Fremantle big man Rory Lobb will make a shock AFL return in Sunday's clash with Adelaide, while the Dockers have also been boosted by the inclusion of defender Griffin Logue.
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Lobb was expected to miss about 12 weeks of action after suffering significant damage to his right knee in the club's final pre-season game.
But the 28-year-old has stunned Fremantle's medical staff with the speed of his recovery, and was able to prove beyond a doubt at training this week that he's ready to return.
Logue will play his first match of the year after recovering from a hamstring injury, and he could get the job on in-form Adelaide forward Taylor Walker.
Goalsneak Lachie Schultz (concussion) was also recalled, with Lloyd Meek, Tobe Watson and Sam Sturt all dropped.
Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir expects Lobb will be able to play close to a full game.
"He'll still go into the ruck for six to eight minutes a quarter like he always does and we expect him to compete really hard," Longmuir told ABC radio.
"The only difference will be he'll come off for one spell a quarter as he gets his match fitness back up.
"We think Lachie's form was good enough, particularly in the first two games of the year, to warrant coming straight back in.
"Griffin will come back in and strengthen up our backline and give us a bit more flexibility and height back there."
The Crows have defied the doubters to post a 3-1 record over the opening four rounds, and they go into Sunday's match unchanged.
Fremantle (2-2) have struggled away from home so far this year, and they have a terrible 1-8 record at Adelaide Oval.
Star Fremantle midfielder Andrew Brayshaw is bracing himself for another tight tag.
Brayshaw was in stunning form during the opening two rounds of 2021, but has struggled to shake tight tags over the past fortnight.
The 21-year-old was held to 19 disposals in the round-three loss to Carlton.
And in last week's win over Hawthorn, Brayshaw was limited to just three first-half disposals opposed to James Worpel.
Brayshaw spent stints of the second-half tagging Tom Mitchell in a bid to get himself into the game, and he eventually got off the leash himself to finish with 15 disposals.
Adelaide's Ben Keays looms as Brayshaw's tag on Sunday, and Longmuir says assistants Josh Carr and Joel Corey have been preparing the young Fremantle star.
"They (Carr and Corey) have gone through his vision and given him some tools about how to go against as a tag," he said.
Australian Associated Press
