Freo set to welcome back captain Pearce, short injury stints remain for group of Indigenous stars

Jarred Cross Published May 27, 2026 at 11.00am (AWST)

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Alex Pearce is available for selection after missing three weeks with a knee injury as the Dockers look to go 11 on the trot. (Image: Richard Mainwright/AAP)

A flying Fremantle is expected to be bolstered by the return of skipper Alex Pearce, while the Swans will be without a 2026 star recruit in Round 12.

Pearce, who's been sidelined since suffering a low-grade MCL strain in his left knee three weeks ago, got through the Dockers' main session on Tuesday and is available for selection for their trip to face back-to-back premiers Brisbane on Saturday afternoon.

His side sit a game clear at the top of the AFL ladder at the mid-way point of the season having extended their all-time club record win streak to 10 in Friday's five-goal win over St Kilda.

The update on Pearce comes with news on a number of Indigenous stars across the competition.

Malcolm Rosas Jr was taken off the field early in Sydney's loss to Geelong on Saturday afternoon.

The rolled ankle will require a short period of rehab, the Swans said this week, with Rosas Jr expected to spend up to a fortnight sidelined.

There have been clearer indications on Izak Rankine and Callum Ah Chee, who underwent scans confirmed a calf strain and hand concern suffered in the Crows' against the Hawks on Thursday night.

At the Gold Coast, Jamarra Ugle-Hagan is "tracking well" in his return from a Round 10 ankle injury which hampered his return to AFL football.

Further updates on the forward are expected ahead of next weekend's QClash following the Suns' bye this weekend.

At the Tigers Maurice Rioli Jr appears to have been hit with a slight delay to his expected return to play Sydney this weekend.

Rioli Jr was penciled in to be fit to face the Swans last week, but will now look ahead to Round 14 to return from a hamstring injury.

"Maurice is doing really well," Richmond's Ben Serpell said this week.

"We just want to see time at task for some high-intensity efforts over the next little while, so we're going to take a conservative approach with him, and we'll hold him out until after the bye."

Sydney's Malcolm Rosas Jr could be sidelined for up to a fortnight with a rolled ankle. (Image: James Ross/AAP)

Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera, alongside teammate Liam Ryan, are around a week away from a return for the Saints. (Image: James Ross/AAP)

Maurice Rioli's return has been pushed back a fortnight. (James Ross/AAP)

Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera and Liam Ryan are a week away from slotting back into St Kilda's side, the Saints said, with their respective calf injuries.

West Coast's Tyler Brockman is set to test for fitness this week, and could come back from his knee injury with managed minutes in the WAFL should he get through training unscathed.

On Monday, Melbourne's Shane McAdam called time on his career following a lengthy period of injury, while there's no fresh news on Collingwood's Bobby Hill or Geelong's Tyson Stengle as they work their way back into footy.