THE POTENTIAL return of reigning club champion Clayton Oliver will buoy Demon spirits after mercurial Melbourne forward Bayley Fritsch underwent surgery on Tuesday morning.

Fritsch will be missing for the medium term after injuring his foot in a first-quarter marking contest in Alice Springs.

“You would have seen he had a little bit of a roll of his ankle and that has resulted in a fracture in his foot,” club Doctor Laura Lallenec told Melbourne Media.

“He actually underwent surgery this morning and that's gone really well.

“The plan at this stage is to let him recover after his surgery and then building back up to playing.  

“We're expecting a return to play of approximately seven to eight weeks at this stage, but we'll see how he goes.”

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The continued progression of contested king Oliver is the positive news for Dees fans, with the midfield maestro a chance to face St Kilda on Saturday at Marvel Stadium.

“He's going well, returning to training this week,” Lallenec says.

“He'll continue to progress. He's still got some things to tick off in his rehab and we should know later this week whether he's available this weekend.”

In more good news, Michael Hibberd is recovering well after his heroic efforts to play through injury against the Cats.

“Michael sustained that mild kidney injury in the game a couple of weeks ago,” Lallenec says.

“He will continue to non-contact train and at this stage won't be available this week, but looking to be available leading into the Brisbane game.”

Veteran forward Tom McDonald continues to rehabilitate his injured ankle, with rookie Kye Turner remains sidelined with a groin injury.