A Brownlow Medalist and St Kilda forward have been ruled out for the home and away season, while a key Fremantle playmaker looks destined for another stint on the sidelines.
Here's all the latest injury news from across the AFL...
Pies defender returns as forward nears
Collingwood will regain pivotal defender Jeremy Howe for Thursday's crunch clash against Hawthorn.
Howe has missed since Round 18 with a groin injury and will be a welcome return to the struggling Pies backline.
Speedy forward Beau McCreery is eyeing next week's Adelaide battle for his return from a hamstring injury.
More importantly, Bobby Hill has not been listed at Collingwood, albeit missing Tuesday's training session with gastro.
Update on Port Adelaide pair
Jase Burgoyne has been ruled out of the Power's game on the weekend with a partial tear of his plantaris tendon.
A timeline for his return will be known in the coming days.
Jack Lukosious is expected to rejoin full training this week and is listed as a test, while ruck Ivan Soldo has entered concussion protocols after an incident in the SANFL.
Brisbane star ruled out for home and away season
Dual Brownlow Medalist Lachie Neale has been ruled out until finals due to a quad injury.
Scans revealed Neale's quad tear after he experienced soreness in the Lions' statement win over Collingwood.
Fellow Lions Ryan Lester and James Tunstill have both entered concussion protocols and will therefore miss this weekend.
Key forward in doubt
North Melbourne spearhead Nick Larkey is in doubt for the Kangaroos' clash with St Kilda after reaggravating a PCL injury.
"He was moving well post-game but will be braced conservatively in the early part of this week while his availability and planning is confirmed later in the week after medical consultation," North Melbourne head of performance Kevin White said.
Richmond youngsters setback
Young key forward Jonty Faull has played his last game of 2025, with scans confirming an MCL injury for the first-year player after injuring his knee early in the Tigers' clash with Gold Coast.
Meanwhile, Josh Smillie has suffered another slight setback in a frustrating first year at AFL level.
“Unfortunately for Smillie, he didn't quite get through training last week,” High Performance Manager Serpell said.
“He is still pulling up a little bit sore, and as it turns out, he has succumbed to the virus that is going through the Club at the moment.
“So, he hasn't been able to get through training fully for the last week or so.
“We aren't interested in pushing him at this stage of the year, and we will continue to work with him over the next little while and try and increase his footy loads where possible and make sure we are doing the right thing by him for the long-term.”
Owens out for season
St Kilda forward Mitch Owens is set to miss the Saints last three games after scans revealed a hamstring strain, which led to him being subbed out against North Melbourne on the weekend.
“You never want to see any of your players on the sidelines, however at this time of year it would be unnecessary to take any undue risks,” EGM Football David Misson said.
“Mitch will meet with further specialists in the coming days to assess whether or not surgery will be required.
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Adelaide defender available after puncture lunge
Adelaide could welcome back Jordon Butts to the senior side after being cleared to play following a punctured lung.
Butts will need to get through the week's training loads to be available for the West Coast clash.

"Good news this week with Jordon Butts, he's been cleared to resume full contact training," Adelaide General Manager High Performance Darren Burgess said.
"Assuming he gets through everything this week, he'll be available for selection this weekend."
Fellow defender Max Michalanney is progressing through his hamstring rehabilitation in a bid to be cherry ripe for finals.
"Max is doing a lot of running and a lot of strength work through that hamstring," Burgess said.
"We're anticipating he'll be around 3-4 weeks away from resuming playing."
Suns youngster suffers latest setback
Gold Coast will be without impressive youngster Will Graham for the short term after he hurt his hamstring in the VFL over the weekend.

Graham had missed the majority of the season with a serious shoulder injury, and will now be sidelined for longer.
"Scans have confirmed a low-grade hamstring strain, which will see him unavailable for selection in the short term," GC SUNS Head Physiotherapist Lindsay Bull said.
Winger Sam Clohesy is nearing a return to football after missing time with an ankle injury, while utility Zak Evans has been ruled out of 2025 with a broken thumb.
Dockers star in doubt for 2025
Fremantle could be without Hayden Young for the remainder of the year after the club confirmed he strained his adductor in the win over Carlton.

Young has faced an interrupted 2025 campaign with multiple setbacks in his hamstring, with the latest putting his season in jeopardy.
The Dockers will provide a timeline for Young's return to play in the coming days, as he completes the initial phase of recovery.
Carlton cop second ACL injury
Scans have confirmed that Carlton defender Harry O'Farrell has suffered an ACL injury in the loss against Fremantle.
O'Farrell was drafted by the Blues last year, and joins fellow youngster Jagga Smith as ACL victims from the 2024 intake.

"Yesterday Harry experienced the fantastic highs and the devastating lows of our game in the space of only a few minutes - we are all feeling for him today," Blues General Manager of Football Brad Lloyd said.
"To step onto the big stage with confidence and a maturity beyond his years, he has all the qualities to be a quality player for our football club for a long time to come.
"Harry really impressed everyone as soon as he walked through the doors at IKON Park, he has an outstanding drive to get the absolute best out of himself.
"He will go into surgery, with the Club to provide him with all the support he needs through his rehabilitation."
Will Day update
Hawthorn star Will Day has been ruled out of the remainder of the season after a reaggravation of the foot injury which sidelined him through the middle part of the season.
"The MRI scan on Saturday showed he has bone oedema in his navicular bone but since then, we've had a CT Scan as well, which shows that the screw and the surgical intervention originally done four months ago looks excellent, which is good news," Hawthorn High Performance Manager Peter Burge said.
"He also has a joint irritation further down his foot, so there's actually two things going on here that we're managing.
"But ultimately, the bone oedema in his navicular is the reason why he's ruled out for the season.
"From here, it'll be an aggressive deload period where he'll be off legs.
"Then slowly, we'll be progressively reloading again over the off-season and really, it should give him a full preparation over the off-season into next pre-season."
An update was also provided on Josh Weddle, who remains a chance to return to the field in 2025.
"Weds is putting back-to-back running sessions together and progressing under Jack Price's (Rehab Coordinator) program," Burge said.
"We're progressing and looking to play in the latter part of the season, depending on how the team progresses."






