Decision on Casserly black and white
Swan Districts coach Greg Harding is set to roll the dice and recall 2010 premiership defender Travis Casserly for today's game against East Fremantle at ATOM Stadium.
All-Australian under-18 Connor Blakely, Casserly and Brandon Jetta were rushed into the Swans 22 in a game the club needs to win to guarantee a home first semifinal, most likely against the Sharks, in two weeks.
Casserly last played in the league team in round nine, injuring a quad in their 16-point win over Claremont at Steel Blue Oval on May 17.
The 27-year-old has proved his fitness with two solid hit-outs in the reserves, finishing with 21 possessions and six marks against East Perth two weeks ago, and 26 disposals and four marks last Saturday against South Fremantle.
Casserly missed the 2011 and 2012 seasons after testing positive to a performance-enhancing drug following the black and whites' 2010 grand final victory.
He paid a high price for taking pseudoephedrine (cold tablets) during the season decider when Swan Districts beat Claremont by a point.
The quad injury is the latest setback for Casserly who was restricted to four senior matches in 2013 after breaking a leg in his second game back.
Harding said he was confident Casserly was ready for the rigours of league football.
"We probably considered bringing Trav straight back in a few weeks ago but decided on a plan of attack to have him right for the first final," Harding said.
"The plan is working really nicely at the moment. He was probably further advanced than what we thought he would be when he stepped out against East Perth two weeks ago.
"He came off a six-day break from that first outing and was really strong last week in a losing side. We are really confident he can play 80 or 90 minutes of strong WAFL footy."
Harding said Casserly was set to play a vital role in coming weeks as the team tries to push deep into the finals series.
"He's going to be really important for us because he brings composure, good ball use and he gives you great penetration with his feet, areas of our game we have been battling with in the past couple of weeks," he said.
East Fremantle's poor effort against Swan Districts in round eight when they lost by 10 goals prompted Steve Malaxos to move out of the coaches box and on to the boundary line to better get his message to his players.
An inept display against South Fremantle three weeks ago when they lost by 43 points convinced Malaxos that, after 10 weeks, the experiment had run its course.
"It had lost its edge," Malaxos said.
Malaxos will steer the Sharks into their second finals campaign after four seasons at the club that have included grand final appearances in the WAFL in 2012 and the Foxtel Cup last year.
Victory over Swans would be his 50th as a league coach.
