Star midfielder Nat Fyfe is keeping his eye on the big picture while with the concussion he sustained in round three against St Kilda.

The Fremantle captain said that he considers concussion injuries to be the most serious in the game due to the potential long-term side effects.

Speaking on Seven News on Wednesday, Fyfe said he would miss this week’s RAC Derby and is targeting a return in round five if he can pass all of the necessary medical tests. 

“We’ve come a long way I think, even in my time, with how we deal with concussion,” Fyfe told Seven News.

“I’ve had a lot of injuries over my career and concussion still sits at the top of the list, so I’ll be taking this extremely seriously.

“The hard thing is that I feel fine but I’m not sure exactly what sort of damage has been done internally, so the decision this week - with such a short turnaround and given how big the impact was, is that I’ll sit out and look to play next week.”

Fyfe is required to pass a cognitive test prior to being made available for selection.

“As I sit here right now, the plan will be to play next week but I’ve got to get through the concussion testing protocol,” Fyfe said.

“You can’t actually pass that until you have no symptoms at all. 

“Later this week or early next week I’ll have a go at passing that. I’ve got no concerns and no doubt that I’ll be able to get through it, as long as I keep progressing at the current rate of improvement, I should be fine to play next week.”

Fyfe said he was feeling better after experiencing headaches earlier in the week. 

He spent some time on the bike on Wednesday morning as the club held a light training and weights session at Cottesloe Surf Life Saving Club.

“Today was the first day since the game I’ve actually done anything significant,” Fyfe said.

“I trained at Cottesloe today and did 10 minutes on the bike to get my blood pressure up and moving, so I’m moving pretty well and feeling pretty free.

“When I woke up on Monday, I had a pretty severe headache as you’d expect.

“I had a bit of soreness in my jaw where I made initial contact but if I compare this collision to one I had nine years ago, I don’t think it’s as significant but I don’t think it’s serious.

“My headache is pretty much all gone. So at this point in time, I’m feeling pretty good.”

Fyfe said he was pleased with how Fremantle held on for the win against St Kilda after going down a rotation following his injury.

“I think that’s the most important part, that the team showed some real character,” Fyfe said.

“It shows that we have some depth in our midfield ranks and the whole team has some grit and fight and that’s what we’re going to need as we’re developing.

“There’s a huge ask this week against West Coast but I’m sure the likes of Andrew Brayshaw, Adam Cerra, Michael Walters and Rory Lobb - those guys will stand up for us.”

Fyfe said he received numerous messages from the Fremantle fans and was thankful for their support.

“I’d like to thank them for the genuine care that they’ve shown me at the time of the incident and the days after that,” Fyfe said.

“I’m well, I’m fine, I’m doing everything I can to get back and play next week and I hope they support the team in whatever the way they can for the derby.”