Fremantle ruckman Aaron Sandilands will miss Sunday's AFL match against Richmond at the MCG, with soreness and a bout of flu grounding the 211cm veteran in Perth.
Sandilands, who missed the first 14 rounds of the season after undergoing hamstring surgery, failed to join his teammates on the flight to Melbourne on Friday.
Dockers' general manager of football operations Chris Bond said the ruckman had not recovered in time and would not travel to Melbourne on Saturday.
All three emergencies - Matt Taberner, Jesse Crichton and Jack Hannath - travelled with the side on Friday.
It is a massive blow to Fremantle, who are already without suspended skipper Matthew Pavlich, goalsneak Hayden Ballantyne (hamstring) and All-Australian defender Luke McPharlin (calf).
Sandilands had produced a solid performance in last week's derby triumph over West Coast, tallying 32 hit-outs and 10 possessions in his second game of the year.
Fremantle sit just percentage adrift of fourth spot, and are well placed to overhaul fourth-placed Sydney or third-placed Essendon by the end of the season due to their soft draw.
But the Dockers face a tough ask against sixth-placed Richmond, who have been one of the big improvers this season and are also eyeing off a top-four berth.
The game will be Fremantle's first at the MCG this year, but coach Ross Lyon said the venue wouldn't faze his team.
"The ground certainly brings no fears," Lyon said.
"We'll let the players get to work and see who comes out on top."
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