Fremantle forward Sam Switkowski suffers nasty head knock in Dockers’ game against North Melbourne

Fremantle forward Sam Switkowski has suffered a nasty knock to the head and has been subbed out of their clash with North Melbourne, replaced by Neil Erasmus.

Switkowski copped the knee of number one draft pick Jason Horne-Francis early in the final quarter.

Horne-Francis rose high to attempt a spectacular mark over the head of the Dockers forward, with his knee making solid contact with Switkowski.

He required the help of trainers for a number of minutes before being taken from the ground.

He had kicked two goals for the night, with the Dockers holding a commanding lead.

Switkowski, who has been praised for his relentless forward-half pressure this season, will now miss the trip to play the Gold Coast next Sunday, should he fail a concussion test.

He would be the second Docker this season to miss a game through the league’s mandatory 12-day concussion protocols, after Sean Darcy was subbed out of their home clash with Carlton a fortnight ago.

Erasmus’ late cameo was just his second at AFL level, just a fortnight after recovering from a concussion of his own.