Fremantle’s Mikayla Morrison set to return against Geelong after two seasons sidelined by injury
Fremantle forward Mikayla Morrison will play her first game after two seasons and double-ACL surgery in the Dockers’ clash with Geelong on Tuesday night.
The 22-year-old ruptured her left ACL in 2022 and then her right in 2023 and has spent 973 days fighting to return to the side.
She has been picked for Fremantle’s crucial game against the Cats and will boost a forward line still chasing cover for missing star Aine Tighe.
Midfield veteran Gabby O’Sullivan will also return after serving her one-match ban for striking and will replace Dana East, who has been ruled out of the next two games after sustaining a concussion in Friday’s victory over St Kilda.
Makaela Tuhakaraina has been omitted to make way for Morrison.
Camera IconFremantle coach Lisa Webb. Credit: Kelly Defina/Getty Images
Fremantle trained in Geelong on Monday and will face the Cats just four days after defeating the Saints in their taste of the AFLW’s fixture crunch.
The Dockers’ new-look forward line battled for accuracy against St Kilda and kicked 3.7 — plus a string of other missed opportunities — but coach Lisa Webb was unfazed as they begin life without Tighe.
“We left a few still out there but it’s the first time those girls have worked together which is an exciting one for us,” she said.
“Obviously, with the loss of Aine there’s the challenges with the makeup of that forward line, but I thought they handled it really well.
“Seeing TK’s (Kikoak) couple of goals and then Ari (Hetherington) had some really good contested marks down there, so it’s an exciting time for us, but it’s going to take a little bit of time to gel.”
Camera IconTunisha Kikoak. Credit: Kelly Defina/Getty Images
Best first-year player Aishling Moloney has booted seven goals across her past two games for the Cats, but Webb says her defenders are up to the challenge.
“We’ve got a few options for her, she’s been in great form as well, extremely athletic and we know she can certainly kick some really important goals. She’s going to be a challenge to come up against but our backs are in good form as well,” she said.
While the Cats have only had one win for the season, the Dockers wont be taking them lightly.
“I certainly wouldn’t underrate them I think they are a really good team. They were dominant against us last year they’ve got some fantastic players and they’ve had some really challenging games so we certainly don’t underestimate them,” Webb said.
“They’ve got high scoring power so certainly down in Geelong and playing on their home deck I think they’re going to be a real force to be reckoned with.”
Geelong will be without Kate Surman (concussion) and Amy McDonald (hamstring).
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