Former West Coast and Hawthorn star Xavier Ellis calls for Docker Michael Walters to be shifted to half-back

Former West Coast and Hawthorn star Xavier Ellis has referred to as for Fremantle to deploy Michael Walters as a half-back because the 30-year-old makes an attempt to rediscover his All-Australian type.

At his greatest, Walters is likely one of the greatest small forwards within the competitors and has led Fremantle’s purpose kicking on 5 events.

However tasked with pushing greater up the bottom this season, Walters has seen his numbers drop off throughout the board after a restricted pre-season.

Walters was held again this pre-season with a foot damage however managed to construct health in time for Fremantle’s AAMI Group Collection match towards West Coast solely to pressure his hamstring and miss the primary two video games of the yr.

In his All-Australian season in 2019, Walters averaged 21.8 disposals and 1.8 objectives a sport however has gone at simply 14.6 touches and one purpose a sport to date this yr.

Walters mentioned earlier this season his coaches and teammates had been pleased with the influence he was having on video games however talking on the Onerous Ball Will get AFL Present, Ellis argued Walters was out of shape and wanted a positional shift to spark his season.

MORE AFL NEWS:

“ what I’d love to see to attempt and get Sonny again into type? Enjoying him off half-back,” Ellis mentioned.

“Bizarre I do know however you go simply go. See it, go, get your one, two, three, 4 (touches).

“It’s like they’re filling it with scrappers anyway so if Sonny will get overwhelmed one-on-one, it’s not the top of the world.

“He had 21 touches final week towards West Coast and we mentioned within the name. However late he went one, two, three, 4, 5 (touches) in a row, apart from that, he had not simply see it.

“Sonny ought to be pushing to be within the prime 10 gamers within the competitors.”

Daniels questioned whether or not the league had seen the perfect of Walters however positioned the emphasis on the goalsneak to rediscover his greatest type.

“Whenever you’re 30 and you’re having an actual type droop, you could have to discover a manner to pull your self out of it,” he mentioned.

“I really feel like we’ve spent Sonny’s entire profession saying ‘why don’t we simply do this?’ I hate that we haven’t seen the very best of him.”

In the meantime, a bunch of Dockers may be making ready to return for Fremantle as a part of the second leg of their interstate highway journey.

Fremantle took an prolonged squad to Queensland which included injured quartet Sam Switkowski, Alex Pearce, Adam Cerra and Luke Ryan.

Switkowski, who’s due to return this weekend, seems the almost definitely substitute for injured ahead Michael Frederick whereas the membership may additionally choose to hand speedy draftee Joel Western a debut.

Defender Reece Conca performed out the loss towards Brisbane regardless of grabbing at his proper hamstring within the first quarter but when deemed unfit, may be changed by the likes of Ryan or Pearce who’re each on the verge of returning.