The second week of bye rounds is upon us, with another six clubs earning a break after 12 weeks of footy.
Adelaide, Gold Coast, the Western Bulldogs, Geelong, Sydney and West Coast will all have the week off, with the remaining 12 teams set to try and earn some more premiership points.
Injuries and suspensions continue to take their toll across the competition, with teams set to move magnets as the second half of the season begins to heat up.
Here's all the latest selection news ahead of Round 13...
For all listed injuries, visit ourย INJURIES AND SUSPENSIONSย page.
McDonald to have surgeryย
Melbourne have confirmed that Tom McDonald will be sidelined for an extended period after suffering a low-grade Lisfranc injury.
The 29-year-old has met with surgeons and will have an operation to insert a small plate into his foot.
The Demons haven't provided a timeline on McDonald's return, but expect him to be available for selection later in the season.
Veteran Hawk sidelined
Jack Gunston's ankle injury isn't as bad as first feared, but the 30-year-old is still set to miss this weekend's clash against Fremantle.
Gunstan clutched his right ankle in the third quarter of Hawthorn's loss to Collingwood in Round 12, but managed to play out the game. Scans have since cleared the veteran of any structural damage, per reports from afl.com.au.
The three-time premiership player is set to miss at least one week, with the Hawks confident of his return after their Round 14 bye.
Saints face selection dilemmaย
St Kilda return from the bye with a Saturday night test against Brisbane at the Gabba, but will be busy at the selection table in the lead-up.
Hunter Clark (shoulder) and Jack Higgins (concussion) were both chances to return prior to the bye, in St Kilda's win over North Melbourne, but were forced to enter the AFL's Health and Safety protocols. Both are available for selection this weekend.
Clark put in a good showing in the VFL two weeks ago upon his return from a shoulder injury, while Higgins has been training well after missing a month through concussion and COVID protocols.
The Saints, who are currently sitting in 5th spot on the ladder, currently only have two long-term injuries hindering the club, with Nick Coffield and Jack Hayes both out for the season with knee injuries.
McGrath to prove fitness for Blues clash
Essendon gun Andy McGrath is in a race to prove his fitness for Friday night's clash against Carlton after pulling up sore at training, but remains confident he will play.
The 24-year-old tweaked his groin during match simulation over Essendon's bye weekend and missed training on Monday.
โItโs a little bit of awareness in my sort of groin/adductor area,โ McGrath told 7NEWS.
โItโs nothing too serious. Iโm still a fairly good chance to play this weekend.
โIt was pretty innocuous to be honest. I went to change direction and just felt something off a little bit."
Meanwhile, Jake Stringer and Matt Guelfi are both set to make a return from respective hamstring injuries.
Monday, June 6 ...
Lynch to miss, but Tigers to gain three premiership stars
Tom Lynch's hamstring is set to keep him sidelined for another week, causing him to miss Thursday night's clash against Port Adelaide at the MCG.
The news was confirmed by Tigers coach Damien Hardwick, who also revealed that Noah Balta (hamstring), Kane Lambert (hip) and Marlion Pickett (suspension) are all in line to return for the clash.
โBalta will train and hopefully play, Kane will hopefully train and play, and Lynchy will be next week,โ Hardwick said on Monday, viaย The Age.ย
โMarlion will be available to play. He has played one game in four weeks. Unfortunately, he has had those migraines, the suspension and the bye. We will see how he trains. He hasnโt trained a lot, he hasnโt played a lot.โ
The Tigers will be keen to get back on the winner's list after a narrow six-point loss to the Swans in Round 11.
Durdin a possibility to replace Weitering
The Blues have remained relatively tight-lipped on the changes to be made prior to Friday night's clash against Essendon, but mid-season recruit Durdin is looming as a possible replacement for the injured Jacob Weitering.
The star defender will miss at least six weeks with an AC joint injury, a massive blow to Carlton's defensive stocks.
Mid-season recruit and former North Melbourne defender Durdin is looking like a good chance to make his club debut sooner than expected, with the Blues lacking in options down back at the selection table.
Brodie Kemp looms as another possible replacement, but hasn't set the world on fire with his form in the VFL, while the Blues would be keen for Caleb Marchbank to continue building match fitness in the reserves after ongoing injury issues have left him without a senior appearance since 2019.
Lions set for Daniher boost
Brisbane could be set to welcome back key forward Joe Daniher for this weekend's clash with St Kilda.
Daniher managed to avoid surgery after suffering the injury in Round 7 and has been training fully with the main group for some time now.
Lions coach Chris Fagan said that this week's game had always been the target for the booming left-footer and that as long as the medical staff give him the all clear, he will be selecting Daniher this week.
"He's always been targeted for this week," Fagan toldย Sportsday.
"He's been in full training for the last three weeks so he's keen to play. The medical people think he should play, they don't think having another couple of weeks off is going to make too much difference so it's in their hands.
"I hope and pray that they're right."
