Fremantle midfielder Paul Hasleby is in doubt for Saturday's AFL western derby showdown with West Coast as Dockers coach Mark Harvey contemplates introducing yet another debutant.

Harvey said Hasleby was no certainty to line up against the Eagles after pulling up sore from last week's demanding loss to Brisbane in the wet, while defender Chris Tarrant was only a "60-40" chance after injuring his knee in the same game.

Fremantle are almost certain to welcome back skipper Matthew Pavlich and ruckman Aaron Sandilands from injury, but Byron Schammer (calf) and Des Headland (hamstring) will miss another week.

The Dockers have already played 10 debutants this season, leaving only six players on their list who are yet to make their AFL debut.

Only two of those featured in the WAFL last week - 20-year-old defender/midfielder Jay van Berlo and 194cm forward Hamish Shepheard.

Harvey refused to reveal which player was in line to make their debut and was tight-lipped when asked about Hasleby's problem.

"I'm not saying Hasleby's got a problem but we've got to test a few guys," Harvey said.

"He needs to be looked at.

"He played the whole game against Brisbane.

"It was just the demand of the conditions.

"We may have another debutant."

The loss of Hasleby would be a massive blow to the Dockers, whose crippling run with injuries has resulted in a devastating nine-game losing run.

Hasleby is a proven performer in the derbies, having won four Ross Glendinning medals for best afield displays.

The 28-year-old, who has averaged 25 possessions a game this year, tallied 35 possessions in a match-winning effort in the round six derby.

West Coast will again be without ruckman Dean Cox and star onballer Daniel Kerr as they continue to recover from groin complaints.

The pair visited a specialist in Adelaide last week and have been ruled out of action indefinitely while they complete individual programs designed to build up strength in their troublesome areas.

"The idea is that they get a couple of weeks' work with this program then we start to build up their running and see how they adapt to that," Eagles coach John Worsfold said.

"If they get through we'll keep building them up and getting them ready to play, if they get sore we'll back them off and give them extra time."

Fremantle could feature up to nine first-year players against the Eagles but Harvey denied his young brigade were at risk of becoming overawed by the intensity a derby brings.

"I keep talking about them rising to the challenge on a weekly basis," Harvey said.

"Sometimes we have a flat spot, you go through that, but hopefully that's quite rare.

"It will be interesting to see how Zac Clarke goes against (Nic) Naitanui, it will be interesting to see how Stephen Hill plays on (Chris) Masten if it happens."

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