Fremantle defender Brennan Cox has been ruled out of the second half of the Dockers blockbuster clash with reigning premiers Brisbane.

Cox had been dominating the first half at the Gabba as Fremantle put a sleepy Lions to the sword early.

However, an innocuous slip left the defender on his haunches before he left the ground for staff to assess his knee.

The pain didn’t stop Cox from making two ground efforts to keep the ball away from Logan Morris, who he restricted to two disposals in the first half.

He looked uncomfortable as he did run throughs ahead of the halftime break and was still in pain as the side reemerged.

Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir said it was “more of a pain thing than a structural thing” just before Cox’s knee was swaddled with ice packs.

Cox has a history of leg injuries, with a calf concern delaying the start of his 2026 campaign.

He also underwent hamstring surgery in 2024 after having battled through stress fractures in his Fibula.

Fremantle held a 21-point advantage at the long break but could have been much further ahead had they kicked straight.

Fremantle skipper Alex Pearce, who is making his return from a minor knee injury from a similar incident, took over the role on Logan Morris as Pat Voss grabbed the first major of the second half.

Oscar McDonald, who filled in for Pearce across the past fortnight, travelled to Brisbane as an emergency and would be the most likely man to come in should Cox be ruled out for next week.

Hugh Davies is also waiting in the wings after showing impressive form in the WAFL, and the young key defender will get his chance to impress against AFL opposition on Sunday with Peel Thunder in their derby with West Coast.

He will have the chance to take on Archer Reid and Cooper Duff-Tytler in a bid to earn a third AFL appearance, his first two coming in 2024.