“Unfortunately for Daniel he came down with quiet severe illness and with our main training being within 48 hours of the game, it didn't give him the opportunity to get up for Round 1,” Griffith said. “He's recovered well and was back in with the group this week.”

“Based on the advice from specialists, he didn't play on the weekend, and he will be unavailable for this week,” said Selwyn Griffith, Melbourne’s High Performance Manager. “We have a follow up review with the specialists this week, which will guide his return. “Thankfully, it's not as bad as the one that Max [Gawn] sustained earlier in pre-season, and we do have some evidence to go off from previously managing an injury like this.”

“Caleb presented with a sore heel following the game and within 24 hours, had a little increase in swelling and infection to that area,” Griffith said. “He's on antibiotics at the moment. How he responds to that will determine his availability for this week.”

“Marty is progressing into all of our skill-based work. It was just the contest-based work that he wasn't comfortable with just yet,” Griffith said. “He'll progress into training and we'll look to ramp that up from a spoiling, tackling perspective and if he's comfortable, then he'll be available to play this week.”

“Jake and Judd both integrated into a little bit of training last week,” Griffith said. “Jake will be fully training this week in order to complete a match-load conditioning session on the weekend and is looking to be available from next week. “Judd is just a week behind him, so he'll progress into some more training this week and continue to work through his max-velocity exposures and skill-based exposures. He’ll hopefully be available in the coming weeks”

“Jake and Judd both integrated into a little bit of training last week,” Griffith said. “Jake will be fully training this week in order to complete a match-load conditioning session on the weekend and is looking to be available from next week. “Judd is just a week behind him, so he'll progress into some more training this week and continue to work through his max-velocity exposures and skill-based exposures. He’ll hopefully be available in the coming weeks”

“Jai was in the boot for a week, and he's come out of that and returned to running today,” Griffith said. “His progressions will now be about a reconditioning phase and reloading not only for that bone, but just ensuring that he's tolerating the demands of the game.”

“Koltyn’s returned to running and some skill-based conditioning,” Griffith said. “He's just in a reloading phase and reconditioning phase at the moment. He'll look to start integrating into skills end of this week and next week to then hopefully be available in the coming weeks.”

“Unfortunately for Luker he had some illness over the Christmas period, which really compromised his ability to both travel, but then also to do any form of aerobic or physical training. “He's returned to training since that and has recovered really well. Now he's just in a reconditioning phase to ensure that there's no real aggravation of his illness, but also that he's coping with the training intensities that are required for him to play.”

“Shane went to accelerate during match play on Friday, and has unfortunately ruptured his Achilles tendon in the process. “This is an incredibly disappointing outcome for Shane, who was starting to get some real momentum and confidence in his body, following a strong pre-season. “Shane will meet with a surgeon in the coming days, with the view to undergo surgery. From here, we will have a greater understanding of what his recovery timelines will look like. “We will wrap our arms around Shane and fully support him throughout this next period.”

“Unfortunately, scans have confirmed what we all feared, with Andy to miss the season with an injury to his ACL, MCL and PCL,” Richardson said. “This is incredibly disappointing news for Andy, who has had a really strong pre-season. We have been so impressed by his attitude and will to get better, and he was starting to reap the rewards of his hard work. “Andy will undergo surgery in the near future, before beginning to work through his recovery. As a club, we will wrap our arms around him and make sure he is well-supported. “Despite being on the sidelines, we know Andy will still play an important role for us this season, particularly with the positive energy he brings to the club every single day.”