That player was defender James Frawley, who missed with a foot injury.
But there was also a late withdrawal, when the versatile Rohan Bail was sidelined with concussion.
It wasn’t until round 14 when Bail returned against the Brisbane Lions at the Gabba that he was back in the red and blue - more than a month later.
For Bail, it was a tough period, but as he prepares for his 29th AFL match against Fremantle at Etihad Stadium this Saturday, he says he is now back on track.
“I feel great now. I’ve almost forgotten about it now to be honest, but it was definitely a frustrating time,” he told melbournefc.com.au.
“I was lucky enough to get back into the side against Brisbane and then again against Richmond, so I’m feeling good now.”
Bail has played the past two matches, and although he was initially named in the squad against Collingwood and in the team against Greater Western Sydney, he was forced to withdraw, as he hadn’t passed his CogState tests (CogState is technology used to detect cognitive change).
“I was given until the last minute every time to prove my fitness, so I did a basic CogState test at the club for the first two weeks,” he said.
“And then it’d been two weeks and I was sent to a neuropsychologist, who put me through a two-hour CogState assessment.
“I was still off apparently, so I got pulled out at the last minute before the games.”
Bail’s concussion came about after two separate incidents against the Blues, as he explained.
“In the second quarter, I copped a fist across the chops, when someone tried to spoil the ball and missed. It was a minor incident and I was dazed for 10 to 15 seconds and then got on with it,” he said.
“And then later on in the quarter, there was a bit of friendly fire, when big ‘Chippa’ (James Frawley) came through, and I got in his way and his hip hit me in the head. Probably because it was just before half time, it wasn’t really noticed.
“I was down for 10 to 15 seconds and then went into the rooms. I didn’t really think too much about it and I came back out and played the second half and probably underestimated what had happened. Regrettably, it kept me out for several weeks, so it wasn’t good.”
Now that he’s back playing, Bail said he now “living life normally”.
“With that injury, it’s a time thing. I’ve had a few concussions before, but I’ve never been out for that long. It just took that extra bit of time, unfortunately,” he said.
“I had to be patient and bide my time, because they weren’t going to let me play until I was ready.
“The first week, after having missed three weeks plus the bye, I was probably a little bit rusty in terms of getting the footy and being in the right spots. But last week I felt better against Richmond, and I had a few more game involvements, so it was good.”
Having overcome his recent hurdle, Bail, who was drafted at No. 64 from Mt Gravatt in the 2008 NAB AFL Draft, said building on his 10 appearances this year was now his aim.
“I just want to keep improving on what I’ve been doing. I want to run smartly and get the ball in good areas. Also my kicking, I’ve been working on that at training, so hopefully I can become really efficient in that area,” he said.
“A lot of my running is at high speed. I’ve spoken to the coach [Mark Neeld] and Neil Craig about it and they see it as one of my real strengths, so if I can learn to use it really smartly and get it out to the right spaces, it can be damaging.”
Bail said kicking efficiently at high speed was a “reasonably hard” skill to master.
“A lot of the really good kicks in the AFL are good at running and steadying before they execute a kick, whereas sometimes you can and something you can’t,” he said.
“When you see Chris Judd, he’s at his absolute full pace and it’s hard to control his kick.
“It’s just a matter of finding that balance and steadying and finding that target.”
As for the change in direction this year, the 24 year-old said couldn’t speak highly enough of the support he had received from first year senior coach Mark Neeld and director of sports performance, Neil Craig.
“He’s (Neeld) put a lot of faith in me and supported me and he’s always told me to back myself. He’s said to me that if I make a mistake trying to do the right thing, then that’s ok. I definitely feel supported by him,” he said.
“I have a chat to Craigy on and off, so he’s really good. He’s the same. He likes the way I run and he keeps telling me to back myself and work on that kicking. The more I do, the better I’ll get at kicking at high speeds.
“Craigy’s definitely one to approach and a lot of the guys have said that. If you want another opinion, he’s a very good person for that.”
Since making his debut in 2009, Bail has played across half-back, midfield and predominantly up forward this year. But, long term, it is the engine room and the wing that he wants to make his own.
“[I want to play] through the midfield, working on stoppages - playing inside and on the wing and also half-forward. If I can work on stoppage stuff inside, it’d be good to play on someone in there and beat them on the outside,” he said.
“I’ve got to use my attributes in whatever role I’m playing. But you’ve got to be across all the structures, whether you’re playing high half-forward or mid and definitely in the backline as well, where I haven’t played too much this year. I’ve played mostly forward and a little bit mid this year.
“But it’s all part of the journey. When I’m playing, I feel like I can contribute, so it’s a matter of getting out there consistently for as long as I can. Hopefully that’s every game.”
