FREMANTLE defender Paul Duffield's rib injury is not as serious as has been reported and he may be right to return for the Dockers' last NAB Challenge clash against West Coast, according to Fremantle coach Ross Lyon.
 
Duffield had to be helped from the field in obvious pain during the last quarter of Fremantle's win over Melbourne in the club's first NAB Challenge clash last Thursday at Fremantle Oval.
 
It was reported this week that Duffield had dislocated a rib and that the uncommon injury could take up to six weeks to heal.
 
Lyon disputed that report on Friday saying it was nowhere near that serious.
 
"Paul Duffield just had some rib cartilage (damage)," Lyon said.
 
"I don't know where the dislocated rib came from. It was a big headline but it was inaccurate. He'll miss a week. He had something similar last year and you just local it a little bit while it heals. So just for our fans and members there's no five or six weeks absence there."
 
Lyon said there was no exact timeframe on the injury but suggested he could be right next week.
 
Duffield was out on training track on Friday after missing Wednesday's session but he did nothing more than walk slow laps.
 
Michael Barlow was absent from training again but Lyon said his rolled ankle would only see him "miss a week or so".
 
Danyle Pearce continued to run laps away from the main group as he recovers from a calf injury. Lyon said Pearce was a chance of playing this week but the Dockers were being conservative.
 
Zac Dawson is progressing slowly from his groin issues but Lyon could not make a definitive assessment on when he would return.
 
"He's really made some good ground over the last three or four weeks," Lyon said.
 
"I haven't got an exact date. I've got no real feel. I'd say in the early rounds. (Groins) take a while to settle down.
 
"It's a complicated area. It's not exact science there.
 
"But he's back running and pulling up pain free, so from there he should make some rapid progress, hopefully."
 
Lyon confirmed that Luke McPharlin was unlikely to play against the Sydney Swans on Sunday despite being named. The coach said his veteran defender had clocked up enough match minutes in the pre-season so far not to be burdened with extra travel.
 
The Dockers were hoping to rest Matthew Pavlich and David Mundy in the same manner but Lyon said both needed some game time after missing an intra-club practice match in the lead-up to the first NAB Challenge clash with Melbourne.
 
Matt Taberner was not named in the squad after pulling up a bit sore following his three-goal haul against the Demons.
 
Lyon confirmed that Nat Fyfe, Aaron Sandilands and Garrick Ibbotson would all play and all three will have their minutes monitored against the Swans on Sunday.