One week remains in the 2024 AFL home and away season, with nine teams vying for the top eight.
Collingwood needs a miracle but is all but unable to defend its premiership, while Fremantle will need to be Port Adelaide and hope that either Carlton, Hawthorn or Western Bulldogs lose their Round 24 contests.
Sydney has locked up the minor premiership while there is still plenty to be played out regarding the top four.
Here's the latest on the injury front across theย AFLย landscape...
Carlton provide update on talls, hurt forwards
Blues defender Mitch McGovern is a test for this week's game against St Kilda after suffering a hamstring issue in Sunday's win over West Coast.
The ailment places McGovern in a race against the clock to be fit for Round 24, with small forward Corey Durdin (shoulder) needing to prove his fitness this week to be cleared for selection.
Already sidelined, Charlie Curnow (ankle), Orazio Fantasia (calf) and Adam Saad (hamstring) join the duo in being tests for this weekend.
Key forward Harry McKay (quad) won't be available to face the Saints, with Jack Martin (hamstring) also sidelined for at least another week.
Zac Williams has not been listed on Carlton's injury update and is viewed as available after hurting his back in Round 23.
Four Roos ruled out of season finish
North Melbourne have confirmed Harry Sheezel won't return for Saturday's trip to Tasmania as he continues to deal with an ankle injury.
The injury, which kept Sheezel out of the Roos' last game, has seen the Roos young gun run out of time to be fit for Round 24.
The Kangaroos have also confirmed duo Miller Bergman and Charlie Comben have entered concussion protocols, while rookie Zane Duursma has undergone shoulder surgery and will also miss this weekend's action.
The four additional outs bring North Melbourne's unavailability list to 11 players for this weekend.
Latest on hurt Hawks
Hawthorn have provided an update on Will Day's injury status, with the Hawks onballer facing an unclear timeline for a return.
Day was unable to finish Sunday's win over Richmond due to a collarbone concern, with further assessment to come at the end of the week as Day looks to get back to running at training.
"He has an SC Joint issue. There's been a little bit of a dislocation/ subluxation movement of the bones and the ligaments that support that," Hawks high-performance manager Peter Burge detailed.
"The advice we've been given, we've seen a number of specialists, our medical team here is very thorough and we've got all the information we need now. It's really down to function and how he feels and pain and all those sorts of things but again, we've got to get beyond this week's game first.
"He will start running later this week and start moving which will be great, we can get him going again. Beyond that, we'll reassess the football participation but we need to complete this week's game first."
Backman Jack Scrimshaw is dealing with a issue and has been listed as a test for Round 24.
"He had an issue with his finger. He came off with the doc, and had a dislocation. The doc assessed it and he actually had a little bit more than just a dislocation, he had a bit of a flesh wound as well," Burge said.
"He's had to go and have some very minor surgery, a cleanout, and have it re-stitched up. It's now really about comfort and function. He's a test for this week and we'll give him every single minute until this game to prove himself but we'll know more later in the week."
Meanwhile, defender Changkuoth Jiath is another week away from a return from a calf injury.
Sydney pair a test, duo to miss Adelaide game
Swans star Chad Warner will be required to prove his fitness at training this week to be deemed fit to face the Crows on Saturday night.
Warner missed last week's win over Essendon due to calf soreness, which has left the speedy onballer as no certainty for Round 24.
Utility Robbie Fox is also a test for this weekend as he looks to overcome an abdominal injury.
Pair Tom Papley (ankle) and Justin McInerney won't be avaible until finals and will look to ramp up their training loads next week.
Cats young gun to miss Round 24
Geelong won't have key defender Sam De Koning available for selection this week as he continues to nurse a knee injury.
De Koning has missed the Cats' last two games due to the setback and won't return to full training until next week.
The pre-finals bye will give De Koning further time to recover and build up his workloads before a likely comeback in week one of the finals.
โSam will need another week to rehab his knee following his minor procedure last week. He willย join the main group next week and will be available for selection the week after,โ Geelong assistant football manager Brett Johnson said.
Geelong have listed both Tanner Bruhn and Ted Clohesy as tests for Round 24 as they look to exit concussion protocols.
Surgery to sideline Dogs forward
Western Bulldogs attacker Rhylee West will miss this weekend's must-win clash against GWS after suffering a broken jaw.
West has undergone surgery and will be unavailable for selection for the time being, with the club to get a full understanding of his return timeframe over the next 10 days.
โIn the third quarter of the game during a marking content, Rhylee West received some contact to his jaw from an opposition knee,โ Head of Sports Medicine, Chris Bell said.
โThis impact has caused a crack in his jawbone. The injury has required some surgery to stabilise the fracture that was completed yesterday.
โRhylee won't play this week, and I will be in a position to be able to confirm his rehab timeline across the next 10 days.โ
Ruckman Tim English (ankle) is a test to play in Round 24, while the club has confirmed mid-season recruit Kelsey Rypstra has seen his season brought to a close due to a hamstring injury.
Gun Lion a test, duo a week away
Brisbane midfielder Jarrod Berry will need to prove his fitness on Thursday to be cleared to face Essendon this weekend after battling hamstring tightness.
Berry trained on Tuesday but was limited, with a main session later this week set to decide the onballer's playing prospects.
Berry's potential absence could see the gun Lion join Jack Payne (foot) and Bruce Reville (leg) on the sidelines for Brisbane.
Both Payne and Reville have elevated their workloads and are expected to be fit in time for the Lions' first final.
Port trio to be tested
Port Adelaide could have Mitch Georgiades, Todd Marshall and Lachie Jones all available for selection heading into the final round of the home and away season.
Dan Houston is likely to be missed through suspension, opening up at least one spot in the 23 to be filled.
Georgiades (quad) and Jones (Achilles) will be assessed later in the week and are expected to be available for selection, while Marshall (concussion) will need to continue progressing successfully through concussion protocols.
Dee duo to missย
Melbourne will be without Tom Sparrow and Steven May for its Round 24 clash against Collingwood.
Sparrow was sent for scans after he was subbed out of the Demons win against Gold Coast over the weekend.
Results showed that he suffered a "syndesmosis" injury.
โWe've organised follow-up scans and imaging, and then, in consultation with surgeons, we will determine whether or not we go with a surgical intervention or conservative management," High-Performance Manager Selwyn Griffith said.
โAs we're progressing into the off-season, we want to give Tom the best possibility to maximise his off-season and be prepared for the start of the pre-season.โ
As for May, Griffith confirmed that he hadn't fully recovered from his rib injury as the club will take a conservative approach with the All-Australian defender.
โHe's been working hard to get himself right to play the back end of the season,โ Griffith said.
โHe trained fully today, but in a few contests, still didn't feel 100% comfortable.
โUnfortunately, he won't play this Friday night, but he's done a great job over the last few weeks, continuing to push himself to try to be available.
โNow we'll just ensure that he's right from a body perspective as we transition into the off-season.โ
Caleb Windsor (ankle) and Clayton Oliver (ribs/knee) are also working through their respective injuries.
Crow veteran still a chance
Adelaide forward Taylor Walker will be given every chance to return before the season closes its curtains following an eye issue.
Walker underwent laser eye surgery after missing last week's Showdown but has been able to return to training.
โTex has been able to train, which is great and has done plenty of running and movement, so he will see the eye specialist today to get clearance, but at this stage, we think he will be available to play,โ High-Performance Manager Darren Burgess said.
Izak Rankine (concussion) and Brayden Cook (foot) have been ruled out for the Round 24 clash against Sydney, while Elliot Himmelberg (illness) and Harry Schoenberg (foot) are likely to be made available.
Collingwood on the mend, eyeing 2025
Three Collingwood premiership players are recovering nicely from their respective injuries.
Jordan De Goey and Tom Mitchell have been completing gym work and light bike sessions in their bid to return from hamstring and foot issues.
Brody Mihocek completed a few running sessions and is nearing 100% speed whilst overcoming his pectoral tear.
Ash Johnson continues to work through concussion protocols.
Harvey Harrison is yet to have surgery on his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear.
