FREMANTLE'S Steven Dodd faces a long road back from shoulder and wrist surgery, with the defender bracing for a mid-2010 return.Dodd,
who played all 22 games in 2009 and finished 10th in Fremantle's best
and fairest count, had the two joints on his right arm reconstructed in
the off-season.The 26-year-old joined his second and third-year
teammates on day one of pre-season training, with Rhys Palmer, Ryan
Crowley, Michael Johnson and Des Headland also making early returns.But
while key midfielders Palmer and Crowley are on track for round one
next season, sports science manager Jason Weber said Dodd wasn't likely
to play until round 10."Somewhere around that - maybe a fraction earlier," Weber said from Fremantle Oval on Monday."It's
hard to say with how his shoulder responds and his wrist. His wrist was
a similar surgery to what Hayden Ballantyne had last year."They take a bone graft out of the hip and place it into the wrist, [so] it does take some time."Dodd
ran laps of Fremantle Oval on Monday and Weber said nursing the two
injuries through the summer would slow his rehabilitation across the
board.He added that the injuries, particularly the wrist, had burdened Dodd for large parts of the 2009 season."His
shoulder's been something that's come over probably the last 12 months.
He's had a number of small injuries that required the full surgery,"
Weber said."The wrist was one that he did early in the season
but he was able to play through it. He played with some significant
discomfort through the whole year."Fremantle had a full
complement of second and third-year players training on Monday with the
rest of the squad to return over the next two weeks.Five players
have also been given permission to train with the club, including
recently delisted AFL players Matt Riggio (North Melbourne) and Danny
Stanley (Collingwood). Riggio, 21, a second-round draft
selection in 2005, managed just 10 games with the Kangaroos after he
was recruited from WAFL club Peel Thunder.Stanley, 21, was also
recruited in the second round of the 2005 NAB AFL Draft, but only
managed five games in four seasons with Collingwood.WAFL players
Trent Dennis-Lane (Subiaco) and Kyle Hardingham (East Fremantle), both
21, also joined training on Monday and will look to follow defender
Greg Broughton's path into the AFL system.Casey Scorpions key
defender Alex Silvagni will train with the club over the pre-season.
The 22-year-old is the nephew of Carlton great Stephen Silvagni. At
this stage, Fremantle will take picks four, 20, 36, 48, 49, 52 and 68
to the 2009 NAB AFL Draft, while it has three spots vacant on its
rookie list.Newly-appointed development coach Simon Lloyd and
recruiting manager Neil Ross were also welcomed to the club on Monday
with Ross to be based in Melbourne for the lead-up to November's draft.