Fremantle’s most experienced player has been ruled out of Sunday’s western derby, with Jaeger O’Meara confirmed to have suffered multiple facial fractures from a hit at training.

The veteran was left downed in the midst of a drill at the Dockers’ main session on Wednesday morning, prompting a brief pause as he was attended to.

He was eventually able to sit up and get to his feet under his own power, though he left Victor George Kailis Oval on a cart.

On Wednesday afternoon, the Dockers revealed scans had shown the 32-year-old was left with multiple facial fractures from the incident.

Fremantle’s head of football Joe Brierty said the news was hugely disappointing for the popular winger.

“Unfortunately, this was one of those innocuous incidents at training and you feel for Jaeger, who’s such a professional,” Brierty said.

“He’s a popular and valued leader at Fremantle and we’ll put all the support he needs around him while he recovers.

“Our medical team will now consult with the appropriate specialists to consider if surgery is necessary and we will then set the appropriate return to play timelines.”

O’Meara, who represented WA in AFL Origin in February, missed the early stages of the season due to a hamstring injury but had returned to feature in the Dockers’ last three games.

He has made a total of 60 appearances for Fremantle since returning to his home State from Hawthorn in the 2022 trade period. He played more than 20 games in each of his first two years with the Dockers and managed 14 last season, despite missing significant time through middle stages of the campaign due to hamstring and foot problems.

While opportunities in the on-ball role he played for both Gold Coast and the Hawks in the early stages of his career have been limited, O’Meara has been a solid contributor at his third club playing wing and half-forward roles.

The Dockers do not have a lengthy injury list, with Hayden Young (hamstring) and Michael Frederick (ankle) both expected to return at the weekend and concussed pair Sean Darcy and Bailey Banfield — who may have pushed for a senior call-up had he not suffered a head knock playing for Peel Thunder not expected to be long-term absentees.

Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir has confirmed Young will return from a hamstring injury to take on the Eagles, with Nathan O’Driscoll and Jeremy Sharp both shaping as possible contenders if their side is shuffled further to cover O’Meara’s absence.

The out-of-favour pair have both spent much of their AFL careers on the wing but have taken on-ball roles in the early stages of the WAFL season with Peel Thunder.

Sharp was among his side’s best performers in a loss to Claremont on Saturday, kicking three goals from his 25 disposals, while O’Driscoll won 24 disposals and laid five tackles.

Jaren Carr has held down one of the Thunder’s wing spots this year, while Next Generation Academy graduate Toby Whan has been playing in the Thunder’s reserves.