Just days after having his three-match ban overturned at the AFL Tribunal, Fremantle skipper Alex Pearce has been cut down by an untimely leg injury.
And the Dockers look set to back in their two-ruck strategy in Saturday’s match against Gold Coast, with fit-again big man Sean Darcy boarding the flight from Perth on Thursday.
Interestingly, veteran Nat Fyfe was also on the flight, despite having no match practice under his belt since injuring his hamstring in the WAFL in mid-April.
Pearce is set to miss the crunch match against the Suns at People First Stadium, joining goalsneak Isaiah Dudley (personal reasons) and defender Cooper Simpson (shoulder) as outs from last week’s 49-point win over Port Adelaide.
The loss of Pearce is a bitter blow to Fremantle’s hopes of posting a third win on the trot.
Pearce would have been the likely match-up for star Suns spearhead Ben King, who has kicked 31 goals this season to sit second on the Coleman medal tally.
It’s believed Pearce has a hot spot in his leg, similar to what Shai Bolton battled earlier this season.
He is set to be replaced by Josh Draper.
It’s been an eventful week for Pearce, who was initially handed a three-match ban for his collision with Port’s Darcy Byrne-Jones, before having it overturned at the AFL Tribunal.
Simpson is set to miss about 10 weeks after undergoing shoulder surgery, while Dudley, who kicked two goals last week, misses his first match since making his debut in round three.
Darcy has missed the past two matches due to a knee injury, with Luke Jackson thriving in his absence.
Fremantle appear set to go in with a Darcy-Jackson one-two punch against star Suns ruckman Jarrod Witts, despite growing calls for the Dockers to back in Jackson as the No.1 ruckman.
“We probably fully expect those guys both to play, which is going to provide a set of circumstances we don’t see often,” Suns coach Damien Hardwick said of Darcy and Jackson.
“We’re going to have our challenges with that.”
Gold Coast are hopeful Mac Andrew, who injured his ankle in last week’s win over St Kilda, will be fit to face Fremantle.
“He’s a really important player, so we’ve just got to make sure that he’s right to go,” Hardwick said.
“There’s no further risk of injury but we just want to make sure that he’s capable of performing close to near his best.
“He’ll train a little bit more tomorrow (Friday) and we’ll get a better understanding then.”
Fyfe was expected to return to playing duties via the WAFL this week, and his appearance on Fremantle’s flight to the Gold Coast on Saturday raised eyebrows.
