JEFF Farmer is set to end his exile from Fremantle next week, and while the club has left the door slightly ajar for an early return from its suspension, it remains unlikely that the Dockers' six-week penalty will be reduced.

Fremantle's senior officials will meet with Farmer and his management on Monday, and the club has indicated he will be allowed to resume training next week, ending the enforced absence that has resulted in him training at South Fremantle.

Fremantle chairman Rick Hart said last night that while it was "not impossible" that Farmer could return to the team earlier than his six-week suspension — imposed by the club after an incident at a Perth nightclub — the board had not even considered curtailing his suspension.

Farmer is not due back until after the mid-season break.

Fremantle football operations manager Robert Shaw, who will attend Monday's meeting with Farmer and his manager, Hart and chief executive Cameron Schwab, said it was "common sense" that Farmer be allowed to resume training next week.

Farmer is out of contract and the club is keen to re-contract him, on the proviso that he measures up, on and off the field.

"It hasn't been considered in any way, and I don't see that it would be," Hart said, when asked if the suspension could be shortened.

"It's not impossible, I suppose. You can't declare it an impossibility, because if he's just been completely exemplary and really been, you know, done everything that's possible and appeared before the board and the board's convinced that he's done everything right, well … he might be looked upon with a bit of mercy, but I would think that's drawing a long bow."

Asked if this was unlikely, Hart said: "Yeah. I would think it would have to be exceptional circumstances for anything like that to happen.

"But I don't want to pre-empt anything and I don't want to discourage him from thinking that there might be some hope, somewhere along the line, you know, if it helps him to get back on track."

Hart said Farmer knew he was on his last chance. "If anyone can do it, he's the guy that can, you know, because he's intelligent enough and he's smart enough to know that his whole career is on the line here."