Melbourne defender Jake Lever will miss Saturday’s Round 3 AFL match against the Gold Coast SUNS, with Blakes Howes to come into the team as his replacement.

Lever rolled his ankle during the Demons’ Round 2 clash and despite positive signs earlier in the week, the 29-year-old is still battling some soreness.

General Manager of AFL Football Performance Alan Richardson said the club was confident Lever will only miss the one match.

“Jake had been progressing really well this week, getting on top of the swelling in that ankle,” Richardson said.

“He unfortunately pulled up sore from our main session on Thursday, so we’ve taken a cautious approach by ruling him out of the game.

“We’re confident the extra time will allow Jake’s ankle to fully settle, in preparation for our Round 4 game.”

Ollie Sestan has been added to the club’s emergency list.