The Tigers are licking their wounds after multiple youngsters have been ruled out for the remainder of the season.
Adelaide and Sydney are hopeful some of their forwards still have a role to play in 2025, while a former top 10 Pick has been sidelined by the AFL's Concussion Panel.
Here's all the latest injury news from across the AFL...
Magpies could regain gun forward
An unscathed week on the track could see Lachie Schultz return for Collingwood this week as the Magpies prepare for a trip to Gold Coast to face the Suns on Friday night.
Schultz has been sidelined for more than a month with his injury, which followed a concussion sustained in the first half of the season.
Schultz has been in full training and will need to pass further fitness tests to be cleared to return.
Small forward Beau McCreery is at least another week away with his own hamstring issue.
The Magpies will also have Ash Johnson available for selection after his long recovery from a leg injury.
Carlton put a line through defender's return chances
The Blues have decided against attempting to have sidelined veteran Nic Newman back later this season.
Newman hurt his patella tendon in the pre-season but was not ruled out for the year as the club remained hopeful of his chances of a late-season comeback.
With Carlton's finals hopes just about dashed, the Blues have decided against aiming for Newman to play in 2025.
"While he continues to make strong progress in regard to his rehabilitation, the decision has been made to allow Newman use the remainder of the season to build up his strength and conditioning, allowing him to enter the off-season in a really strong position moving forward," a club update read.
Meanwhile, Zac Williams and Hudson O'Keeffe have both been cleared to play following recent concerns, while the Blues could have Adam Saad (concussion) and Harry McKay (knee) back next week.
An ankle injury to Lewis Young will keep him out of action for the next month, while Sam Walsh could be back from his foot injury by Round 21.
Illness delays Dee's return
Melbourne swingman Harrison Petty won't be available for selection as illness has delayed his return from concussion protocols.
The Demons have confirmed the South Australian won't face North Melbourne, while defender Blake Howes is in the mix after a head knock of his own.
“Petts was unwell last week, which meant his concussion protocol had to be extended slightly. Given his previous concussion earlier in the year, he's progressing a bit slower through the protocols," Demons high-performance manager Selwyn Griffith said.
“He'll return to full training next week and should be available the following round.
“[Howes] progressed really well and is now in the final stage of the concussion protocols, which involves completing a full team training session.
“If he gets through that, he'll be cleared to play.”
Veteran Swan a test
Sydney could have Dane Rampe back from a recent calf issue, with the defender set to complete skills drills to be cleared to face the Saints on Sunday.
Coach Dean Cox will be forced into at least two changes, having lost Joel Amartey (adductor) and Tom Papley (hamstring) to setbacks, while Aaron Francis is available again after serving his one-game suspension.
Rebounding defender Riley Bice is also a test for Round 18 as he deals with a low-grade calf issue, while Caleb Mitchell is in a similar position with a fracturd toe.
Some good news for Essendon
The Bombers could have defender Mason Redman back for this week's matchup with Richmond as he needs to prove his fitness at training.
Redman has missed recent matches with calf and hamstring issues, with his latest setback only minor.
The fiery defender will need to get through Wednesday's session to be in the clear, with Redman set to be a boost for a Bombers side that is without a host of key players through injury.
Blow for young Hawk, stat nearing comeback
Hawthorn rookie Noah Mraz will be sidelined for up to two months afte hurting his knee at training last week.
Scans have confirmed an MCL injury that places the young defender's season in the balance, but the Hawks are yet to put a line through his campaign.
"He's in a brace at the moment just to stablise and let the healing happen," Hawks high-performance boss Peter Burge said.
"It's a medium to long-term injury, which we've stated as six to eight weeks. We'll have more clarity in a week's time, just depending on how that's stablised and how he's healing. We expect him to play some football later in the season."
Young midfield-forward Sam Butler is another week away from returning due to his recent leg injury, while defender Bodie Ryan could also be back from his clavicle setback.
Star midfielder Will Day's return is now set at 2-4 weeks, with the Peter Crimmins Medal winner now a strong chance to return prior to the end of the home and away season.
Key Giants trio a test, season over for rookie
GWS' Jesse Hogan (foot), Jack Buckley (foot) and Lachie Whitfield (concussion) are all in the mix to play this week following recent setbacks.
Hogan missed the Giants' recent clash with over West Coast and is likely to suit up against the Cats this Saturday.
Buckley was subbed out of the win over the Eagles but remains in contention, while Whitfield was unable to get up for the trip to Perth following his concussion in Round 15.
Whitfield will need to get through Thursday's main session symptom-free to be cleared to play.
Meanwhile, first-year Giant Jack Ough's season is over after the GWV Rebels product underwent shoulder surgery following an injury in the VFL.
He joins Conor Stone (foot), Cody Angove (back) and Callan Ward (knee) in missing the remainder of the season.
Star Cats in the mix, veterans sidelined
Geelong veteran Mitch Duncan has been sidelined by a shoulder injury sustained in the VFL over the weekend.
The Cats have listed the two-time premiership player's return timeframe as 'TBC' as they investigate the ailment further, with Duncan set to meet a specialist.
Fellow senior Cat Cam Guthrie will also spend the coming weeks out of action after dealing with calf tightness, while young forward Olie Wiltshire has entered concussion protocols.
In better news for Geelong, Bailey Smith (illness), Tyson Stengle (personal) and Sam De Koning (shoulder) are all in the mix to play this weekend.
De Koning will need to get through training this week to be cleared to play at either level, while both Stengle and Smith narrowdly missed the Round 17 win over Richmond.
Brisbane cavalry near returns
The reigning premiers' injury list has been reduced to just two players as a host of Lions near comebacks.
Defender Keidean Coleman (quad) and ruckman Henry Smith (foot) are both available for selection, while Oscar McInerney is also in the mix after playing in the VFL recently.
Defender Tom Doedee has exited concussion protocols and is also expected to play at some level this week.
Brisbane only have Jack Payne (knee) and Lincoln McCarthy (knee) on their injury list, with both players' returns listed as 'TBC'.
Suns vice-captain no certainty for Pies clash
After being a late omission from the Suns' Round 17 squad, key defender Sam Collins will need to prove his fitness at training this week prior to Friday's meeting with Collingwood.
Collins was dealing with a calf issue in the build-up to last weekend's trip to Melbourne and was replaced by debutant Oscar Adams.
Gold Coast have confirmed Collins is 'probable' for Round 18 but will need to get through training unscathed.
“The decision was made to withdraw Sam from last week's match after he reported some calf tightness following a training session. He will train this week and we will make a decision on his availability for Friday night closer to match day,” Suns Physiotherapist Lindsay Bull said in a club update.
Meanwhile, small forward Tom Berry is in line to play his first game since recovering from a lengthy rehabilitation from a shoulder injury. The ex-Lion is set to suit up in the VFL.
Mixed news for Swans forward
Sydney tall Joel Amartey will struggle to make it back before the season ends after suffering a high-grade adductor strain that will see him miss at least eight weeks.
Scans also confirmed that fellow forward Tom Papley will be absent for two to three weeks with a low-grade hamstring strain.
Young Bomber ruled out of 2025
Essendon's Nik Cox has been ruled out for the remainder of the 2025 season at the recommendation of the AFL's Concussion Panel.
Cox has suffered multiple head knocks over the past 18 months and was assessed by the governing body, which provided a clear return-to-play pathway, with one key aspect of it being to step away for the rest of the year.
"After meeting with an independent AFL medical panel regarding my concussion history, I'm pleased that I've been cleared to continue my playing career," Cox said.
"My focus now is on continuing to work closely with specialists and the club to make sure I'm in the best place physically and mentally to return to football."
Zach Reid (hamstring) and Jye Caldwell (syndesmosis) will both require surgery to correct their injury woes suffered in recent weeks.
Reid experienced hamstring tightness, and scans revealed a minor strain, which has been deemed to need surgical intervention.
As for Caldwell, his timeline is unclear, but surgery in the coming days should help provide clarity on his return.
Adelaide star requires surgery
Josh Rachele will be sent in for surgery after scans revealed he suffered a posterior capsular tear along with a bone compression injury against Melbourne.
His timeframe, however, is yet to be confirmed, but the Crows are "thankful" that it isn't an ACL injury.
"Thankfully, Josh has avoided any ligament damage in the knee, which is a relief," Adelaide High-Performance Manager Darren Burgess said.
"He'll have surgery to elevate the bone in his knee and likely be in a brace for a few weeks.
"Once out of the brace, we'll progress his training loads from there."
Richmond youngster, speedster done
Richmond will lose Sam Lalor and Hugo Ralphsmith for the remainder of the year due to hamstring injuries.
The Tigers ruled out mismanagement of Lalor, given he just returned from a hamstring injury, saying he sustained the injury in a tackle and could be in line for surgery.
"After a strong, meticulous rehab, unfortunately, he did reinjure his hamstring. It is his third time on that hamstring and the second (occasion) with us," High Performance Manager Ben Serpell said.
"We are a bit concerned about the integrity of the hamstring structure.
"As part of that, we will consult a few surgeons over the next little while to see if there is some surgical intervention available for us."
"Hugo Ralphsmith sustained a hamstring injury late in the game, and unfortunately for both of them (Lalor), it's going to rule them out for the rest of the year."
Jacob Bauer will also miss the rest of 2025 due to an ACL injury, while Samson Ryan's timeline is unclear as he recovers from a persistent foot issue (plantar fasciitis).
More positively, Jayden Short (calf) and Josh Gibcus (ACL) made successful returns through the VFL.
“It was great to see Shorty out there, and I think most of the fans in Melbourne would've heard his voice down in Geelong,” Serpell said.
“Gibbo coming back after a couple of years, I think everyone was excited about that, and we are looking forward to seeing him increase his game time this week.”
Harry Armstrong (hamstring) and Campbell Gray (knee) are also a test.
Roos son-of-a-gun downed by ankle injury
North Melbourne's Jackson Archer won't be seen again in 2025 after he suffered an ankle injury in the VFL over the weekend.
Archer's ankle was caught in a tackle, with scans showing he fractured his fibula and sustained a syndesmosis injury, which will require surgery.
Star midfielder Luke Davies-Uniacke has entered concussion protocols after copping a knock during the Western Bulldogs loss.
Gun full forward Nick Larkey is in a race to be available for the Melbourne battle after flagging knee soreness following his five-goal effort.
"Nick suffered a knee knock in the first quarter, which has pulled up pretty sore over the past couple of days," North Melbourne head of performance Kevin White said.
"His plan will be to let symptoms settle in the early part of the week while he increases his range of movement before testing at the back end of the week."
Luke McDonald (shoulder), Luke Parker (ribs), Jack Darling (groin) and Charlie Comben (shoulder) are all tests to take on the Demons.
Power out for trio
Sam Powell-Pepper (ACL), Esava Ratugolea (hamstring), and Dante Visentini (syndesmosis) have all been ruled out for the remainder of the 2025 season.
Powell-Pepper suffered the heartbreaking injury during the loss to Brisbane, while Ratugolea and Visentini also sustained injuries throughout the contest.
"It's such a disappointing outcome for Sam, and for the club," Port Adelaide Head of Medical Services Tim O'Leary said.
"Sam is so courageous and hard-working, and was incredibly diligent with his previous knee rehab. There is no doubt he will approach this rehab with his usual high level of commitment, attacking it in the same way he attacks the footy.
"It's really unfortunate to lose Esava and Dante at this point in the year. The silver lining is that there will be no impact on their preseasons, which gives them the best chance to prepare for 2026."
