Jack Viney of the Demons gathers the ball during the round 23 AFL match between the Geelong Cats and the Melbourne Demons at Simonds Stadium on August 27, 2016 in Geelong, Australia. (Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)
Melbourne best and fairest winner Jack Viney and key defender Tom McDonald will not be in full training until after Christmas, following operations at the end of the season.
Viney, who won his first Keith 'Bluey' Truscott Memorial Trophy last week, has had an operation on his hip, while McDonald went under the knife to fix a shoulder problem that he carried through much of the 2016 season.
Cameron Pedersen (shoulder surgery) and Aaron vandenBerg (ankle surgery) will also have their return dates pushed back into 2017, preventing them from joining incoming coach Simon Goodwin for pre-season training in November.