Fremantle's flag bid has suffered a massive blow after star defender Michael Johnson was ruled out of the AFL finals series due to a back injury.
Johnson will undergo "exploratory surgery" this week after struggling to even run during Saturday's eight-point win over Port Adelaide.
The Dockers were initially hopeful Johnson would be able to make it through the finals series before addressing the issue.
But after consulting a specialist on Monday, Johnson was advised to undergo a procedure this week in a bid to fix the problem.
Johnson's injury is a major blow to the Dockers, who will also be without Luke McPharlin (calf) for Saturday's qualifying final against Sydney at ANZ Stadium.
That spells good news for Sydney, who are set to unleash a monster forward line featuring Lance Franklin, Adam Goodes, Kurt Tippett and Sam Reid.
The Dockers have the option of switching Chris Mayne into defence to help out Zac Dawson and Alex Silvagni, while rebounding defender Garrick Ibbotson is likely to be handed a key match-up against one of Sydney's bigs.
Fremantle youngster Matt Taberner played a game in defence earlier this year, but the key forward struggled to adapt to the positional change.
The Dockers will be boosted by the return of star midfielder Nat Fyfe from suspension, while Sydney will welcome back Franklin (knee), Josh Kennedy (hamstring), Ben McGlynn (calf) and Mike Pyke (illness).
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