Fremantle coach Ross Lyon has urged young gun Nat Fyfe to play smarter in order to avoid getting into trouble on the football field.
The Dockers are weighing up whether to appeal the AFL tribunal’s decision to uphold Fyfe’s two-match ban for striking Hawthorn’s Jordan Lewis.
Fyfe’s legal team tried to argue that the midfielder’s hit on Lewis was reckless rather than intentional, and thus the ban should be reduced to one match.
But it was to no avail.
The Dockers have until 6pm AEST on Wednesday to decide whether to appeal that decision.
As it stands, Fyfe will miss games against Brisbane and Port Adelaide before returning for week one of the finals.
The 22-year-old has now been suspended for six games within the past two years, and Lyon said Fyfe needed to come up with better ways to deal with opposition niggling.
“Lewis himself in his early days frequented the tribunal. It’s just that competitive spirit,” Lyon said on Wednesday
“It’s about harnessing it in the right way.
“In the heat of the moment, it doesn’t take much to go wrong to find yourself in trouble.
“I’ve got no real concerns there. Nathan’s an incredibly intelligent guy, focused firmly on team success and I’m sure he’ll get the balance right.
“I think what gets lost with Nathan is he’s 22. But he’s a real emerging leader of this football club.
“He’s a really big influencer on and off the field, and he’s a pleasure to coach.”
The Dockers will also be without Michael Barlow for Sunday’s clash with Brisbane at the Gabba after the star midfielder broke his left thumb last week.
“It’s not ideal,” Lyon said of the loss of both Barlow and Fyfe.
“Straight away you lose 60 possessions and a couple of goals.”
Goalsneak Hayden Ballantyne is set to return after missing a week with a hamstring injury, while Anthony Morabito, Nick Suban, Matt de Boer and Garrick Ibbotson are others in line for a recall.
Defender Luke McPharlin (calf) is still at least three weeks away from resuming, meaning he’ll miss the first week of the finals and could struggle to force his way back into the side.
The Dockers sit fourth on the table, but could slip to fifth if they lose to Brisbane.