Clubs are beginning to sweat on the availability of key players with Round 1 set to kick off next Thursday.
As clubs begin selection talks for their season-opening sides, both Melbourne and St Kilda are hoping several senior players get up for their respective matches.
Already without Max King, St Kilda duo Tim Membrey and Seb Ross are in a race against the clock to be past fit to play against Fremantle next Sunday, reports AFL Media’s Josh Gabelich.
Membrey underwent knee surgery a few weeks ago and failed to line up in any of the club’s pre-season games.
While the forward has returned to training, Gabelich says he’s far from a lock to play first up and could even miss more football than that.
As for Ross, the veteran midfielder is also in doubt after struggling with a calf complaint across the past few weeks as his workloads have been managed.
At Melbourne, premiership duo Bayley Fritsch and Jack Viney are in doubt for the club’s Round 1 clash against the Western Bulldogs next Saturday.
Fritsch is currently dealing with a foot issue after he was stomped on at training a few weeks ago, with AFL.com.au reporting that he’s still struggling to recover from the incident.
As for Viney, the star midfielder is battling with a knee injury that he suffered at training last week.
While the 28-year-old was cleared of structural damage, he’s yet to return to train with the main group.