Docker forward and breakout All-Australian squad candidate Josh Treacy could be the difference between Fremantle making finals or just missing out.
The club are two points clear in the eight with two matches remaining, needing to win at least one or both against fellow finalist hopefuls GWS and Port Adelaide to secure their spot in September.
Key forward Treacy has been one of the unlikely pillars of their success this season, providing immense pack-crashing, mark-grabbing and goal-kicking to go with his elite work rate in Fremantle's front half.
A knee concern ruled him out of their costly Round 22 loss to Geelong at home and his presence was sorely missed as the side managed just nine majors for the day.
While coach Justin Longmuir initially expected Treacy to be available last week, the injury has lingered into Round 23 and has him unlikely to line up against the Giants.
"He's going to be touch-and-go, more probably unlikely than likely," the Fremantle coach shared.
"It's improving but... can't take a risk on it and chances are he'll miss another week.
JT building his way back ๐ค#foreverfreo pic.twitter.com/pUyCySyeTQ
— Fremantle Dockers (@freodockers) August 14, 2024
"He'll do minimal (at training), so that's a pretty good indicator of where he's at.
"I thought he was a chance to get up last week, so were the medicos, and then we were hoping he'd get up this week as well but just probably hasn't improved as quickly as we need."
His absence, combined with that of ruckman Sean Darcy, who was also ruled out of the Geelong clash as a late withdrawal, will create major selection conundrums for Longmuir, who outlined his problem to reporters on Wednesday.
"It's two-fold, he's (Treacy) such a workhorse for us but when Jacko's (Luke Jackson) ruck he's usually our second ruck and we missed him there as well," Longmuir said.
Darcy missed the clash with a knee concern that prevented him from passing his final fitness test, with the injury now lingering a week longer than hoped for also.
It seems he may be fighting through discomfort to return at all this year, with the coach being asked whether off-season surgery may be required for the ruckman to return to full fitness.
"We're hoping Sean gets up so we don't have to cover that as much this week," Longmuir said.
"He hasn't done much since the game so he'll do a bit more at training, we'll try and get him back in.
"Goal now is to get him through the year, he's not going to get 100% by the end of the year... if we decide that's (surgery) the best course of action to get him back to 100% we'll take that option."
Veteran Michael Walters should be right to return from his hamstring injury suffered last month, and may be thrown into the lineup in the absence of the Docker talls, though he is clearly not a like-for-like replacement, and the club may be forced to experiment.
24-year-old tall rookie draft pickup Liam Reidy is yet to feature at AFL level but remains in consideration for a Round 23 debut, with Longmuir left lamenting the club's injury situation in the lead-up to September.
"It's not ideal, but this is why you have a list of players," he said.
"Players have been waiting for an opportunity all year and a couple have presented in the last few weeks so we get to test some of that depth."
The Dockers will name their squad of 26 Thursday evening ahead of their pivotal clash with a red-hot Giants outfit on Saturday.
