Fremantle are confident ruckman Sean Darcy has avoided a "significant" setback after pulling up sore midway through Thursday's loss to Collingwood with a knee injury.
Darcy was subbed out of the game against the Magpies due to the concern, with young midfielder Neil Erasmus injected into the game as the Dockers looked "to go a bit smaller".
The Dockers ruckman has a history of knee issues, which plagued his most recent pre-season, while an ankle injury also delayed his 2025 campaign.
Speaking after his side's 14-point loss, coach Justin Longmuir said the club will likely have a better understanding of Darcy's latest knee injury ahead of the weekend.
"We'll work that out, see how he pulls up tomorrow," Longmuir said on Thursday night.
"We don't think it's significant. I think [the medical team] called it a jarred knee, (it happened) in a kick I think.
"He was sore. It was an opportunity to sub him out. We needed to go a bit smaller, so once he was sore, it was a good opportunity to pull that lever."
The Dockers recorded 62 inside 50s for six marks in their attacking arc, with small forward Isaiah Dudley clunking half of those.
Key forwards Jye Amiss and Patrick Voss managed one each, with spearhead Josh Treacy and ruck-forward hybrid Luke Jackson unable to register.
Longmuir said it would be "a little bit simplistic" to completely blame his key forwards, but acknowledged it may be worth considering whether his side is currently too tall in the front half.
The Dockers had Treacy, Amiss, Voss, Jackson and Darcy against the Magpies, with Darcy's potential absence opening the door for a selection shift.
"We'll review it, it's a good shout," Longmuir said.
"I think there's opportunities to lead a bit more and try and draw the ball on the lead. To get that, we need to be able to create space for each other.
"We've had some pretty good games this year where we've been able to mark the ball a lot inside 50. We'll review it, find the patterns and get to work.
"It's not all on the talls. There were times in that last quarter where we could've steadied and just taken another couple of steps and kicked it to their advantage. All of a sudden, of the kicker is a little bit more precise with their kick, then maybe you're getting another five or six marks inside 50.
"It's a little bit simplistic to say it's the talls' fault. We've got to help them."
The Dockers could fall to as low as 13th on the ladder by the end of Round 9, placing the Western Australian side further out of reach of the top eight.
Fremantle have upcoming games against GWS, Port Adelaide and Gold Coast before a mid-season bye, potentially leaving them with an uphill battle in their run home.
