A West Coast midfielder will not be seen again in 2025, which adds to the intrigue around his future.
Hawthorn will need to weigh up how they structure their forward line as a tall is set to put his hand up for selection.
Here's all the latest injury news from across the AFL...
Quarter of Dockers to be assessed as forward ruled out
Fremantle could have captain Alex Pearce (shin), Nat Fyfe (calf), Corey Wagner (heel) and James Aish (back) available for selection, pending they get through the week's training.
"They are going well and as planned," Fremantle High Performance Manager Phil Merriman said.
"They did a good session in the rain on Sunday and got through that.
"They'll train on Wednesday and, all going to plan, and if they pull up well, they'll be available for selection."
Midfielder Matthew Johnson is in a race to return before the home and away season ends after an ankle injury against Collingwood, while forward Sam Sturt has been ruled out for the year after ongoing battles with knee issues.
“It's been a frustrating one for Sam this year,” Merriman said.
“He's just been struggling to deal with the soreness post-games, so we've gone and seen some specialists.
“He will be going in for surgery, which will rule him out for the rest of the season.”
Bergman bows out
Port Adelaide has reportedly put emerging star Miles Bergman on ice for the remainder of the year, as finals are out of contention for Ken Hinkley's side.
Bergman has been carrying a nagging shoulder injury, and will reportedly have surgery in preparation for the 2026 season.
"Miles has been managing an issue in his shoulder for much of this season, which has become progressively more difficult for him to play with," Port Adelaide GM of Football Chris Davies said.
"The decision to end his season early has certainly not been taken lightly. And while we want to finish 2025 on a positive note, we had to take into consideration where our season is at, and the level of discomfort Miles is experiencing.
"This procedure will give him the best opportunity to return to full fitness and prepare well for 2026."
Ridley timeline confirmed
Essendon is likely to be without defender Jordan Ridley for the remainder of the season after suffering another hamstring strain.
The Bombers confirmed that Ridley will miss the next four weeks.
Young midfielder Ben Hobbs has been given the green light after missing the past two weeks with a groin injury, while Kyle Langford could push for a late-season return.
Cats trio push for selection
Geelong could welcome back experienced trio Cam Guthrie (calf), Mitch Duncan (AC joint) and Jake Kolodjashnij (groin) to football this weekend.
The veterans have been building towards their return, and could face stints in the VFL before pushing for senior selection.
Young forward Ollie Henry has entered concussion protocols after a knock in the reserves.
Two up, three down for reigning premiers
Brisbane will be counting the loss of Kai Lohmann and Keidean Coleman for the foreseeable future, while Conor McKenna is also in doubt to feature again in 2025.
Lohmann suffered a calf strain and could be made available for the beginning of the finals, as will McKenna with a hamstring injury.
However, Coleman, who has played two games in the past two seasons due to knee and quad issues, will be sidelined for at least six weeks with a fresh injury.
Lions duo Deven Robertson and Ty Gallop have both exited concussion protocols.
Pie clipped as veteran available
Collingwood midfielder Lachie Sullivan has been ruled out for the remainder of the year after suffering a PCL injury.
"We are all incredibly disappointed for Lachie. He has been a valuable contributor to our AFL side this season and is a highly respected and popular member of the team," EGM of Football Charlie Gardiner said.
"The standard return timeline for this type of injury is 12 weeks which unfortunately rules him out for the remainder of the season. We will wrap our arms around Lachie during this time and he will have our full support throughout his rehab journey."
Scott Pendlebury, who was a late withdrawal from the Tigers clash with a corky, will be available for the crunch clash against Brisbane.
Jeremy Howe will need another week on the sidelines as he continues to rehab his groin injury. He was unwell over the weekend so he was unable to tick off training milestones.
The Pies also have in waiting Billy Frampton, Jordan De Goey and Bobby Hill, who all featured in the club's VFL side last week.
Frampton appears most likely to be recalled after overcoming a calf issue, while De Goey and Hill will be treated cautiously heading into September.
Kangaroo boost as forward set to jump into senior side
North Melbourne could welcome back forward Nick Larkey to the side against St Kilda after overcoming a PCL injury he sustained a month ago.
"Nick put in a significant week in terms of training and function, completing a high-end footy conditioning session," North Melbourne head of performance Kevin White said.
"He trained fully on Tuesday with the group and will train (again) on Thursday as his fitness test."
Defender Aidan Corr is also closing in on a return from a calf injury.
"Aidan has been building well and has put in two strong high-loading sessions," White said.
"We will look to integrate him into skills and group training across the next week."
Cooper Harvey will resume training after falling sick last week, as youngster Josh Goater suffered another setback after experiencing calf tightness in the VFL.
Carlton smalls a "test"
Carlton could have both Francis Evans (concussion) and Flynn Young (foot) available for selection, depending on whether they complete the week's training load.
Defender Mitch McGovern has integrated into full training after his hamstring injury, and is aiming to return against Gold Coast in Round 22.
Orazio Fantasia and Harry Lemmey are both in a race against the clock to feature again in 2025 as hamstring issues persist.
Sydney forward, defender ruled out of season
Sydney has drawn a line through Logan McDonald and Joel Hamling returning in season 2025.
McDonald hasn't been sighted since last year's grand final as a persistent ankle problem has kept him sidelined.
As for Hamling, he injured his hamstring in last week's Sydney Derby, with the club confirming a high-grade strain.
Fellow defender Tom McCartin has progressed through concussion protocols and will be a test for this weekend.
Quintet of Saints push for recall
St Kilda could see five faces return to football this weekend, headlined by youngster Mattaes Phillipou.
Phillipou has had an interrupted season due to a plantaris injury, but his "resilience and professionalism" have him poised to play this weekend.
Lance Collard (shin), Isaac Keeler (hamstring), Hugo Garcia (wrist and Jack Carroll (knee) are all tracking well through their respective injury woes.
Giant duo in race for finals
GWS will be without experienced pair Josh Kelly and Jack Buckley for the remainder of the home and away season after they suffered calf strains.
The pair didn't make it through the Sydney Derby unscathed and will be pushing for a finals recall.
Similar story for small forward Brent Daniels, whose interrupted year with an adductor injury could see him push for week one of September.
Richmond takes "conservative approach" with star
Richmond midfielder Tim Taranto is a chance to return against Gold Coast this week, but the club won't rush him back.
Taranto was a late withdrawal from the Collingwood clash with a calf issue.
"Tim had a bit of calf tightness after the Perth game (against West Coast), unfortunately he felt that still in the warmup going into the game," High Performance Manager Ben Serpell said.
"What we're going to do is take a conservative approach. We'll put him on a test for this week. Also, his conditioning over the last week is something we're considering in helping make that decision.
"Hopefully he's OK this week and hopefully on the plane, but we'll go conservative with him if we have to."
Small forward Seth Campbell has passed concussion protocols and is expected to return.
Draftee Josh Smillie has also done everything to be made available for selection this week.
"Smil is a similar scenario to Seth; we've seen him out doing some training lately," Serpell said.
"I'm happy to say that if he gets through training this week, we'll consider him for a game.
"Of course, there's a conservative approach we like to take with these young blokes; we'll continue down that path if we need to."
Adelaide defender nears selection
Adelaide could be boosted by the return of key defender Jordon Butts before the season ends as he recovers from a punctured lung.
Butts has been missing since Round 18, but is set to resume contact training at the end of the week.
"Buttsy received some good news from the surgeon," Adelaide General Manager High Performance Darren Burgess said.
"At the end of this week he'll be able to partake in some main training, contact training and get into some high-speed running.
"That means probably a week or two after that he'll be available to play."
Project ruckman Lachlan McAndrew will miss the next month with a broken jaw, while Josh Rachele continues to progress through his rehab, and is set to take off his knee brace.
Gold Coast barometer bound for return
The Suns could welcome back former skipper Touk Miller for the weekend's clash against Richmond.
Miller has been sidelined with a hamstring injury for the past few weeks, and will be a welcome return to the senior side in the lead-up to the finals.
Will Graham is also in the mix to return after missing since Round 9 with a serious shoulder injury.
"Both Touk and Will train fully this week and we expect them to both be putting their hand up for selection this weekend," GC SUNS Head Physiotherapist Lindsay Bull said.
Power forward to miss Geelong trip
Port Adelaide's Jack Lukosius will miss the weekend's trip to Geelong as he recovers from a minor calf strain.
Lukosius pulled up sore following the dreadful Showdown contest against arch-rivals Adelaide, with scans confirming the injury.
Defender Lachie Jones is in contention to return this week after missing with a corke thigh, while ruckman Ivan Soldo is also a chance to play after overcoming a corked quad.
West Coast young duo sidelined for 2025
West Coast will be without star midfielder Harley Reid and local talent Bo Allan for the remainder of the season.
"Harley Reid got his foot caught up in a tackle and has a low-grade syndesmosis injury," High Performance Manager Mat Inness said.
"Despite being quite a low-grade injury, due to the time of season, we have ruled him out for the season.
"Like Harley, Bo Allan got his foot caught up in a tackle at training on Thursday and suffered a low-grade syndesmosis injury.
"Once again, due to the time of the year, this will rule him out for the season."
Key defender Harry Edwards was a late withdrawal from last week's Derby against Fremantle with hamstring tightness, but has pulled up well and could feature in Round 21.
Hawks speedster's progress as forward ready to return
Hawthorn utility Josh Weddle has been given the green light to start his conditioning block following his back injury.
Weddle has his four-week scan, and the results came back as expected, with the club "hopeful" he'll play football this year.
Forward Mabior Chol was given an extra week off to test out his groin, which, if all goes to plan, he'll be available for Friday night's blockbuster against Adelaide.
Adelaide defender downed
Crows youngster Max Michalanney will be in a race to be fit for finals after the club confirmed he suffered a hamstring strain.
Michalanney will miss the next four to six weeks with the injury following Saturday's Showdown win over Port Adelaide.
"It's unfortunate for Max, given the season he's been having," Crows GM of High Performance Darren Burgess said.
"Thankfully for us, we know he's an extremely diligent worker and will do everything possible to return stronger."
