Fremantle coach Ross Lyon is confident Aaron Sandilands will be fit for the start of the AFL season despite scans revealing the star ruckman has suffered a slight calf tear.
Sandilands was pulled out of last week’s 38-point win over Richmond after tweaking his calf during the warm-up.
The 29-year-old will miss the next two pre-season games, but Lyon says Sandilands remains on track to take on Geelong on March 31.
“It’s really on the minor scale,” Lyon said of Sandilands’ injury on Thursday.
“It’s not ideal, but it’s certainly a non-issue if things go according to plan.
“The body has a way of self-managing doesn’t it. He’s quite unique so it won’t worry him at all.
“He’s done an enormous summer. He’s fit, he’s well, he’s just had a slight interruption. We’re really planning for him round one and we’re going to need him.”
Midfielder Hayden Ballantyne will also miss Saturday’s clash with Port Adelaide at Victor Harbor due to a minor ankle injury.
“He sort of rolled his ankle in the warm up last week and played,” Lyon said.
“There’s a little bit of swelling, so why would you push him through now when he’s had a great summer.
“The plan is to get him ready for next week.”
The Dockers have been bolstered by the return of skipper Matthew Pavlich, but defender Antoni Grover (calf) will make his return via the WAFL.
Lyon said he was looking forward to seeing how talls Pavlich, Kepler Bradley and Jack Anthony operated in the same forward line, along with mid-sized marking option Chris Mayne.
“We’re going to be taller than we were last year, with three-pronged talls and a medium,” Lyon said.
“We think we can handle that because they’re pressure players and runners and quite mobile.”
Port Adelaide welcome back skipper Dom Cassisi, Travis Boak, Brad Ebert, Robbie Gray, Danyle Pearce and Jay Schulz, while former Hawthorn ruckman Brent Renouf is likely to play his first game in Power colours.
AAP jsc/wk/