Defender Josh Draper has fallen victim to Fremantle’s horror-show last week and will miss Thursday night’s primetime clash with Collingwood.

The tall was slammed for some lacklustre defensive efforts in the heavy defeat to St Kilda and will make way as part of a smaller Fremantle backline to tackle the Magpies’ small-ball forwardline.

Neil Erasmus has been confirmed as the replacement for the injured Hayden Young, while last week’s substitute Quinton Narkle was a surprise axing from the side that lost at Marvel Stadium last Friday night.

Patrick Voss has been recalled straight off serving a three-match suspension, while the Dockers are set to take Cooper Simpson’s half-back experiment to the next level in the senior side.

The second-year player will play his first game of this season after the club swung him from the forward-line to half-back at Peel Thunder in recent weeks.

Fremantle had persisted with a top-heavy backline featuring all of Alex Pearce, Brennan Cox, Luke Ryan and Draper this season, but have down-sized for their meeting with Collingwood.

Tim Membrey and Mason Cox are the only genuine tall threats, with Brody Mihocek battling and abdominal strain and left at home.

The Dockers now take in their tallest forward group this season, with all of Jye Amiss, Josh Treacy and Patrick Voss as well as ruck duo Sean Darcy and Luke Jackson.

The move hints at Jackson spending more time in the middle. He was used at 43 per cent of centre bounces against the Saints, sometimes as an on-baller in his own right.

The Dockers will need to fill the big-bodied midfield void left by Young, who had successful hamstring surgery on Tuesday and could miss more than three months.

Coach Justin Longmuir said Erasmus — who has played two games this year — has had to battle through close attention in the WAFL.

“He’s working on some areas we need him to work on. It’s tough when he goes back to WAFL because the opposition put a lot of time and effort into him and he gets a hard tag,” he said.

“He’s not going to get that AFL level. He will be able to play with a bit more freedom.

“Fundamentally the things we’ve asked him to work on, he’s working his backside off like he always does to try to work on those things.”

The Magpies had earlier confirmed they are resting premiership stars Brayden Maynard, Jordan De Goey and Scott Pendlebury because they are playing off a five-day break.

FREMANTLE

B: L Ryan A Pearce B Cox

HB: C Wagner K Worner J Clark

C: J Sharp M Johnson M Frederick

HF: S Bolton S Switkowski I Dudley

F: L Jackson J Treacy J Amiss

FOLL: S Darcy C Serong A Brayshaw

I/C: P Voss M Reid H Chapman N Erasmus C Simpson

EMG: O McDonald Q Narkle J Draper

INS: P Voss N Erasmus C Simpson

OUTS: J Draper (omitted) Q Narkle (omitted) H Young (hamstring)

COLLINGWOOD

B: J Howe D Moore D Houston

HB: H Perryman B Frampton I Quaynor

C: J Crisp S Sidebottom P Lipinski

HF: B Hill T Membrey L Schultz

F: B McCreery M Cox J Elliott

FOLL: D Cameron N Daicos N Long

I/C: J Daicos E Allan W Hoskin-Elliott L Sullivan O Markov

EMG: C West W Hayes C Dean

INS: J Howe E Allan L Sullivan O Markov

OUTS: B Maynard (managed) J De Goey (managed) B Mihocek (injured) S Pendlebury (managed)