After the conclusion of Gather Round, AFL clubs are counting the cost from their matches over the weekend.
A Collingwood premiership hero is on track to return after missing the Sydney clash last Friday.
Two Demons are a watch for selection after minor injury complaints.
A Gold Coast fringe forward is set for a long-term stint out of the game after undergoing knee surgery.
Here's the latest on the injury front across the AFL landscape...
Bulldogs captain firming for return
The world can rejoice as Western Bulldogs captain Marcus Bontempelli is set to grace a football field for the first time in 2025 (for premiership points).
Bontempelli suffered a "complex calf" injury in the pre-season and will need to prove his fitness on Thursday.
"Marcus has continued to progress really nicely and build a great volume of work following his complex calf injury," Bulldogs Head of Sports Medicine Chris Bell said.
"He completed a match parameters training session on Saturday and came through really well.
"His plan is to fully train this week, and if he gets through training like I expect, he'll return to availability."
James Harmes will be monitored throughout the week, while Anthony Scott has progressed well through concussion.
Carlton forward's season over
Carlton has confirmed that Brodie Kemp has ruptures his Achilles, which will likely spell the rest of his 2025 season on the sidelines.
"Brodie had put in a mountain of work over the summer to earn his place in the side to start the season, so for him to miss the remainder of the year is such bad luck, and we are all feeling for him right now," Carlton General Manager of Football Brad Lloyd said.
"Brodie really embraced his new role up forward, which is a testament to his team-first mindset and his commitment to getting the best out of himself.
"We will all get around Brodie from here on and support him during his rehabilitation."
Harry McKay will miss at least this weekend with concussion.
Premiership Cats ready to claw Hawks
Geelong will welcome back Tom Stewart and Jake Kolodjashnij to the senior side.
Stewart was a late out with illness against the Crows, while Kolodjashnij has recovered from a groin issue.
No party for Amartey with injury
Sydney Joel Amartey will miss at least the next month after suffering a hamstring strain against Collingwood.
Veteran Harry Cunningham will join Amartey on the sidelines with a calf injury he sustained during training on the weekend.
Lewis Melican is expected to return to the senior side while captain Callum Mills is another fortnight away.
Collingwood star to return against Brisbane
Collingwood star Jordan De Goey will make his return after an ankle injury at training following the Pies' win over Carlton in Round 4 led to his exclusion for Gather Round.
Meanwhile, hamstrung forward Lachie Schultz has increased his running speed and is expected to spend another week or two sidelined.
Port star to be assessed
"Port Adelaide defender Miles Bergman will be assessed this week to determine his fitness for the weekend," the club said.
"Bergman has been cleared of structural damage to his knee after being subbed out of Sunday's game as he managed some swelling from a knock."
Tigers' prized pick in line for return
Richmond's Sam Lalor could return to the senior side this week after missing Round 5 with a hip injury.
"Sammy (Lalor) will be a test this weekend," High Performance Manger Ben Serpell said.
"Unfortunately, he pulled up sore following our game against Brisbane, where he got a little bit more midfield time.
"Another day or two, he probably would have been alright to go, but we will look after him, and he will be a test this week."
Tom Lynch and Nick Vlastuin have been all cleared despite some fears they'd miss the clash against Gold Coast.
Rhyan Mansell is another week away with a shoulder injury as youngsters Liam Fawcett (concussion) and Kane McAuliffe (foot) remain a test.
Lions resist temptation of gun forward
Brisbane won't risk young forward Kai Lohmann for this week's crunch clash against Collingwood on Thursday.
The Lions will give Lohmann another week as he recovers from an ankle injury, giving him time to rebuild his training volume.
Ruck-forward Henry Smith will be available for selection after exiting concussion protocols.
Giant small to miss again
GWS will be without Brent Daniels and Stephen Coniglio for another week.
Coniglio's glute irritation is improving, however, the 31-year-old's training load won't meet the demands required to be available for selection this week.
Daniels is in a similar position to his vice-captain and is set for another week on the sidelines, as he recovers from his abdominal strain.
Demons duo under injury cloud
Kysaiah Pickett is under an injury cloud ahead of the Round 6 clash with Fremantle after rolling his ankle at training, while Steven May is on the mend from a plantar fasciitis flare-up against Essendon.
"It's Tuesday, the first session, so he (Pickett) will train fully Thursday and be right to go on the weekend," coach Simon Goodwin said.
"Steven had an incident in the game with his plantar fasciitis, but in a lot of ways it's a positive incident, because it's a tear that helps the recovery.
"We're hopeful that he'll get up for Thursday and be right to go on the weekend.
"In some ways, an incident that is pretty painful at the time can be a real positive moving forward."
Hawthorn duo to prove fitness
Conor Nash and Connor Macdonald are in line to face Geelong in the traditional Easter Monday clash but will need to prove their fitness.
Nash was subbed out of Sunday's drubbing against Port Adelaide with a wrist injury but is deemed likely to face the Cats.
Macdonald has been sidelined since Round 2 with an ankle injury, but will be a welcome return to the young forward line.
Midfielder James Worpel is cleared of any injury despite limping to the sidelines on Sunday.
Young key forward Calsher Dear has progressed nicely from a serious back injury, and the club is aiming for Round 7.
"He's in full training this week and full training next week, and then we'll plan to progress through to VFL with managed minutes, given it's a long-term injury. But right now, it's full training this week," High Performance Manager Peter Burge said.
James Blanck and Sam Butler made successful returns through the VFL scratch match against Essendon.
Kangaroos drafted downed by injury
North Melbourne won't see exciting draftee Matt Whitlock for the next month, after suffering a moderate ankle roll in a VFL practice match that led to ligament damage.
"Matt has made strong inroads in getting the swelling down and is weight-bearing well already," North Melbourne head of performance Kevin White said.
"We would envisage that he'll need a few weeks to ensure that he fully recovers to set him up for a strong return."
Tough defender Jackson Archer is progressing well from his hamstring issue, and is expected to be available in Round 7.
Josh Goater remains at least three weeks away with his hamstring injury, while ruck-forward Callum Coleman-Jones will need another six weeks for his Achilles.
In further good news, George Wardlaw, who rolled his ankle in match simulation, and Eddie Ford (hamstring) are both available for selection.
Crows defender expected to face Coleman medallist
Adelaide is set to welcome back Nick Murray from injury at the perfect time to face GWS forward Jesse Hogan.
Murray has missed the past fortnight with a knee strain but is more than likely to return on Saturday.
"Nick has completed everything that we've asked, and he will be available to play this weekend, assuming he gets through training tomorrow," High Performance Manager Darren Burgess said.
"He's chomping at the bit as you can imagine, he's only missed two games and been able to do plenty of running and training so it's exciting to have him back."
Josh Rachele is progressing well through rib injury and will need another week or two.
Gold Coast forward set for long-term sideline stint
Suns forward Tom Berry has undergone knee surgery this week after managing knee soreness during this season.
The injury has not got an exact recovery timeframe as of yet, with dates to be estimated post-surgery.
"Tom has been managing soreness in his knee recently, and after consulting with specialists we have decided surgery was the best course of action to allow him to return to play later in the season," Gold Coast head physiotherapist Lindsay Bull said.
Fremantle provide injury update on star Docker
Nat Fyfe has suffered a moderate-grade hamstring strain after pulling out of Peel's WAFL match in the first quarter, the club have confirmed.
A timeline will be confirmed as he recovers this fortnight.
Fremantle general manager Joe Brierty said the blow was "frustrating" for Fyfe.
"It's obviously frustrating for Nat as he had been progressing well following his knee injury sustained during the pre-season," Brierty said.
"We know the calibre of the person and player that he is, and we know Nat will dedicate himself to his recovery with the support of our performance health team."
Veteran Michael Walters will need more time to establish a return date as he recovers from a knee injury.
"Sonny (Walters) has just been experiencing discomfort in that knee," Fremantle High Performance Manager Phil Merriman said.
"It hasn't regressed, but we're just in a bit of a holding pattern at the moment.
"We just have to grade him up, so we're going to wait and provide timeframes in the next week or so."
Corey Wagner is a test to face the Demons after missing the Richmond clash with a calf injury.
Essendon devastated by long-term injury for ruckman
Essendon have confirmed ruckman Nick Bryan will miss the remainder of the 2025 season after suffering an ACL injury.
โThis is obviously a disappointing setback for Nick, who'd been in good form for us,โ Bombers football boss Daniel McPherson said in a club update.
โWhile it's frustrating for him given how hard he's worked to earn consistent opportunities at senior level, we have no doubt that Nick will attack his rehab just as strongly and put himself in a great position to return in good shape next season.
โFrom a team perspective, we'll wrap our arms around Nick and support him through this period."
