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Dockers injury boost for Power start

There were positive signs at Fremantle training this morning as a raft of players under an injury cloud trained strongly.

Hayden Ballantyne (calf), Nick Suban (hamstring), Tendai Mzungu (hamstring), Matt Taberner (Achilles) and Hayden Crozier (ankle) all appeared untroubled at Fremantle Oval this morning as they tried to prove their fitness for Sunday’s season opener against Port Adelaide at Domain Stadium.

Ballantyne, Suban, Mzungu, Taberner and Crozier must pass fitness tests this week after struggling with injuries which cropped up late in the pre-season.

They all joined the main group today, with all players hitting the track except long-term injury victims Zac Dawson (groin), who is more than a month away from playing, and Anthony Morabito (TBC knee).

Ballantyne, Suban, Mzungu and ruckman Zac Clarke also completed a series of sprints at full pace on the boundary before rejoining teammates for drills.

Michael Barlow, Danyle Pearce and Paul Duffield, who all played for Peel Thunder in the WAFL on Saturday, also appeared to have pulled up well after training with the main group today.

Youngsters Alex Pearce and Ed Langdon were on light duties while the session was open to the media, while promising draftee Connor Blakely was pulled away from the main group for some drills.

Defender Alex Silvagni was on the track despite the club having said he was facing another month on the sidelines with a hamstring injury.

The 27-year-old was restricted to stretching and some light jogging.