Corey Wagner is set to miss the start of the finals series after suffering a suspected pectoral injury against the Bulldogs

Corey Wagner is consoled by Sean Darcy after Fremantle’s win over the Western Bulldogs in round 24, 2025. Picture: AFL Photos

FREMANTLE utility Corey Wagner is set to miss the start of the finals series after being subbed out of Sunday’s 15-point win over the Western Bulldogs, but Sam Switkowski has escaped injury after ending the game on the bench. 

Wagner hurt his pec in the third quarter and was replaced by dual Brownlow medallist Nat Fyfe. 

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The 28-year-old will undergo scans when he returns to Perth, but Dockers coach Justin Longmuir is bracing for the flexible midfielder-defender to miss at least a few weeks with a tear.

“At this stage it looks like he might have giving a little tear to his pec, so not ideal,” Longmuir told reporters after Sunday’s win over the Western Bulldogs. 

“The severity we will work through and see when he is available. I’m not a medico, but it might cost him a few weeks. 

“He is disappointed, like all players are. He is such a great team man. He didn’t show it after the game and let it take any shine off the performance. That’s disappointing for him.”

Switkoswki was helped off Marvel Stadium by two trainers after a collision in the last quarter, but Longmuir said the pressure forward could have returned if required late. 

Fremantle (16-7) could have finished as low as ninth with a loss, but will now host an elimination final in week one.

“We seem to play our best footy against the better teams, as you saw for periods of the game tonight,” Longmuir said.

“We’ve had seven wins against the top nine sides now and our players will get a lot of belief and confidence out of that.

“The contested game seems to suit us, so I’m looking forward to it.”

Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge felt the Dockers’ size and strength at both ends was the difference on Sunday, and conceded his side had almost certainly blown their finals chance.

“There’s a lot of disappointment in all of that,” Beveridge said.

“Everyone’s as flat as a s**t-carter’s (hat), there’s no doubt about that.”

The Dogs aren’t entirely out of the finals race yet. If Essendon pulls off the most unlikely of wins against Gold Coast at People First Stadium on Wednesday night, the Suns will miss the top eight and the Bulldogs will sneak in. 

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But Beveridge made it clear he wasn’t expecting the injury-ravaged Bombers to save his side. 

“Essendon beating Gold Coast is as long a shot as there is, so we anticipate that our season’s probably done,” Beveridge said. 

“We’ve just got to now support the rest of the boys who have got a Footscray (VFL) finals series ahead of us.”

Beveridge said the Bulldogs would train as usual in the hope of an Essendon upset on Wednesday night.

“We’ll carry on like that slim chance is there,” Beveridge said.

“We’ll turn up Tuesday and have a flush run and process some things, and then we’ll obviously be attentive to what happens Wednesday.”