Heading toward the middle part of the season, clubs and coaches are now weighing up managing players ahead of short turnarounds and the back half of the year.
Collingwood coach Craig McRae has opted to pull a host of premiership stars from the senior side in the face of a five-day break between clashes, while a Brownlow Medal winner could be back for an early return this week.
Gold Coast suffered a double hamstring blow, while a veteran Bulldogs defender is expected to be sidelined for longer than anticipated.
A young Roo will miss the rest of the season with an ACL injury, and there's mixed news for Carlton and Essendon.
Here's all the latest injury news ahead Round 9.
Bulldog blow as veteran downed "for a number of weeks"
Western Bulldogs key defender Liam Jones is expected to be sidelined for at least two more weeks after a calf injury was confirmed by the club.
Jones suffered the injury at training last week, and didn't feature at any level over the weekend.
"At the end of our main training session last Thursday, Liam suffered a low-grade calf muscle strain during an acceleration effort," Head of Sports Medicine Chris Bell said.
"We will confirm his return-to-play plan in the coming days, but expect him to miss the next couple of weeks."
Father-son gun Jordan Croft also suffered a setback, and is likely to miss the next four to six weeks.
"In the days following the VFL game the week before, Jordan had a low-level ache in his foot," Bell said.
"Scans confirmed that he has a small area of bone stress in his foot.
"This injury isn't uncommon in an athlete whose body is continuing to develop and mature.
"We will put a conservative management plan around Crofty, but expect him to miss the next four to six weeks."
Remarkably, Sam Darcy is listed as 5-9 weeks away following his knee injury in Round 6.
Double hamstring concern for Suns
Gold Coast will be without veteran Lachie Weller for at least a month after the wingman suffered a hamstring strain in Sunday's loss to Brisbane.
Weller was subbed out of the QClash and has since undergone scans, which have revealed a high-grade strain.
Weller could miss up to six weeks with the injury in what is the latest blow for the luckless flanker.
Meanwhile, in-form forward Ben Long is a test for this week's clash with the Western Bulldogs after suffering a hamstring concern of his own.
Long was a late out for Round 8 and will need to get through training to play on Saturday.
"Lachie has sustained a high-grade injury to his hamstring and on further examination and results of imaging we expect him to be unavailable until after our bye in Round 14,โ"Suns physiotherapist Lindsay Bull said in a club update.
"Ben reported some tightness in his hamstring on Friday last week and we opted to take a conservative approach.
"He will progress through training this week before a call on his availability for Round 9 is made."
Fringe utility Jy Farrar will miss the coming weeks after sustaining a fractured finger.
Forgotten Pie in line for VFL return
Collingwood midfielder Tom Mitchell is set to return to football this weekend after over 12 months on the sidelines.
Mitchell is tipped to play in the VFL on limited minutes after making progress from a persistent foot injury off the back of a strong rehab period.
Pies key forward Brody Mihocek is one of four players missing the trip to Perth against Fremantle, after it was revealed he sustained an abdominal strain.
The club is expecting it to be only one week on the sidelines, while Scott Pendlebury, Brayden Maynard and Jordan De Goey will be managed also.
Draftee Joel Cochran is also expected to return to the reserves, pending he passes concussion protocols.
Power provide latest on veteran, boost for tall forward duo
Port Adelaide veteran Travis Boak is listed as a test for Round 9 as he looks to overcome a back issue.
Boak has been sidelined in recent weeks as the Power manage the midfielder, who will undergo further assessment in the coming days before a call is made on his playing availability for this weekend's Showdown against Adelaide.
Defender Josh Sinn will look to exit concussion protocols later this week in his bid to return for Round 9.
Meanwhile, tall forwards Todd Marshall (Achilles) and Jack Lukosius (knee) are set to take strides in their rehabs, with the latter to increase his participation at training this week.
Marshall is set to start running for the first time since being injured in the pre-season, however still faces an unclear return timeframe.
Lions in line for double boost
Brisbane premiership pair Kai Lohmann (shoulder) and Logan Morris (calf tightness) are both expected to face North Melbourne on Sunday after missing Round 8.
The duo will need to get through training this week to be given the green light in what is another boost for coach Chris Fagan.
Morris' potential return comes as fellow tall forward Sam Day faces close to six weeks on the sidelines with a hamstring injury sustained in Sunday's win over Gold Coast.
The Lions are also without fringe tall Brandon Ryan, who suffered a facial fracture in the VFL over the weekend and required a spell out of action with no clear return timeframe.
Carlton father-son in the mix, blow for wingman
Blues swingman Jack Silvagni is a test for Round 9 as he eyes a return from a hand injury that saw him miss Carlton's trip to SA last weekend.
Silvagni was initially flagged to miss 1-2 games, with the forward-turned-defender now needing to prove his fitness at training this week to make a return.
Meanwhile, wingman Matt Cottrell is facing at least a month on the sidelines after suffering an ankle injury at training last week.
Cottrrell missed Round 8 due to the setback, with Carlton now confirming he extent of the injury.
Forward Orazio Fantasia's (calf) return remains up in the air, while utility Alex Cincotta could be back playing next week after dealing with a hip injury sustained in the summer.
Bombers to regain midfielder, backman's to miss months
Essendon onballer Jye Caldwell has been cleared to return for this week's clash with Sydney after recovering from a hamstring injury.
Caldwell has been unavailable for the past few weeks due to the injury, with the club confirming his selection status for Round 9.
Defender Jordan Ridley is set to miss eight weeks for a hamstring injury sustained in last Thursday's win over North Melbourne.
From the same game, Harrison Jones (ankle, TBC) and Jade Gresham (adductor, one week) have also been sidelined.
Midfielder Darcy Parish is at least a week away with his calf issue.
Season over for Roos defender
North Melbourne have confirmed the unfortunate news that defender Miller Bergman will miss the rest of the season with a ruptured ACL.
The injury occurred over the weekend in the VFL, with Roos performance lead Kevin White revealing the news on Tuesday.
"The club medical staff will review with specialists this week for the best course of action moving forward in regard to Miller," White said.
Bergman, who is in his fourth season at Arden Street, has played 16 games at AFL level, his most recent coming late last year.
The Roos are already without defender Jackson Archer for the next eight weeks for a hamstring injury sustained in last Thursday's loss to Essendon, while Callum Coleman-Jones (Achilles, two weeks) and Josh Goater (quad/hamstring, four weeks) are still in rehabilitation.
Cats pair a test, veterans nearing returns
Geelong defender Tom Stewart will need to prove his fitness at training this week as he eyes a return from a knee injury that saw him miss Round 8.
Stewart is in the mix to face GWS on Sunday but will have to get through this week alongside young midfielder Mitch Knevitt, who is dealing with a foot issue.
Ruckman Rhys Stanley is facing up to a fortnight out of action due to a hamstring injury sustained over the weekend, while fellow premiership Cat Jack Henry faces a similar timeframe with his own hamstring concern.
Veteran duo Jack Martin (management) and Cameron Guthrie (Achilles) are no longer listed as TBC, and will be in the selection frame in the next three weeks.
The Cats have already confirmed Lawson Humphries will miss Round 9 through concussion, while forward Gryan Miers is yet to exit concussion protocols for an incident from Round 7.
