Richmond could place a star Tiger on ice for the rest of the season as they weigh up the best option for an injured forward.
Brisbane, Adelaide and Fremantle will all be without their captains, while Adelaide could welcome back a senior midfielder who was initially ruled out for the rest of the year.
Here's the latest on the injury front across theย AFLย landscape...
Richmond could rule out star for remainder of the year
Tigers star Tom Lynch could be kept on ice for the remainder of the season as he continues to rehab from a hamstring injury.
While Lynch's timeframe for a return is in line to have the key forward back on the field in the coming weeks, the club could take a conservative approach to have their veteran spearhead remain fit and healthy ahead of the pre-season.
Richmond confirmed this week they're considering all options.
"It might get to that. He is that important to this footy club," Richmond football boss Tim Livingstone told Talking Tigers.ย
"A pre-season is really important. That said, he wants to play footy and we want him to play footy. You're in the game to play and he's been robbed of that.
"But we're not going to do any of that until we're comfortable that he's hitting the markers that we need him to hit."
Livingstone confirmed Dustin Martin is "a chance this week" to return from his back issue after missing multiple matches, with the champion Tiger "keen to play every game".
Martin is joined by Tim Taranto (concussion), Nick Vlastuin (back), Maurice Rioli (ankle) and Marlion Pickett (calf) in being listed as tests for Round 20.
Collingwood forwards to return, other still sidelined
Collingwood forward Lachie Schultz is in line to return from concussion for this week's clash with Richmond, while fellow attacker Beau McCreery is another week away from returning from injury.
The Magpies will lose Nathan Kreuger to concussion protocols for Round 20, with Mason Cox a chance to take his place in Craig McRae's side after returning from a knee injury through the VFL.
Defender Charlie Dean will be tested over the coming days as he looks to join Schultz in hopefully exiting concussion protocols.
Midfielder Tom Mitchell is close to returning to training and building his workloads from a foot injury that has kept him sidelined for the second half of this season.
Carlton give update on bruised Blues, defender hit for six
Carlton contingent Blake Acres (foot), Jordan Boyd (shin soreness), Caleb Marchbank (illness), Orazio Fantasia (calf) and Mitch McGovern (hip flexor) have all been listed as tests ahead of Friday's clash with Port Adelaide.
All five players will need to press their case at training and overcome any niggling issues, with all of Acres pushing to play five days on from Sunday's win over the Kangaroos.
Defender Sam Durdin hurt his calf in that victory, with scans confirming a medium-grade strain for the veteran backman.
Durdin is expected to miss up to six weeks with the injury.
The Blues have already confirmed tall Tom De Koning will undergo surgery on his foot this week and will miss the remainder of the home and away season.
Demons provide Gawn latest as duo forced to sidelines
Melbourne will be forced into at least two changes for this week's meeting with GWS as pair Christian Salem (hamstring) and Koltyn Tholstrup (concussion) are sidelined.
Salem is facing 3-4 weeks on the sidelines, while Tholstrup has entered protocols following delayed symptoms.
โChristian came to the bench after feeling his hamstring cramp in the third period after accelerating,โ Griffith said.
โHe wasn't able to return to the field due to a loss of strength.
โScans have shown that he does have a low-grade hamstring strain, so he'll miss this week and we'll continue to progress him through hamstring reconditioning protocols.
โKoltyn had a head knock in the game. He passed the initial SCAT (sport concussion assessment tool) and was cleared of anything there.
โFollowing us returning to Melbourne, he had some delayed symptoms with headaches and altered vision and has now entered the concussion protocol. So, he'll progress through that as symptoms settle.โ
Captain Max Gawn is in line to return from an ankle injury that forced him to miss multiple matches.
โMax trained really well last week and had another great session over the weekend, he's been an absolute professional in his recovery,โ Griffith said.
โHe'll look to integrate into full training tomorrow and then we'll make an assessment on his availability following training tomorrow.โ
Crows shock as midfielder in line for 2024 comeback, teammate's season over
Adelaide midfielder Matt Crouch is in line to return as early as this weekend after initially being ruled out for the remainder of the season following mid-year shoulder surgery.
Crouch has responded well to the procedure and, pending further testing, could play again in 2024.
โIn some good news, Matt is preparing to return to play sooner than expected which is a credit to him and the rehabilitation team to have him in this position,โ High Performance Manager Darren Burgess said in a club update.
โThe shoulder surgery was a success and he has progressed faster than initially anticipated.
โMatt has continued running while in rehab and if he is given surgical clearance, can resume contact training and work towards being available in coming weeks which is a welcome boost for the team.โ
Adelaide will be forced into at least two changes for this weekend, with key defender Jordon Butts (foot) and captain Jordan Dawson (concussion) set to miss.
Dawson was involved in two heavy collisions that subsequently saw him removed from the game and placed in concussion protocols.
Butts suffered a Lisfranc injury in the third term against Essendon with scans confirming the injury and surgery set to end his 2024 campaign.
โButtsy has an unstable foot and unfortunately that means he needs to go in for surgery this week,โ Burgess said.
โWe're not too sure what the surgery will be at this stage, but he will miss the rest of the season which is unfortunate for him and the team as he's been playing some really good footy.โ
Defender Nick Murray (knee) is joined by Will Hamill (finger) and Josh Worrell (arm) in being listed as a test for Round 20.
Saints veteran suffers setback, young trio nearing returns
St Kilda midfielder Seb Ross is a chance to miss the remainder of the 2024 season after suffering muscle and tendon damage to his calf.
The injury will keep Ross sidelined for up to five weeks, meaning his campaign could be over.
โThis is a disappointing result for Seb, who had been training really strongly,โ EGM Footballย Davidย Misson said in a club update.
โSeb is a diligent professional who we know will do everything he can to get back this year.โ
Forward Anthony Caminiti (ankle) is listed as a test for this week, whileย Mattaesย Phillipouย (hip) andย Marcusย Windhager could return in the coming weeks.
Essendon gun available, forward sidelined
Bombers midfielder Darcy Parish is in line to play his first game since Round 10 after overcoming a calf injury that has hampered his season.
Parish has faced setbacks in his rehabilitation and is now available to return, pending a fitness test, through Brad Scott's side or in the VFL.
Fellow midfielder Jye Caldwell is also available for this weekend's clash with St Kilda after his head knock sustained against Adelaide in Round 19.
Unfortunately, small forward Matt Guelfi is set to miss up to a month due to a hamstring injury sustained in the loss to the Crows.
Port skipper good to go as trio press case for returns
Power captain Connor Rozee is expected to be fit for Friday's clash with Carlton after suffering aย corky to his hip pointer during Round 19.
Rozee is recovering from the ailment but has not been listed on Port Adelaide's injury sheet for Round 20.
Todd Marshall (hip) and Kane Farrell (hamstring) are a chance to return from their respective setbacks but will need to prove their fitness over the next few days, while defender Lachie Jones is scheduled to exit concussion protocols on Friday in time for the meeting with Carlton.
Jones will also be a test for Round 20, while Jed McEntee (concussion protocols) and Ivan Soldo (knee) will not be available.
Key Dog a chance for Swans clash
Richmond key defender Liam Jones is a test for this weekend's trip to New South Wales as he inches closer to a return from a knee injury.
Jones will need to prove his fitness in the coming days to be cleared to face Sydney on Sunday.
โLiam Jones has been progressing well following his medial ligament knee injury,โ Head of Sports Medicine, Chris Bell said.
โHe has pulled up well after completing a match parameters training session on Saturday.
โHe still needs to tick some boxes for us during our main training session on Friday before we can confirm his availability for this weekend.โ
The Dogs will remain without fellow defender James O'Donnell, who is sidelined with a hamstring injury for another week at least.
Cats midfield set for boostย
Geelong's Tom Atkins and Tanner Bruhn are pressing their case for a senior recall.
Atkins was a late withdrawal against the Bulldogs with a back complaint and will be assessed throughout the week, says club GM assistant Brett Johnson.
competes for the ball during the round 03 AFL match between the Gold Coast Suns and the Geelong Cats at Heritage Bank Stadium, on April 02, 2023, in Gold Coast, Australia. (Photo by Matt Roberts/AFL Photos/Getty Images)
โTom had some soreness in his back and hamstring leading into last Saturday's game, so we took the conservative approach and withdrew him,โ Johnson said.
โWe'll continue to monitor how he goes this week before making a decision at team selection on Thursday.โ
As for Bruhn, he returned through the VFL after recovering from a scaphoid fracture, proving to be well above the grade, coming into AFL consideration.
โTanner made a great return on the weekend; he played a full game and made a really solid contribution to the VFL team's performance,โ Johnson said.
Young ruck Mitch Edwards has been ruled out of the season with a persistent back issue while premiership players Tom Hawkins and Cam Guthrie are hopeful to return in three weeks time.
Lions captain ruled out over contentious knock
Harris Andrews will miss Saturday's QClash contest against Gold Coast after entering concussion protocols.
Andrews suffered a big knock late in the Sydney win and underwent testing, with the assessment revealing concussion symptoms, ruling him out of action for at least 12 days.
"Theย Brisbane Lionsย confirm Co-Captainย Harris Andrews has entered concussion protocols following Sunday's win over theย Sydney Swans," a club update read.
"Andrews suffered the concussion in a contest during the final seconds of the Round 19 match, which was confirmed after the club's medical team conducted a Head Injury Assessment.
"The Lions defender had only minutes earlier returned to the field after successfully passing a compulsory SCAT6, which was required for a separate incident."
The AFL issued a "please explain" regarding the Andrews contest.
Fellow defender Darragh Joyce will also be absent from the side as scans revealed a fractured jaw.
Joyce said he experienced some soreness following the Round 19 win. No timeline has been made by the club.
Carter Michael has also been made unavailable due to concussion.
Giant's wretched run continues, pair set to be recalled
GWS half-back Isaac Cumming has suffered another blow after a frustrating season that has seen him sidelined for the majority.
Cumming finally made his long-awaited return in Round 16 following multiple hamstring issues which has reared its ugly head once more.
The 25-year-old was sent for scans after being subbed out during Saturday's win and the results confirm a six-week lay-off.
Meanwhile, Sam Taylor and Stephen Coniglio will need to get through the week's training to put their hand up for selection.
โIt is disappointing news for Isaac to see him sidelined again this season,โ Giants Head of Medical James Rahme said.
โHe'd worked really hard to get his body right and was back playing some consistently good football at AFL level in recent weeks.
โHe is in good spirits and ready to approach his rehabilitation with professionalism and diligence.
โIn good news for the side, Sam Taylor has been cleared by his specialist for full contact training and is expected to make a return this weekend.
โHe was extremely eager to make a return last weekend but given his history, we wanted to ensure he had sufficient loading before making his return.
โStephen will need to complete full contact training this week but is presenting well.โ
Eagles optimistic experienced trio return
West Coast coach Jarrod Schofield is confident that experienced trio Jeremy McGovern, Elliot Yeo and Jake Waterman will be able to put their hand up for selection for this weekend's Western Derby.
McGovern was tending to a rib injury that has kept him sidelined for a few weeks, while Waterman and Yeo were managing soreness.
"We like to think so," Schofield said onย Channel 7.
"We've got to get through a couple of training sessions first.
"But all four will look to put their case forward.
"Liam Duggan will be in (concussion) protocols, so he's one of the four that won't be playing."
Dockers captain anchored again by recurring injury
Fremantle skipper Alex Pearce will be in a race to return before the end of the home and away season after re-injuring his left forearm.
Pearce initially fractured the radius bone in Round 15 and only just returned to the senior side against Melbourne over the weekend.
However, a contest in the third quarter had the better of the key defender, with scans confirming another fracture.
Swans hit for six, doubt over pair's availability
Tom Papley could miss up to six weeks of football following an ankle injury he sustained in the loss to Brisbane.
Papley's ankle got caught under Lions defender Brandon Starcevich, with scans confirming ligament damage.
The news doesn't get better for Sydney with both Dane Rampe (calf) and Will Hayward (ankle) in doubt to face the Bulldogs this week.
Rampe and Hayward will be put through their paces during the week in a bid to prove their fitness.
Battered Blues forced to dig deep
Carlton ruck Tom De Koning has been ruled out of the remainder of the home and away season following a rough batch of injuries he sustained during the North Melbourne win.
De Koning walked away with a collapsed lung and fractured foot, undergoing surgery this week as he looks ahead towards finals.
Sam Walsh, Harry McKay and Blake Acres are also a watch given the "bumps and bruises" they are carrying from the Kangaroos battle.
Saint ruled out for season
St Kilda recruit Liam Henry has been ruled out of the remainder of season 2024 after injuring his knee in the win against West Coast.
The 22-year-old left the ground during the third term hobbling and struggling to apply any pressure on his injured leg, with the club confirming scans showed significant cartilage damage.
It comes as Henry has had a wretched run of injuries in his first season at Moorabbin, compounded by the hamstring injury from earlier in the year, limiting him to just 12 games in 2024.
