Fremantle midfielder Michael Barlow has likened Aaron Sandilands to a good race horse, saying the three-time All-Australian will start hitting his straps once he gets a few more runs under his belt.
But Dockers skipper Matthew Pavlich is out of the side again, with coach Ross Lyon telling 6PR on Monday that they will accept a three-match suspension for the high bump on West Coast's Mitch Brown.
Sandilands was solid with 32 hit-outs and 10 possessions in Sunday's 28-point western derby win over West Coast.
It was just his second game back from a serious hamstring injury, and a much better performance than his six disposal, 11 hit-out effort against St Kilda a week earlier.
At his peak, Sandilands is one of the game's finest ruckmen, with his 211cm, 120kg frame making it hard for rivals to outreach or outbody him.
Three straight injury-interrupted seasons have somewhat curbed Sandilands' ability to dominate games.
But Barlow, who won the Ross Glendinning medal as best afield on Sunday, said fans should expect to see Sandilands near his best by next month.
"He's like a good horse - he'll probably be better third or fourth up I reckon after a good month of training and games," Barlow said.
"I've said it before, you'd rather play with him than against him, so it's really good to have him in the line-up, especially against guys like Cox and Naitanui who can flick it around a bit."
Fremantle remain just percentage adrift of fourth spot, but face a stern test on Sunday when they take on the sixth-placed Tigers at the MCG.
Dockers coach Ross Lyon described the challenge as a sobering thought, and their task was made all the more tougher on Monday when Pavlich was suspended by the match review panel.
Pavlich can accept a three-match ban with an early guilty plea, or risk being rubbed out for four matches if he unsuccessfully challenges the decision.
The 31-year-old booted three goals in his second game back from plantaris surgery, and another period on the sidelines is far from ideal as the Dockers gear up for a tilt at the top-four.
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