Star Essendon midfielder Darcy Parish is "in some doubt" to face Gold Coast in the club's Opening Round game as he continues to deal with a back injury.
Parish has been dealing with the ailment since late last year and was already ruled out of the Bombers' upcoming pre-season game against the Western Bulldogs as he continues to manage his workloads.
His stint out of action could no extend into the home and away season, with Essendon taking a conservative approach with his latest issue.
The Bombers face Geelong as part of their Community Series draw on February 25 before gearing up for a season opener against the Suns in Queensland.
Having initially hoped to see their one-time All-Australian face the Cats, the Bombers are now facing the chance of losing Parish for Opening Round.
"It hasn't progressed as quickly as we would've liked," Essendon coach Brad Scott told AFL.com.au of Parish's injury.
"He's a dynamic player so when we have pushed him it hasn't responded the way we like. I'd say he's in some doubt.
"He's not completely ruled out at this stage, because it might turn, but he's such an important player for us that we have to make sure we get him right for the long term.
"He works unbelievably hard, he's probably the type of player who pushes so hard we have to hold him back at times as well.
"But when he gets out and trains and pushes, it's probably exacerbated his back issue a little bit. We'll be really conservative with him."
Parish's absence could see him join Alwyn Davey Jnr (knee) and Matt Guelfi (hamstring) in missing the start of the season, while Sam Durham (soreness), Jordan Ridley (hamstring) and Ben McKay (ankle) are also expecred to miss pre-season action.
The latter trio are in line to face Geelong later this month for the club's final pre-season hitout, with the injuries to Ridley and McKay likely leaving Scott's rearguard undermanned in their preperations.
Young tall Zach Reid is eyeing an uninterrupted start to his season after a heavily-impacted development at Tullamarine to date, while senior stopper Jayden Laverde will look to make his case for a spot in Scott's best side.
The Bombers face the Western Bulldogs at Whitten Oval this weekend for what will be the first game of the pre-season schedule, with the warm-up clash against the Cats to take place 10 days later at Kardinia Park.
Essendon's Opening Round game against the Suns is set for Saturday, March 8 at People First Stadium.
