HULKING Fremantle youngster Sean Darcy is bracing for an extended period on the sidelines after damaging the posterior cruciate ligament in his left knee playing for Peel.
The 19-year-old ruckman was on crutches at Dockers headquarters on Tuesday morning after hurting himself in a marking contest on Saturday.
"He came down hard and got a knock to the lateral side of his knee," high performance manager Jason Weber told fremantlefc.com.au.
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"He’s damaged the PCL ligament in his knee, he’s going to be a number of weeks at this stage.
"We’re waiting to ascertain how long that will be based on how he presents.
"He’s up and going at the moment. He’s walking around, albeit in a brace, but he’s very positive and we’re looking forward to getting him back on the field."
Freo coach Ross Lyon had hoped to experiment with Darcy alongside veteran Aaron Sandilands but those plans will have to be put on hold.
Meanwhile, injury-ravaged big man Michael Apeness, who tore his PCL last March and was sidelined for about eight weeks, has escaped serious damage to his ankle playing for the Thunder.
"Originally we thought (the injury) would be quite significant, but he’s worked very hard over the past 72 hours," Weber said.
"We’re hopeful we can get him to a test on Thursday and see if we can get him up for a game on the weekend."
The Dockers will again be without reigning Doig medallist Bradley Hill for Saturday's trip to face the Giants in Canberra due to a knee complaint.
"At this stage, it’s a day-by-day proposition. He’s continuing to improve and we’re looking forward to, hopefully, getting him on the track next week," Weber said.
Small forward Brady Grey will miss up to a month after hurting his hamstring, while second-year defender Griffin Logue is back running on an anti-gravity treadmill.
Logue is advancing after fears he may need surgery to deal with a congenital issue with a metatarsal in his foot, but doesn't have a timeframe to return.
Speedy midfielder Stefan Giro could be back from a medial ligament injury this week, but veteran defender Lee Spurr is progressing slowly from a similar issue and is now at least a month away.
Cam Sutcliffe is expected to return for Peel after missing the loss to Swan Districts due to concussion.
Meanwhile, impressive young tall forward Hugh Dixon has been given leave to visit family in Tasmania while he overcomes a high ankle sprain.
"He’s still in a boot and he’s going to continue his recovery interstate with his family and he’ll come back and work hard during the coming weeks," Weber said.
