AARON Sandilands will see an eye specialist in Adelaide on Saturday night after copping an inadvertent poke in the eye during Fremantle's impressive 25-point win over the Crows.

Sandilands played a major role in Fremantle's early dominance of the game, dictating the midfield stoppages by chalking up 17 hit-outs and five clearances to the major break.

Opponent Ivan Maric only managed seven hit-outs for Adelaide to half-time in comparison.

An ugly collision in the third term led to Sandilands sporting an even uglier facial disfiguration affecting his left eye, forcing Fremantle coach Mark Harvey to sub the 211cm giant out of the game.

The effect was almost immediate, as Adelaide rallied in the third quarter with consecutive goals to Patrick Dangerfield and Taylor Walker within the space of a few minutes.

Harvey was torn in making the final call on Sandilands' substitution.

"He sets up a lot of our play around stoppages and what he does around the ground," said Harvey.

"But full credit to Kepler (Bradley) and Michael Johnson - when they had to, they really stepped up and filled that void in the ruck."

The full extent of the injury is unknown at this stage, however the competition’s tallest player was clearly in discomfort following the incident.

"He couldn't even see me after the game." said Harvey, with television footage showing Sandilands' left eye almost completely sealed over by swelling and bruising.

Sandilands will receive a full assessment by specialists overnight in Adelaide before flying back to Perth tomorrow. While Fremantle were able to overcome his absence on Saturday to record an impressive away win, the club would be hoping that his absence is only temporary.

Max covers news from AAMI Stadium for afl.com.au. Follow him on Twitter: @AFL_MaxPhillips