Fremantle key defender Zac Dawson has suffered another setback after fracturing his thumb in the WAFL on Saturday.



Dawson played his first game for the year for Peel Thunder last Saturday after battling groin issues throughout the summer and the early part of the season.



But he injured his thumb early in Peel's 71-point loss to Claremont and Fremantle coach Ross Lyon told 6PR on Monday night Dawson requires surgery that will sideline him for a few weeks.



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"He's broken his thumb," Lyon said.



"So he'll need a bit of a pin put in."



Despite Fremantle's relatively small injury list they are a bit light on for key defenders with Alex Silvagni still seven to nine weeks away from returning after hamstring surgery.



Lyon also revealed that defender Lee Spurr suffered a heavy cork in the Freo Dockers' win over Adelaide last Saturday night. Fremantle have a six-day turnaround before hosting Richmond at Domain Stadium on Friday night.



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"Spurr is a bit sore," Lyon said.



"He had that badly corked leg. We're hopeful he'll come up.



"It's more than likely we'll be unchanged but we've got to get through the week."



Lyon also said Anthony Morabito is facing an uphill battle to play any football this year as he waits for bone bruising to settle in his knee.



"Anthony and I had lunch last Friday just to check in," Lyon said.



"He's got bone bruising.



"Julian Feller is the surgeon in Melbourne and he's consulting with guys from London, Melbourne and the Perth surgeons here. He just needs some more time for the bone bruising to settle. He's boxing and riding and once it settles he'll start running but he'll be at a disadvantage for the rest of the year obviously."



Morabito has not trained this year after signing a one-year contract at the end of last year. He played three games for Fremantle last season after three successive knee reconstructions kept him out of the AFL for three years.