Fremantle veteran Michael Walters will miss the chance to take on his former mentor Ross Lyon this weekend, but Sam Sturt appears to have done enough to earn a round-one AFL berth.
Walters has been battling an Achilles issue in recent weeks, forcing him out of Fremantle's two pre-season games.
The 32-year-old came close to proving his fitness in time for Sunday's clash with St Kilda at Marvel Stadium, but it was deemed a run in a WAFL practice match would be a wiser option.
It means the 202-game veteran misses out on the chance to battle against new Saints coach Lyon, who was a big fan of Walters during his eight-year reign at Fremantle.
"He's still on a build, and we want to make sure we get that right and not do anything silly and rush him in," Dockers coach Justin Longmuir told reporters on Thursday.
"He'll play at Peel, he'll play pretty limited minutes.
"It's a really good progression for him. We just want to make sure we set him up for the season.
"He's a really important player for us, and we've got to make sure that we're smart about it."
The absence of Walters is set to pave the way for medium-sized forward Sturt to play his first AFL match since round four, 2021.
Sturt, the No.17 pick in the 2018 national draft, booted three goals in his AFL debut in 2020, but injuries and a lack of defensive pressure pushed him down the pecking order.
The 22-year-old has impressed Longmuir over the summer, and he's a firm chance to earn a spot against St Kilda.
"I'm really happy with his pre-season form," Longmuir said.
"We seem to have unlocked the intensity required and the effort required.
"He's been super, not just with ball in hand, but with the pressure and the contest."
Lyon's tenure at St Kilda will start with a severely depleted squad.
A total of 14 players are currently on the club's injury list, including Max King, Tim Membrey, Nick Coffield, Jack Billings, and Zak Jones.
In contrast, Fremantle have just one player on their injury list - veteran Travis Colyer, who will miss about six weeks with a knee injury.
St Kilda star King will be sidelined for a further six to nine weeks with a shoulder injury, and he suffered another blow at training on Wednesday when he strained his hamstring.
Although that setback isn't expected to impact his return-to-play schedule, it typifies the injury curse that has struck the Saints.
