Sam Switkowski has recovered well from a significant head knock during Fremantle’s win against North Melbourne on Friday, according to Executive General Manager of Football Peter Bell.

The small forward came off the ground after a marking contest in the final term and has entered the AFL’s concussion protocols.

It means he will miss at least one game, ruling him out for Sunday’s clash against Gold Coast.

“It was a pretty significant blow to the back of the head for Switta, he was very good after the game and there’s no enduring concerns with him,” Bell said.

“He will go into the concussion protocols and be back soon.”

Key forward Matt Taberner is listed as 1-2 weeks away with a hamstring injury, making his earliest return against Collingwood in round 10.

“Matt’s reconditioning that hamstring really professionally, as he always does, and we’re hopeful that he’ll be back soon as well,” Bell said.

In positive news for one of Fremantle’s young midfielders, Matthew Johnson has returned to training after recovering from an ankle injury.

“Matt’s going really well,” Bell said.

“He would have been cleared to play this weekend but there’s a WAFL State bye, so he’ll have to wait another week. It’s a bit frustrating for Matt, but we’ll allow him to get some more conditioning in to get match fit.”

Bell confirmed there were no concerns with defenders Alex Pearce and Luke Ryan, who finished the game against North Melbourne despite coming off for treatment.

“Both were able to play out the game and we’re expecting they’ll be available for Gold Coast,” Bell said.

Captain Nat Fyfe (back) remains on track to return before the bye while Joel Hamling is a test to return to football from a knee injury.

INJURY LIST ROUND 9
Joel Hamling (knee) – Test
Matthew Johnson (ankle) – 1 week
Matthew Taberner (hamstring) – 1-2 weeks
Nat Fyfe (back) – TBA
Sam Switkowski (concussion) – TBA
Joel Western (hamstring) – TBA