In-form Richmond forward Jack Riewoldt could be set for another goal feast in Saturday night's AFL clash with Fremantle at Etihad Stadium as the Dockers frantically scramble to reorganise their injury-hit defence.

Fremantle's three key defenders - Antoni Grover (hamstring), Chris Tarrant (Achilles tendon) and Luke McPharlin (knee) - are all sidelined through injury, spelling bad news for the fourth-placed Dockers.

Riewoldt leads the Coleman Medal count with 53 goals but it's his past seven games that have sent shudders through the competition.

The 21-year-old has booted 38 goals during that period, including a bag of 10 against West Coast, two tallies of six and another haul of five.

Fremantle have been reduced to three 'viable' but hardly ideal options to cover Riewoldt - unheralded rookie Alex Silvagni, the out-of-form Adam McPhee or a rusty Michael Johnson.

It's little wonder Fremantle coach Mark Harvey said the emphasis would be placed on cutting off Riewoldt's supply rather than stopping the "big boy" himself.

"It's what you do before the ball comes down that's important," Harvey said on Thursday.

"It would be fair to say we've looked at their supply over the past month.

"He (Riewoldt) tries to work his opponent over, his timing is spot on at the moment, he's one grab and he's getting really good supply.

"He's playing with an enormous amount of confidence and he'll go to line up for goal and he'll kick it before he lets go of it on his boot."

Tigers midfielder Ben Cousins, who was hospitalised during the week, has been replaced by Jeromey Webberley in the only change to the team that beat Sydney in thrilling fashion last week.

The Dockers made three changes, replacing injured trio Michael Barlow (broken leg), Grover and Nat Fyfe (concussion) with Nick Suban, Clancee Pearce and Tim Ruffles.

It will be the first AFL game for 19-year-old Ruffles since he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his knee in round 17 last year, with Harvey keen to see him work in tandem with Hayden Ballantyne in the forward line.

The Tigers have won four of their past five matches and Harvey conceded it was a danger game for his team.

Meanwhile, Fremantle forward Des Headland has shed several kilos in order to save his AFL career.

Headland has been sidelined by a serious knee injury since round four but will make his playing return via the WAFL this weekend.

The 29-year-old, who has played just 19 games since the start of 2008, is off contract at season's end but has trimmed down during his enforced layoff to protect his knee from further damage.

"Des has lost a couple of kilos and looks pretty sharp," Harvey said.

"I think when you have knee issues, the less stress you put on the knees the better.

"That's a way of releasing it."

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