Fremantle captain Nat Fyfe has had his return to pre-season training delayed by an additional two or three weeks.
In a cruel blow for the captain, his recovery from shoulder reconstructive surgery has been delayed by a bacterial infection. It's understood he will have to be administered intravenous antibiotics for up to three weeks as he treats the infection.
Fyfe underwent the surgery which ended his season in July, however, has had problems with his recovery, meaning he had another operation on the troublesome shoulder last week.
Fremantle have refused to speculate on when Fyfe may return to training with the club, however, it now appears almost certain he will be delayed compared to the rest of his teammates, who will return for the pre-Christmas block of training in the coming weeks.
"Unfortunately, Nathan's tests have indicated a bacterial infection, and as a result, he will undergo intravenous antibiotics over the next two to three weeks," Dockers football boss Peter Bell told AAP.
"He won't be able to do much physically in the period the antibiotics are being administered intravenously."
"Nathan is optimistic and understands in particular the importance of the next two to three weeks to allow the IV antibiotics optimal effectiveness.
"We will advise a return to training date in due course, once there is more clarity around Nat's recovery."
