Injury-plagued Fremantle midfielder Hayden Young can’t ‘bulletproof’ himself ahead of AFL return

Star Fremantle midfielder Hayden Young concedes he will be at a higher risk of injury when he returns from his adductor niggle in time for the club’s AFL finals campaign.

Young, playing just his third match back from hamstring surgery, tweaked his groin while laying a tackle in Fremantle’s 27-point win over Carlton on Sunday.

No concrete timeline has been set for Young’s return but it’s believed he will miss at least two weeks, giving him a chance to return for Fremantle’s final-round clash with the Bulldogs.

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If the Dockers take a conservative approach, Young will return for the first week of the finals, giving him a month to recover.

Young’s two hamstring tears this year means he has tallied just seven AFL games for the campaign — on the back of a compromised pre-season preparation.

The 24-year-old is well aware his lack of foundation will leave him somewhat vulnerable when he makes his playing return in the coming weeks.

“The reality is, when you don’t have a full pre-season and you don’t have continuity in your body, you’re at a higher risk of injury,” Young told 96FM.

“That’s something I’ve got to manage going forward.

“When I go back out on the field, I don’t have the amount of work in my body the rest of the boys have.

Hayden Young is set for a stint on the sidelines after an injury in Fremantle's win over Carlton. Credit: AAP

“I’ve got to prepare really well to prevent these things from happening.

“There’s no little fix or something I can do in the next two weeks to bulletproof my body.

“I have to prepare the best I can, have faith in the medical staff, and hope my body holds up.”

Young is so important to Fremantle’s midfield set-up that Essendon great Matthew Lloyd went as far as declaring the Dockers won’t be able to win the flag without the skilful on-baller.

Fremantle (14-6) have won 10 of their past 11 games to be right in the hunt for a prized top-four berth, and they’ll start as hot favourites in Saturday night’s clash with struggling Port Adelaide (8-12) at Adelaide Oval.

The Dockers then round out their home-and-away campaign with games against Brisbane (home) and the Bulldogs (away).