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Fremantle Dockers defender Hayden Young restricted to light duties after off-season surgery

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Mitchell WoodcockThe West Australian
Fremantle youngster Hayden Young  has been sidelined after surgery.
Camera IconFremantle youngster Hayden Young has been sidelined after surgery. Credit: Daniel Carson/AFL Photos

Luckless Fremantle youngster Hayden Young’s pre-season has been set back by a non-football related surgery which has forced the defender onto a modified program this month.

The Dockers have revealed Young had an abscess drained, which will force him to miss a significant part of the intense training in the lead up to Christmas.

Young was spotted at training on Monday, completing the running portion but not taking part in the more physical work.

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Fremantle football general manager Peter Bell said it would not put the young defender behind too much as he prepares for a third season in the AFL.

“Hayden has recently had a procedure for a non-football related issue. It involved a surgical procedure to drain an abscess,” Bell said.

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“Given he has completed a large amount of training over the leave period, we are confident that this will be only a minor interruption.”

It is the latest of a series of setbacks for the 20-year-old, who has managed just 13 games since being picked up by the Dockers with pick seven in the 2019 draft.

Young debuted in round two of the 2020 season, but played only five games before a syndesmosis injury prematurely ended his first year in the system.

The rebounding defender returned with a then career-best 19 disposals against Melbourne in round one of this year, before a high-grade hamstring injury sidelined him until round 19.

Young played the final five games of the season, shown plenty of promise, including a 23-disposal effort in the Dockers’ shock round 20 win over Richmond, earning him a rising star nomination.

Hayden Young has played just 13 games in two seasons because of injury.
Camera IconHayden Young has played just 13 games in two seasons because of injury. Credit: Michael Willson/AFL Photos

It comes as Fremantle skipper Nat Fyfe returned to the training track today, looking noticeably leaner than his last recorded playing weight of 92kg.

Fyfe is in a race to be fit for round one after multiple surgeries and a subsequent infection, which had the 30-year-old likely to return to full training in February.

Last month coach Justin Longmuir said Fyfe’s recovery would be a “long, slow process”.

“We expect him to be right and back into training by mid-February, if not late February and expect him to be right to go by the start of the season,” Longmuir told AFL.com.au.

“All is not lost, he’s got a pretty good bank of work under his belt so we expect him to come up to the mark pretty quick. I’m looking forward to him being ready for the start of the season.”

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