Connor Blakely could return to football before the end of the month with the midfielder continuing to progress from a hamstring injury. 

Blakely is listed as two weeks away from a return, meaning he could be available for Fremantle’s round six clash against the Western Bulldogs at Optus Stadium.

General manager of football Peter Bell said that Blakely is showing promising signs.

“He’s going really well, he’s building his strength,” Bell said.

“He just had to get his speed up and he’s probably a few weeks away now, so it’s really promising for Connor.” 

Bell reiterated Ross Lyon’s comments earlier on Tuesday that any decision on Nat Fyfe’s return to football would be based on medical advice.

“Nat is going well, it’s obviously a medical decision, so we’ll just follow the protocols,” Bell said.

“If Nat is symptom free, then he’ll go through a cognitive test, so we’ll wait and see how that progresses during the week.

Both Stephen Hill (quad) and Harley Bennell (calf) have an updated timeline for a return to football.

“Stephen is about five to six weeks away. He’s building his run, building his strength,” Bell said.

“He’s getting his kicking volume and we’re all very excited to hopefully welcome him back soon.

“Harley is two or three weeks away, he’s going to join in a little bit of football tomorrow, so we’re all excited to see him back into footy and, hopefully, he’ll be able to progress to full football in the weeks after.”

Bell said running midfielder Brett Bewley could be available for selection this weekend if he passes a fitness test while forward Hugh Dixon would miss a week of football with a strain of the plantaris tendon.

Nat FyfeConcussionTest
Brett BewleyAnkleTest
Hugh DixonPlantaris tendon1 week
Hayden BallantyneHamstring1-2 weeks
Connor BlakelyHamstring2 weeks
Harley BennellCalf2-3 weeks
Griffin LogueHamstring3 weeks
Stephen HillQuad5-6 weeks
Shane KerstenFootTBA
Aaron SandilandsCalfTBA