Melbourne defender Sam Frost will miss the openign round of the home and away season due to a foot injury.
Frost, who did not play in the JLT Community Series, will instead play for Casey, as the club looks to ease him back into competitive football.
“Sam’s doing some really good training. He’ll join in with the main group on Friday,” Melbourne elite performance manager Dave Misson said.
“He won’t play this Sunday [for Casey in a practice match], but he’ll play in the Casey practice game on the same day as our round one, so he’s going really well.”
Meanwhile, Michael Hibberd (Achilles), Jeff Garlett (hamstring), Dean Kent (knee) and Joel Smith (toe) all remain a chance to play in round one, despite their respective injuries.
“They’re all in the same boat and they’ll do a training session on Friday and look to play for Casey on Sunday,” Misson said.
The Demons take on St Kilda at Etihad Stadium in round one.