Sean Darcy: Walyalup (Fremantle) won’t play at any level this weekend after pulling up sore from training

Sean Darcy has been ruled out of a potential Dockers return this weekend, with the AFL club set to take a conservative approach with the ruck star after he pulled up sore from Wednesday’s training session. Darcy had been eyeing a return against Yartapuulti (Port Adelaide) on Saturday night after missing last week’s win over GWS with a knee issue. But as debate rages around what the best ruck set-up looks like for Walyalup (Fremantle), coach Justin Longmuir revealed Darcy was out of contention to play at any level this week. “Firstly, we’ve got to get him back to full fitness, and that’s not going to happen this week,” Longmuir said on SEN. “He didn’t pull up great after the session yesterday. Not bad, just not quite 100 per cent. “So he won’t be available for selection this week.” It means Darcy will have played in just 17 of the Dockers’ past 40 matches, including being substituted out of three of those games. Luke Jackson will again take the bulk of ruck responsibilities on Saturday, coming off a strong showing against the Giants where he earned five votes in the AFL Coaches Association’s Champion Player of the Year award. Longmuir reiterated the Dockers’ “horses for courses” approach to their ruck-set-up and said he was steadfast in his belief that Darcy and Jackson would form a potent on-field combination when both fit. “The way I see Luke and Sean... they’ve only really had half a game together, and that was the Collingwood game (round nine),” Longmuir said. “The St Kilda game (the week prior) - Jacko was coming back from four or five weeks out with a hamstring injury and probably wasn’t up to full ruck time. And in that game against Collingwood, with those two in it, we had 30 more inside-50s than the best team in the comp. “I think that combination can work. I think it’s been really unfortunate that we haven’t had them together often enough through injury.” The Dockers have one game after Saturday’s home clash - a road trip to the Gold Coast to take on the Suns - before their mid-season bye in round 13.