FREMANTLE ruckman Aaron Sandilands has dismissed rumours he had a rib removed following his heavy collision with Nic Naitanui last month.

Sandilands suffered a punctured lung and broken ribs in the round-three incident, with the injury requiring titanium plates to be inserted. 

The 33-year-old AFL veteran said rumours that he had a rib removed were false, and says he holds no hard feelings towards Naitanui over the incident.

"It's amazing how stories get spread around," he said on Wednesday.

"All I know is I had a couple of plates inserted and I'm headed in the right direction."

Sandilands is still at least a month away from playing again, but he put pen to paper on a new one-year deal on Wednesday, tying him to the club until the end of 2017.

He has already starting doing some exercise indoors on a stationary bike, cross-trainer and weight-bearing treadmill.

The tall Dockers is listed to return in a month and said the surgeon would provide further clarity.

"When I get back, I'll be 100 per cent. I think the ribs will be pretty strong with a bit of titanium there, so I don't think there should be too many issues,” Sandilands said. 

"I think (the plates) stay. Now that they're there, they can stay there. I'm not real keen on getting them out."

Sandilands has lost some upper body strength and needs to do some strength work over the next couple of weeks. 

He said he had no hard feelings towards Naitanui and revealed that the star Eagle had touched base via Dockers' midfield coach Simon Eastaugh. 

"It's part of the game," Sandilands said. 

"Anyone in that situation would have done exactly the same. 

Sandilands said he had been trying to help Dockers ruckmen Jon Griffin and Zac Clarke in a coaching capacity during his time on the sidelines.