Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir is wary of the need for his AFL ladder leaders to nail their preparation on return from a bye in the blockbuster clash with Geelong.
The Dockers are set to regain vice-captain Caleb Serong (calf) at Optus Stadium on Thursday night, and could also welcome back fellow midfielder Matthew Johnson (hamstring) and defender Brennan Cox (knee) from injuries.
The boost in personnel comes as Longmuir's men seek to pick up where they left off before the mid-season break, having posted a record 124-point mauling of North Melbourne last time out.
Teams across the competition have struggled to immediately find their feet after weeks off in recent seasons, especially when resuming against sides who were in action the previous round.
But Longmuir believes his players have returned from their spell with the right mindset to take on third-placed Geelong, who are the only team to have beaten Fremantle (12-1) this season.
"We're playing some really good footy at the moment and clearly you don't want to break that momentum at times, but I feel like our players have come back very keen and eager to get back into their work," Longmuir said.
"We've got a lot of trust in the fact that they'll go through their preparation and we'll show our best against Geelong."
Geelong recovered from almost six goals down to beat Fremantle by 10 points at home in round one, and are coming off a 45-point thrashing of Gold Coast last week.
"They're a really balanced team and all their phases connect really well," Longmuir said.
"They're really mature and they throw things around and throw different looks at the opposition.
"We couldn't quite get it done last time we played them, but we still played some good footy and got the game looking how we wanted for a good portion of it.
"So there's some positives to take out of that, but we just need to do it for longer."
Longmuir isn't particularly interested in suggestions Geelong could rest veteran match-winner Patrick Dangerfield, as he mulls over whether to tag Cats playmakers Bailey Smith or Max Holmes.
Serong's return after three matches on the sidelines is a huge boost for the Dockers for what shapes as a hotly contested battle between two of the competition's best midfield units.
"We've probably had the luxury of giving him an extra week off to make sure we get him right for the back half of the year," Longmuir said of three-time All-Australian Serong.
"I'd be surprised if he doesn't get through training and is not ready to play. It's a bit of a luxury to get him back."
Ruckman Sean Darcy is another player in the Dockers' selection mix, with two WAFL games under his belt after overcoming a calf injury.
