A season-ending setback has been confirmed for an Essendon recruit, while a Crows youngster is set to miss a month of action in a brutal blow to Adelaide's undefeated start to the season.
A Western Bulldogs forward is set to have his return delayed beyond his initial mid-season return date, while some names could be coming back for the Tigers.
Here's the latest on the injury front across the AFL landscape...
Bombers star suffers hamstring injury
Essendon star midfielder Jye Caldwell will miss two games with a hamstring injury suffered at training this week.
The right hamstring strain's extent was revealed by scans on Tuesday, meaning Caldwell will miss the Gather Round clash with Melbourne and Round 6 clash with West Coast.
The Bombers have the bye in Round 4.
ACL injury to Bombers forward
Essendon SSP recruit Tom Edwards has suffered an ACL injury at training, placing the rest of the Bomber's season in doubt.
โWe're all for feeling Tom. He's worked so hard to get his opportunity at AFL level, and so for this to happen so early in his AFL career is devastating for him," Bombers football boss Dan McPherson revealed.
โTom will consult with a surgeon tomorrow morning and finalise the course of action from there. The players, coaches and staff will continue to support him during this time.โ
It's an unfortunate setback for the Swan Districts product, who made his debut in Round 2 against Adelaide, booting three goals. He wold also suit up in last week's win over Port Adelaide at Marvel Stadium, with Edwards remaining in the selection frame for the coming weeks amid Kyle Langford's absence due to a hamstring injury.
Meanwhile, Essendon midfielder Jye Caldwell has required scans on a hamstring strain sustained at training. The club is yet to understand the exact extent of Caldwell's setback.
Midfield trio Darcy Parish (back), Elijah Tsatas (hand) and Archie Perkins (quad) are in the mix to return after the club's bye.
Draftee Angus Clark will miss 4-6 weeks with a broken collarbone from the VFL over the weekend, while Will Setterfield and Jayden Laverde made successful returns through that game.
Butters latest as Power trio a test
Port Adelaide midfielder Zak Butters is one of three players listed as a test for Round 4, with the reigning best and fairest winner a chance for his first game of the season.
Butters has been sidelined since the pre-season with a knee injury that required surgery, with Ken Hinkley in line for a big boost should the hard-nosed ball-winner get through training this week.
Ollie Lord (shoulder) and Lachie Jones (adductor) are also tests, while Jed McEntee (hamstring) is a further week away.
Ryan Burton is a fortnight away from returning from a hip issue, while Brandon Zerk-Thatcher's timeline is 4-6 weeks as he continues to deal with a back injury.
Saints injury list grows, draft star ready
St Kilda's casualty ward has seen a number of new faces join the ranks, while five Saints will need to prove their fitness this week.
Jack Steele (knee), Liam Stocker (concussion), Max Heath (ankle), Jimmy Webster (ankle) and Dan Butler (Achilles) are all tests for Round 4, while star forward Max King (knee) is another week away.
Alex Dodson and Liam O'Connell have entered concussion protocols, while Jack Carroll will be sidelined for a month with a hamstring injury.
Mattaes Phillipou (leg) and Dougal Howard (shoulder) face a similar return timeframe.
In good news for the Saints, draftee Alix Tauru is in line for his first minutes of the season this weekend after dealing with a back issue.
Carlton forward a test, ruck nearing return
Blue Zac Williams is a test for Thursday night as he continues to deal with soreness from Friday's loss to the Western Bulldogs.
Fringe ruckman Marc Pittonet could be back next week after a battle with a calf injury, with Orazio Fantasia a further two weeks away at least with his own calf concern.
Latest on hurt Cats guns
Geelong have listed Tom Stewart (knee) as a test for this week's contest against Melbourne, with the veteran defender needing to get through training this week to play after being a late out for Round 3.
Tall forward Shannon Neale (ankle) is also a test after hurting his leg in Saturday's loss to Brisbane.
Premiership defender Jake Kolodjashnij is up to a fortnight away as he continues to recover from a groin injury, while Jed Bews remains 5-9 weeks away with his finger injury.
Jack Martin (calf), Cameron Guthrie (Achilles), Toby Conway (back) and Tanner Bruhn (finger) have no clear return timelines.
Star Pies recruit cleared after training injury
Collingwood have confirmed Dan Houston will be available to face the Blues on Thursday night after dealing with a broken nose.
Houston suffered the ailment at club training on Sunday and has since returned to full training, getting the green light to suit up for Round 4.
Duo Oleg Markov (calf) and Brody Mihocek (general soreness) have also been made available, with the former expected to return through the VFL.
Finlay Macrae is also a chance to play in the VFL this weekend but will have his shoulder injury assessed across the week.
Forgotton Lion available, gun forward sidelined
There's mixed news for Brisbane, with premiership forward Kai Lohmann sidelined with ankle soreness after sustaining the injury over the weekend against Geelong.
The young goalsneak is only expected to miss one match, with a Round 5 return cirlced.
Rebounding defender Keidean Coleman remains at least a month away with his knee injury, while Brandon Starcevich is continuing to work through concussion protocols.
In positive news for the Lions, 2023 recruit Tom Doedee has been marked as available after his long journey back from an ACL injury.
Veteran forward Lincoln McCarthy has commenced the rehabilitation on his own long-term knee injury following surgery.
Melbourne confirm exact recovery timeline for rookie, trio eyeing return
Injured Demon Xavier Lindsay is expected to be sidelined for just 1-2 weeks after avoiding serious damage on his knee.
Lindsay was subbed out of the Gold Coast clash on Saturday, but scans revealed the extent of his injury was not severe.
โImaging cleared him of any severe damage to the knee, which was great, but he still has a low-grade injury to his medial ligament,โ Melbourne high performance manager Selwyn Griffith said.
โThis week is more around progression from that, he's still quite sore and stiff following that incident.
โHe was able to get moving today but he'll be unlikely for this week and then we'll just keep progressing him as each day goes by.โ
A star trio are eyeing returns to action too, with youngster Caleb Windsor (foot) and experienced Demons Charlie Spargo (concussion) and Jake Lever (ankle) expected to make a case for selection in Round 4.
โJake just pulled up sore from our main training session last week, therefore the decision was made [to remove him from the team],โ Griffith said.
โThis week, we'll look to integrate him into main training and hopefully he is able to progress better than last week.
โCharlie has progressed well through his concussion protocol.
โHis next phase is to integrate into main training and if he succeeds through that, plus the additional testing with the doctors, he'll be available for this weekend as well.โ
"Caleb had a great week on the track, and he'll integrate into full training this coming week.
"He'll look to be available for this weekend's game.โ
Young Roo in the frame for VFL minutes, latest on ruckman
North Melbourne young gun George Wardlaw could feature in the VFL this weekend as he eyes a return from a hamstring injury from the pre-season.
Wardlaw has been listed as a test for Round 4 and will need to prove his fitness to be cleared to play at the state league level.
โGeorge has now banked three strong weeks of football conditioning after passing all of his strength markers,โ head of performance Kevin White said in a club update.
โThe plan for George this week will be to fully train on Thursday, and if he ticks off his speed and training exposure comfortably, he'll put his hand up to return through the VFL.โ
From the weekend, ruckman Tristan Xerri (hamstring tightness) is expected to be available, while Zac Fisher (concussion) and Eddie Ford (hamstring) will be unavailable.
โPleasingly, Tristan returned to the field and finished the game without apprehension,โ White said.
โHe went for precautionary scans yesterday which were reassuring, and he'll look to recover well across the short turnaround to be ready to play.
โZac has responded well over the past few days. He'll go through the AFL standardised protocols over the next period to ensure he is fit and healthy to return to training in the latter stages of these guidelines.
โEddie felt his hamstring on a high-intensity chase at the end of the second quarter. Scans on Sunday showed a really low-level strain that will see him miss this week's game.โ
Defender Griffin Logue is back in the selection mix after dealing with a hamstring strain since the club's season opener.
Tiger cub in line for debut
Richmond draftee Josh Smillie could be in line to debut when the club takes on Brisbane in Round 4.
Smillie has been tending to a hamstring issue over the past few weeks and has been building up his loads in anticipation of the top flight.
"Like last week, Smil's got through a good body of work," High Performance Manager Ben Serpell said.
"He'll continue to train, and we'll make him available for selection this week. We will leave it up to the coaches to have the conversation at the table."
Sam Banks will be available for selection after overcoming concussion, while winger Hugo Ralphsmith could return from a hamstring injury.
Youngster Liam Fawcett will miss up to a fortnight after breaking his nose and entering concussion protocols in the VFL.
Veteran Dion Prestia is still two to four weeks away, with "no real update" of late.
Bulldogs defenders "expected" to be available
Bulldogs defenders Luke Cleary and Taylor Duryea are expected to put their hand up for selection after missing Round 3's clash with Carlton.
Cleary was unable to play through concussion after suffering a head knock against North Melbourne while Taylor Duryea missed the encounter through general soreness.
"Luke Cleary has progressed well in the last seven days following his concussion," Head of Sports Medicine, Chris Bell said.
"He is now symptom-free and feeling back to his best.
"He still has some final boxes to tick this week before we can declare him available, but he remains on track to return to playing this weekend.
"Taylor had some general soreness out of the physical game against the Pies in Round 2.
"He has freshened up over the weekend and we will monitor him throughout the week, but we are expecting him to be putting his hand up for selection."
Crows forward out for weeks
Young Adelaide star Josh Rachele will be out for four to six weeks after suffering three fractured ribs in Adelaide's win over North Melbourne.
Rachele copped a knee from North Melbourne's Tristan Xerri in a marking contest and was subbed out in the second term.
โIt's a disappointing blow for Josh and the team but unfortunately in a contact sport these injuries are sometimes hard to avoid,โ Crows High Performance Manager Darren Burgess said.
โJosh was obviously subbed out of the game after coming from the ground, was treated by our doctors, and had subsequent scans in hospital.
โFractured ribs are very painful so Josh will be given the time and space he needs to recover, and we will take a conservative approach to his rehabilitation and return to football.โ
Livewire forward return delayed after latest procedure
Bulldogs forward Cody Weightman is facing another delay to the start of his 2025 campaign after undergoing surgery on Friday night.
Weightman is currently enduring a lengthy healing process from a complex knee injury but his recovery has hit a roadblock, with Weightman needing another procedure.
The Bulldogs anticipated a return by the Round 12 bye, but now Weightman could face a longer stint on the sidelines.
