Nathan Wilson training on an exercise bike during recovery from a toe injury

Senior coach Justin Longmuir is hopeful he will have a nearly full-strength Freo at his disposal, should football return mid-year.

With Fremantle’s round two clash against Hawthorn likely to be pushed back until at least June, Longmuir said a number of Freo players could return.

Longmuir added that the nature of the shutdown period made it hard to assess how each player would go in their recovery.

Freo could see a number of changes for round two with the likes of David Mundy, Alex Pearce, Stephen Hill, Blake Acres, Nathan Wilson and Sam Switkowski likely to be available.

New draftees Liam Henry, Hayden Young and Michael Frederick could also be in the mix.

“It’s a difficult one at the moment because we’ve got limited physio that the (players in rehabilitation) can actually get,” Longmuir told ABC Radio.

“They can’t train in groups, it’s really hard for our fitness staff to guide them under the AFL’s guidelines.

“There’s a lot of water to go under the bridge with our injured guys, but at this stage, I’d imagine Joel Hamling and Jesse Hogan would be the only ones that would be questionable.”

Longmuir gave a promising update on Hogan, who had taken leave from the club to focus on his mental health.

“I have (met with Jesse). The signs are really positive and he understands where he sits within the footy club,” Longmuir said.

“I’ve had some brief conversations with him but I’ve left that more to Peter Bell as he and Jesse have a really strong relationship.

“All indications are he’s in a really good space mentally, and physically he’s going really well as well.

“We hope to bring him back into the group at some stage. When that happens is yet to be decided, but I’m really looking forward to that moment.”

Longmuir said he was keeping in touch with a number of his players during the shutdown, but added there were no mandated contact hours under AFL guidelines.

He said he had been fielding calls and even heading to the park should a player request some one-on-one time.

“A lot of (the conversations) have been over the phone. On three or four occasions I’ve met the player down at the park,” Longmuir said.

“They’ve done their running program, I’ve lagged behind them and we’ve had a kick after and a good chat.

“All of our coaches have been really proactive in reaching out to their players.

“We’ve done a lot of work on our connection and our relationships as a footy club and that will get really tested through this period.”