Fremantle coach Mark Harvey says he's prepared to risk Aaron Sandilands in next Friday's semi-final clash with Geelong, even if the giant ruckman is still feeling the effects of a knee injury sustained in Saturday's big win over Hawthorn.
Sandilands took a knock to his knee during a centre-bounce duel with Hawthorn counterpart Wade Skipper just before quarter-time in the Dockers' 30-point elimination-final win over the Hawks at Subiaco.
The 211cm giant was a subdued figure for the rest of the game as Harvey left him up forward, deploying Michael Johnson as the predominant centre-bounce ruckman.
But Harvey was adamant that even at half-fitness, he would be prepared to use Sandilands in next Friday night's tough test against a Geelong side smarting from their narrow qualifying-final loss to the Saints.
"I'm sort of optimistic about him, I tend to think he'll be okay," Harvey said after the game.
"Sort of a direct knock to his knee cap at this stage. Now if there's any other damage we'll have to wait, but it was a direct blow to his knee."
"What he does create is he creates (uncertainty)," Harvey added, when asked specifically if he would risk playing an injured Sandilands as a permanent forward next week.
"Where's the ball going to go if he's in the forward line? You've got (Matthew) Pavlich and (Chris) Mayne and all those guys sitting around him, it just gives you a different dimension down there at the time."
Although his young side, featuring 10 first and second year players, were unfancied with the bookies all week, Harvey said he was always confident they could out-run and out-pressure the Hawks at Subiaco.
"Be daring," was Harvey's message to his troops before the game.
"I mean we're playing a tough opposition but be daring and the most important thing when you play finals is to not be having indecision in what you do, so run with it but make sure that you back each other up."
"It's the first final for many players and it's been four years in the making really where this club hasn't played in this type of territory and to play that way in front of our crowd was sensational."
Harvey acknowledged it was a day when most of his planned match-ups came up trumps as Adam McPhee restricted an underdone Luke Hodge to just 13 disposals while Luke McPharlin blanketed Lance Franklin, holding him to just two goals.
But having seen his troops shock the Hawks, regarded by many before Saturday's game as the most dangerous floater in the finals, Harvey said his side would face Geelong with confidence.
"(Geelong has an) elite midfield and we know what we're up against, playing at the MCG Friday night, big occasion for our guys," Harvey said.
"You can't look any further than playing Geelong. (It's) just a great compliment that we're in the second series (week) of the finals and we're playing Geelong and that's what we look forward to and it won't be daunting to us."