BEING aggressive with his rehabilitation and taking a few calculated risks was the key to important Fremantle forward Sam Switkowski recovering from a back injury in time to play a role in the Dockers' finals campaign.

Switkowski was worried that his season could be over when he suffered a fracture in his back during the Dockers' round 13 win against Hawthorn after colliding heavily with defender James Sicily.

A similar injury had ruled him out for the entire 2020 season, but the Dockers' largely new medical team was able to fast-track his recovery and target a round 22 comeback against West Coast, just nine weeks after the injury had occurred.

Switkowski, who wasn't given a timeframe for his return at the time, signed a one-year extension on his existing contract through to 2024 during the rehab process to "give him clarity around his future" and allow him to focus on his fast-tracked recovery. 

He said he was grateful for the approach taken by the Dockers' medical team, which made it possible for him to play an important role in his first final on Saturday night.

"We took a bit of a different strategy this time around with the injury and it's paying off so far," the small forward said. 

"We took a bit more of an aggressive mindset with training and reloading the back and a few risks that come with that, but it seems to have handled it pretty well.

"I reflected on my experiences from 2020 when I missed the whole season with my back injury, and we've got a bit of personnel change in our medical team and other staff.

"We just decided with finals on the line and with where I'm at with my career and this year we wanted to take that risk and get back and play."

Switkowski, who was able to play two games in his return from injury ahead of finals, was a valuable player against the Western Bulldogs, finishing with a game-high 34 pressure acts.    

He was among the 18 Dockers who took the field in their first September clash but said the experience of playing in a final would be valuable this week when they take on Collingwood in a semi-final at the MCG.

"The momentum swings, being down by 40 points and getting a few goals quickly, it's all really good experience," the 25-year-old said. 

"We'll have a bigger crowd again at the MCG this week and we'll be better for it.

"We've proven this year that we've played well away from home and can use our own energy to thrive on. In saying that, we've still had good support interstate this year.

"I'm sure we'll have our cheer squad and probably a lot of neutral Victorian supporters our way this week."

Slow starts have been an issue for Fremantle recently, winning just one of their past five first quarters, and they trailed by 34 points at quarter time against the Bulldogs. Switkowski said the team probably wouldn't get away with another slow start this week.

"Especially against a team like Collingwood, who have proven this year that they're really good in close games and finish off games strongly," he said.

"They're a good side, so it's certainly not something we want to rely on.

"We know what to expect and there's nothing special we need to change, just getting the basics right and making sure we're on from the start."

Captain Nat Fyfe will be sidelined again this week with a hamstring injury and Switkowski said he felt for the captain, who waited seven seasons for another shot in September and could miss out this year.

"I'm really flat for him. It's super disappointing," Switkowski said.  

"He'd love to be out there. He's got so much finals experience and he's our skipper and our best leader.

"I've been really impressed with how he's been around the club. He's been really positive and getting around the guys and sharing his experiences. 

"Footy can be a brutal industry and guys are unlucky to miss with injuries sometimes. But I can't speak highly enough of him."