Melbourne have confirmed young flanker Judd McVee will spend up to two months on the sidelines after hurting his hamstring at training this week.
McVee was helped from Gosch's Paddock on Wednesday morning after suffering the ailment, with the club's fears of a significant strain now confirmed.
โJudd was having a great pre-season prior to his injury, so it's disappointing for him to have this setback,โ Demons football boss Alan Richardson said in a club update.
โHe'll complete a thorough rehab program with the guidance of our medical and high-performance teams, and we're confident he'll be back in the early part of the season.
โJudd is a professional who attacks everything he does with a great attitude, and we know he'll apply that same mindset to his rehab.โโฏ
The injury will likely see McVee miss close to the opening month of his club's home and away campaign, which opens on Sunday, March 16 against GWS at the MCG.
Melbourne will face North Melbourne, Gold Coast and Geelong in the following weeks before a Gather Round clash with Essendon in Round 5.
McVee has played 48 games for the Demons since debuting at the start of the 2023 season, holding his place in Simon Goodwin's backline as a clean distributor and runner with the ball.
The 21-year-old averaged 16.61 disposals and 3.61 rebound 50s per game in the red and blue last year.
The Demons will also start the 2025 season without forward Kysiah Pickett, who will need to serve a three-game suspension, while Koltyn Tholstrup (bone stress), Jake Melksham (hamstring), Tom Fullarton (hamstring) and Luker Kentfield (illness) also currently sidelined.
