Fremantle has ruled out Stephen Hill from Saturday night's clash with Sydney, but coach Ross Lyon expects star goalkicker Michael Walters and Nathan Wilson to return for the SCG trip.
Hill will miss a second match after battling quad tightness late in the round seven loss to Richmond.
However, Walters has trained this week after dealing with an unstable kneecap since the Western Derby and Wilson is set to be back from back soreness.
"Stephen Hill won't play, Walters and Wilson (we are) really optimistic on, if they get through training, which we think they will, they'll play," Lyon said.
"(Hill) hasn't progressed as quickly as we'd like. It's just a fascial injury, but that high-end range of speed and movement he's just been restricted on.
"We're optimistic and remain optimistic for next week."
Fremantle are searching for their first interstate win after three road losses against finals contenders Port Adelaide, GWS and Richmond.
While Lyon pointed out the youth of his rebuilding side – with six players under 10 games' experience last round – he also acknowledged Freo needs to dig in away from Optus Stadium.
At 4-4, Fremantle's finals hopes are alive, but they face a tough month with North Melbourne (home), Collingwood (away) and Adelaide (home) to come.
"We've spoken about we want to be a team that performs everywhere," he said.
"We've got to go away with a really strong mindset, be a tight-knit group, get to the SCG and compete fiercely."
