Melbourne's Clayton Oliver has been sent for scans on an injured hand after the superstar Demon left the track early during Wednesday's session due to the ailment.
Oliver hurt his right hand and was unable to see out training, with sources informingย The Ageย that Oliver will undergo scans. The publication's report suggests the Demons onballer remains in contention to face Port Adelaide on Saturday, with the injury believed to be a dislocation.
The 26-year-old missed a game during the 2022 season due to a fractured right thumb and would undergo post-season surgery on his hand to repair the injury.
The Demons have three days until their crucial clash with an unbeaten Port Adelaide outfit, where Simon Goodwin will be without key defender Steven May for the trip to South Australia.
May has multiple fractured ribs in a marking contest last week against Hawthorn and will be sidelined for at least one match.
Goodwin told media on Wednesday morning that May remains in the mix to play in Gather Round when the Demons face Adelaide.
"He's tough. I'm sure if he runs today and he runs well, he'll be knocking on the door saying put me in," Goodwin said.
"Anyone that has had a crack in their ribs would understand that they're painful, you know, sneezing, coughing, laughing.
"All those things can cause you a fair bit of grief. But once you can tolerate the pain, they are things that lots of players have played with previously, we certainly won't be silly in that space."
The Demons hope to have Jake Lever available against the Power after the premiership defender hurt his knee in the Round 2 win over Hawthorn.
Lever remains touch-and-go to play this weekend, with the veteran backman to be given the needed time to prove his fitness.
"We're really confident he'll play," Goodwin said.
"He'll train today. We're really confident he'll be able to get through that session and be available for this week.
"That's exciting for our club after the weekend, where there's a bit of doom and gloom about having, you know, two key defensive pillars out."
Fringe defender Adam Tomlinson is likely to replace May in the Demons' Round 3 side, with Harrison Petty an option to move to the backline to help support Goodwin's rearguard if Lever is also ruled out.
Should Oliver be unavailable to face the Power, Melbourne could look to Taj Woewodin or Bailey Laurie as midfield depth options.
The Demons head to South Australia later this week for their clash with the Power, and are set to remain in Adelaide for the build-up to their Gather Round clash against the Crows.
