed any injury fears on Sunday when he declared he would be fit to go for Saturday’s grand final against Hawthorn at the MCG.
“I’ve pulled up well,” said McPharlin, who is likely to match up on either Lance Franklin or Jarryd Roughead.
“I’m a bit casual in a warm-up sense. It’s fairly typical.
“I came off a little bit more in the game than I normally would.
“But given the way Sydney were structuring up, they weren’t playing three legitimate talls.
“So we had an opportunity for some of the tall defenders – myself, Michael Johnson and Zac Dawson – to come off a little bit more than we normally would and get a little bit of treatment on the sides.
“So yeah, no issues.”
Fremantle are expected to take an unchanged line-up into the grand final, but Hawthorn will be without Brendan Whitecross, who has torn his anterior cruciate ligament for the second time in the past 12 months.
All-Australian Dockers defender Johnson has been given the green light to face Hawthorn despite receiving regular treatment on his recently-healed calf against the Swans.