MELBOURNE forward Jeff Garlett will face a short stint on the sidelines after suffering a shoulder injury in the JLT practice match against Richmond on Sunday.

The 29-year-old dislocated his shoulder in a marking contest during the third term of the Demons 12-point loss in Shepparton, but fortunately won’t be undergoing surgery.

Elite Performance Manager David Misson said Garlett’s injury was assessed on Monday and the result was relatively positive.

“He consulted with a surgeon yesterday who advised that we don’t go down the surgical option, which is sort of what we thought after the injury anyway,” Misson told Melbourne Media.

“It came back in pretty easily so now it’s a matter of strengthening up that joint and making sure he can function properly.”

Garlett’s rehab process will be much shorter now that he isn't opting to be operated on, but he will still face a delayed start to the 2019 season.

“He’s probably going to be four to six weeks,” Misson said.

“This is his good shoulder - he’s had an operation on the other side, but not on this shoulder.”

Although Garlett has avoided surgery at this stage, Misson said there is no certainty he will make an instant recovery.

“I wouldn’t say he’s not going to need surgery, because he could come back and play his first game and it pops out again, and then we may have to operate,” he said.

But Misson remained upbeat that Garlett will be back on the field and at his best sooner rather than later.

The fitness guru also suggested that Nathan Jones, Steven May, Jake Melksham and Jack Viney should all play in some capacity this weekend as the four stars are officially clear of their previous injury concerns.

Mitch Hannan, Jake Lever, Kade Kolodjashnij and Aaron Nietschke are the remaining four players in the rehab group, and Misson provided an update on their progress.

Injury List

Jeff Garlett

Shoulder – 4-6 weeks

Mitch Hannan

Knee – 8-12 weeks

“Mitch obviously had the surgery before camp and he won’t start running outside until next week. He’s probably eight to 12 weeks away, depending on how he goes. We’re not really sure how his knee is going to cope with the loading but hopefully it’s in that time frame.”

Kade Kolodjashnij

Adductor – 3-4 weeks

“He’s going pretty well. He’ll do some training tomorrow so we’re hoping he’ll play Round 1 in the VFL.”

Jake Lever

Knee – 12-16 weeks

“He got back today and had a really good week. He did a lot of good work, so it’s about him getting back into the program and starting some more specific footy work.”

Aaron Nietschke

Knee – season

“He’s back in at the club today. Because he’s a first-year player and he’s never been injured he’s probably getting his head around what it means to be in rehab, so that’s going to be his first challenge – just getting his head around what’s involved in rehab.”