Fremantle captain Nat Fyfe avoids aggravating elbow injury in training mishap ahead of AFLX

Fremantle superstar and Flyers captain Nat Fyfe will attempt to shake off injury in time for this month’s AFLX tournament after landing heavily on his elbow at training.

Nat Fyfe escaped an injury scare at training.

Fremantle superstar Nat Fyfe will attempt to shake off an elbow injury in time for AFLX in a fortnight’s time.

Fyfe was selected to captain the Flyers on February 22 but is now under a cloud after landing heavily on his elbow at training.

The Brownlow Medallist downplayed the blow, saying he had been dealing with an inflamed bursa in his elbow for some time, and that he would “fine” to play in the revamped AFLX tournament.

ALL-STAR: NEW-LOOK AFLX EXACTLY WHAT GAME NEEDS

PREVIEW: CAN FYFE BE TRUSTED IN SUPERCOACH?

DRAFT: OUR EXPERTS PICK THEIR AFLX TEAMS

But the Dockers’ medical staff will likely have the final say on Fyfe’s availability and won’t want to take any risks with their best player in the novelty pre-season tournament.

Fremantle has already been hit hard by injuries to key midfielders including Stephen Hill (quad) and Connor Blakely (hamstring) this pre-season, following the departure of Lachie Neale in the trade period.

The injuries will potentially leave a hole in the Fremantle midfield in the early part of the season. They play North Melbourne, Gold Coast and St Kilda in the first three rounds.

Fremantle captain Nat Fyfe in action at training.

Another setback to Fyfe in AFLX would be a disaster for Ross Lyon as the Dockers feel pressure to climb the ladder this season.

But Fyfe said he had avoided any serious damage in the training fall.

“(It’s) not too bad. Sent a bit of a scare through the camp,” Fyfe said.

“I’ve got an inflamed bursa on my right elbow, which I’m training with strapped up at the moment, and I got tackled and landed quite heavily on that exact spot.

“It’s pretty painful, but not lasting damage.

“It’s just something I’ll have to manage for the next couple of weeks.”

“People are looking at it and going there’s a possible injury risk,” Fyfe told 6PR of the competition.

“But if you scan across any of the injury lists at an club, guys get injured through training because of the match simulation stuff that we do so there’s no increased risk as far as that’s concerned.”

If Fyfe was sidelined for AFLX, vice-captain Marcus Bontempelli would likely lead the Flyers into action at Marvel Stadium.