St Kilda trio Jack Sinclair, Dan Butler and Liam Stocker are all in a race against the clock to feature in Thursday's clash against Collingwood.
Sinclair - who has been dealing with a calf niggle over the past month - is eyeing this week's main training session as an indicator of whether he is ready to go.
The reigning best and fairest will be a welcome return to the Saints lineup after the club lacked leadership in the season-opening loss to Geelong.
GM of Football David Mission said ruling Sinclair out of Round 1 gave him a chance to "focus" on the Pies given the five-day turnaround.
โWe knew the turnaround between Rounds 1 and 2 was always going to be tough, so ruling out Jack early last week allowed him to fully focus on Round 2,โย Missonย said.
โWhile he still has some boxes to tick, we're hopeful he'll be available for selection.โ
Small forward Danย Butler will also be working towards his first on-field appearance in 2024.
Since switching over from Richmond in 2020, Butler has been super impressive in the red, white and black.
In a career-best year, the 27-year-old slotted 33 goals in 2023 and will be looking to replicate that form this year, albeit once he's deemed fit.
โLike Jack, Dan also has to get through training to make himself available," Mission said.
"It's likely that should he get through, his return to play will be through the VFL, but we're not ruling anything out just yet.โ
Liam Stocker is a watch as he was the only casualty in the loss to the Cats, following a controversial contest with Patrick Dangerfield.
When going for the ball, Stocker went to the ground before colliding with Dangerfield and copped a knee to his back.
"Stocker is there first so he should be protected at all costs."
Was the umpire wrong to give Patrick Dangerfield a free kick for this?#9FootyFurnace | Nine & 9Now ๐ฅ๏ธ pic.twitter.com/fLedDfdrLp
— Footy on Nine (@FootyonNine) March 17, 2024
The umpire awarded the 2016 Brownlow Medallist the free-kick for "contact below the knees" causing a divide among pundits.
As a result, Stocker has battled a sore back and will need to prove his fitness if he is to put his hand up for selection.
Matthewย Allisonย is also set for an extended period on the sidelines after injuring his right MCL in a VFL practice game on Saturday.
A long-awaited senior debut looked on the cards last year as St Kilda's forward stocks depleted and Allison rose to the occasion with a promising pre-season, however a broken foot put a line through any early season hopes.
After progressing well from the ankle injury, the 22-year-old has hurt his knee and will likely miss up to two months of football.
โIt's really disappointing for Matty, who has been unable to get a consistent run at it over the past 18 months,โ Misson said.
โFortunately, he's got a great attitude and we know he'll diligently attack this new period of rehab.โ
