St Kilda young gun Mattaes Phillipou will miss the start of the 2025 AFL season due to a stress fracture in his right femur.

Phillipou had a rollercoaster 2024 season after failing to find form early on, including two matches of just five and four disposals in Rounds 8 and 10.

The 20-year-old took it upon himself to reclaim the form seen in his debut season by opting to play in the VFL for club affiliate Sandringham, as he aimed to stake his claim for a spot in St Kilda's midfield.

The eight-week reserves stint worked wonders for Phillipou, with his first week back tallying a career-best 26 disposals, plus a goal to boot in the Saints' upset win over Sydney. Phillipou carried this success through to end his season on a high note, and throughout pre-season has looked primed for a monster third year in the AFL system.

The stress fracture is a frustrating blow for Phillipou, who is now set for an extended period on the sidelines. It is equally disheartening for the Saints, who would have been hopeful for Phillipou to add firepower to their midfield in 2025, an area of the ground they have self-admittedly lacked strength in.

General manager David Misson said the news was devastating for the rising star.

"This is an extremely disappointing development for Mattaes,โ€ Misson said.

โ€œIt was clear he'd taken the lessons he learned last year into his off-season and came back ready to attack 2025.

โ€œMattaes pulled up a bit sore on Friday, so we monitored his recovery over the weekend. His pain was still present on Monday, so we sent him off for scans that confirmed the diagnosis.

โ€œHe'll be on crutches for the next couple of weeks, then we're looking at 10-12 weeks of rehabilitation and re-loading after that.

โ€œIt's a tough pill to swallow, but Mattaes' maturity and commitment is far beyond his years, and we're sure he'll tackle this period with the professionalism we've come to expect from him.โ€

Moorabbin has seemingly become infectious for injury, after dependable defender Dougal Howard dislocated his shoulder on Monday. All-Australian squad member and star ruckman Rowan Marshall has also been revealed to be impacted by injury, struck down with a pelvis issue that could rule him out of Round 1.

The 201cm Saint is on light duties in the hopes of being a live chance for St Kilda's opening match against Adelaide.

The 29-year-old is expected to be sidelined from main training for five weeks at minimum, coinciding with the launch of Opening Round, however should Marshall's return delay to seven weeks or later his start to the season may be after the Crows clash.

Misson said the extent of his injury will be revealed after scans this week.

โ€œRowan's going for a CT scan tomorrow to assess the extent of a stress fracture in his pelvis,โ€ Misson said.

โ€œHe's been on modified duties since last week to assist with the management of the injury, but we'll have a better idea of his recovery after the scan tomorrow.

โ€œWe're hopeful that Rowan will be available for Round 1 or soon thereafter.โ€

Howard will receive scans on Tuesday morning to clarify the recovery period of the 28-year-old.

โ€œDougal is going for scans this morning, so we'll await those results before assigning a return-to-play timeline,โ€ Misson said.

โ€œRecovery from an injury like this can really range from days to weeks, so we won't speculate until we have that clarity.โ€

Paddy Dow, who is recovering from a sickening infection in his knee, is progressively increasing his load, while Hunter Clark (groin) and Liam Henry (knee) are making strides in their recoveries, with a full return expected in the near future.

Top 10 pick Alix Tauru has begun running as he recovers from a back stress fracture, while Max King and Liam Stocker have officially returned to the main training program this pre-season.

See below the Saints' injury list and each player's estimated timeframes for return.

INJURY LIST
Clark, Groin, 2-3 weeks
Henry, Knee, 4-6 weeks
Tauru, Back, 4-8 weeks
Marshall, Pelvis, 5-8 weeks
Phillipou, Leg, 10-14 weeks
Howard, Shoulder, TBC
Dow, Knee, TBC