Melbourne's midfield ensemble has taken another late-season hit, with onballer Tom Sparrow unable to see out Saturday's clash against Gold Coast due to an ankle injury.
The Demons youngster rolled onto his ankle in a tackle attempt on Suns rookie Will Graham in the second term, with Sparrow left to limp his way from the centre of the ground.
After some assessment of the ailment, Melbourne pulled the trigger to sub Sparrow out of the contest, bringing veteran Jake Melksham into the game before the main break.
Sparrow had four disposals and one clearance to his name before having his afternoon brought to an abrupt end. The concern could put an end to his 2024 season, with the Demons having a six-day turnaround to their season-ending clash against Collingwood in Round 24.
The injury further depletes the Demons' engine room stocks, having already lost Christian Petracca (spleen), Clayton Oliver (hand) and Caleb Windsor (ankle) for the rest of the year.
Sparrow's setback adds to a frustrating year for the South Australian, who hasn't quite been able to live up to the promising form shown across his pre-season.
The 24-year-old was dropped from Simon Goodwin's side for their Round 20 clash before returning a fortnight ago to face the Western Bulldogs, with Sparrow enjoying a strong return game to record 18 goals and two goals in the defeat.
This weekend's appearance was Sparrow's 21st for the year, with the young ball winner playing a supporting role for Petracca, Oliver and Jack Viney.