Fremantle’s injury toll continues to mount, with in-form AFL forward Michael Walters ruled out for the next four weeks due to a bad ankle sprain.

Walters suffered a syndesmotic ankle sprain in Saturday night’s draw with Sydney at the SCG.

The 22-year-old has been Fremantle’s best forward this season, booting 19 goals in the first seven rounds before rolling his left ankle against the Swans.

Walters joins skipper Matthew Pavlich (plantaris), Stephen Hill (quad), Aaron Sandilands (hamstring), Kepler Bradley (knee), Jon Griffin (knee), Anthony Morabito (knee) and Lachie Neale (ankle) on the sidelines.

Pavlich and Hill are expected back in a fortnight, but Morabito, Neale and Sandilands are still more than a month away from resuming.

Bradley and Griffin have been ruled out for the rest of the season.

Walters will miss games against Melbourne, Adelaide and Brisbane but, luckily, the club’s bye also falls in that period.

Despite the injuries, Fremantle are just adrift of fourth-placed Sydney, and will be hot favourites to beat struggling Melbourne at Patersons Stadium on Sunday.