Walyalup (Fremantle) say they won’t be taking any chances with Sean Darcy, with the ruckmen no certainty to face GWS, but there’s better news for veteran star Nat Fyfe.

Darcy was subbed out in the Dockers’ loss to Collingwood with what Justin Longmuir described as a ‘jarred knee’, with high-performance manager Phil Merriman saying they are being cautious over his recovery.

“We decided to take a no-risk approach in subbing him (Darcy) out of the game (against Collingwood),” Merriman said.

“We’re going slow early this week, and he will be a test to play on Thursday.”

However, there is better news for Nat Fyfe, whose timeline from return from a hamstring injury has been accelerated, having been listed as 5 weeks away just last week.

“He’s (Fyfe) progressed really well. He’s been really detailed and specific with his training so far, and that has paid dividends,” Merriman said.

“He’s about two to three weeks away, but we will see how he progresses through the entry into the football program.”

Fyfe’s return could be welcome news for Freo with Jaeger O’Meara still at least a month away, while Nathan O’Driscoll also suffered a setback after returning for Peel at the weekend.

“He (O’Driscoll) played really well on the weekend and we’d love to have him in selection, but that ankle has just flared up so he’s going to miss this week unfortunately,” Longmuir said.

Pre-season recruit Quinton Narkle, who has made two appearances as a sub this season, will also face a lengthy stint on the sidelines after fracturing his knee.

“He’s got what is called a compression fracture of his knee,” Merriman said.

“It’s an undisplaced fracture and these usually take around six to eight weeks to heal.”

Walyalup Injury List

S Darcy (knee) test

O Murphy (concussion) test

N O’Driscoll (ankle) 1 week

N Fyfe (hamstring) 2 weeks

J O’Meara (hamstring/foot) 4 weeks

S Sturt (knee) 4 weeks

M Walters (knee) 4 weeks

Q Narkle (knee) 6-8 weeks

B Walker (shoulder) 9 weeks

H Young (hamstring) 9-11 weeks

O Jones (back) season

Fremantle will be known as Walyalup for Sir Doug Nicholls Round.