Fremantle Dockers season opener: Luke Ryan and Jaeger O’Meara confirmed out, Mason Cox named as emergency

Luke Ryan will be left out of Fremantle’s line-up for the first time in almost half a decade, while fellow veteran Jaeger O’Meara also won’t face Geelong as the Dockers fly east for their season opener. SCROLL DOWN TO SEE THE ROUND 1 SQUAD It comes as Mason Cox will likely have to wait for an AFL debut after travelling as an emergency with Sean Darcy the No.1 ruck. Ryan this week declared he was “ready to go” after a disrupted pre-season following a shoulder reconstruction, but has failed to make the grade at selection after Justin Longmuir provided multiple indications that he had fallen behind others in the defensive pecking order. It will spell an end to his 107-game streak of consecutive games - the third-longest run in club history - after he last missed a game in May of 2021. The Dockers revealed O’Meara suffered a low-grade hamstring injury during training this week, ruling out the 32-year-old after he was Fremantle’s leading disposal-getter in the corresponding match against Geelong last year. Luke Jackson, Sean Darcy and Cox were all part of the 26-man travelling party, with the former Magpie Cox joking he’s “never had to travel before.” However, coach Justin Longmuir will not unleash all three on Geelong, with Cox named as an emergency alongside Bailey Banfield and Hugh Davies, with Darcy set to be the No.1 ruck. Captain Alex Pearce has been declared fit after being listed as a test this week due to a calf injury, while Oscar McDonald will cover Brennan Cox’s spot as he recovers from his own calf injury. Exciting mature-aged recruit and former Geelong Falcon Tobyn Murray will have to wait to make his AFL debut, after small forward Isaiah Dudley and Sam Switkowski are both ahead of him in the squad. Geelong will be looking to atone for their poor performance in Opening Round and have recalled Jeremy Cameron and Patrick Dangerfield, who have both overcome injury. Former Dockers Academy and Peel Thunder product Mitch Edwards will also make his debut and will face the daunting prospect of curtailing Freo’s ruck threat. Fremantle will hope to get off to a better start than this time last year, when they fell to a disastrous 78-point loss at GMHBA Stadium. AFL legend Matthew Richardson said the time is now for the Dockers to prove they’re serious contenders. “What an opportunity to make a big statement. This team now has everything it needs to be a serious contender. A win at the Cattery would confirm what most people think,” he wrote in his column on The Nightly. “They are strong across all lines, and there doesn’t appear to be any holes in this squad now. The only criticism would be their style of play. “It’s time to unleash the shackles and play aggressive, assertive footy and with a bit more pace on the ball. There have been a few false Flagmantle dawns in the past. This one feels like it’s got more substance.” FREMANTLE’S ROUND 1 SQUAD B: K Worner O McDonald H Chapman HB: J Clark A Pearce J McVee C: C Wagner A Brayshaw M Johnson HF: I Dudley P Voss S Switkowski F: S Bolton J Treacy M Reid FOLL: S Darcy L Jackson C Serong I/C: B Walker J Amiss N O’Driscoll N Erasmus H Young EMG: M Cox B Banfield H Davies GEELONG B: C O’Sullivan J Henry S De Koning HB: T Stewart O Mullin L Humphries C: M O’Connor B Smith O Dempsey HF: B Close S Mannagh J Martin F: J Cameron S Neale P Dangerfield FOLL: M Blicavs T Atkins M Holmes I/C: Z Guthrie J Clark T Bruhn G Miers M Edwards EMG: J Bowes O Henry M Knevitt IN: J Cameron P Dangerfield M Edwards OUT: M Knevitt O Henry (both omitted) J Worpel (finger)