Melbourne will line up against Gold Coast on Sunday without forward Jake Melksham who has succumbed to a hamstring strain.
The 26-year-old suffered the injury during the Demons’ AFL win over Adelaide but played out the match, with the club describing the injury as “very minor”.
“Even though Jake’s pulled up well, we don’t want to risk him this round,” Demons fitness boss Dave Misson said on Wednesday.
“We’ll re-assess him next week.”
Melksham has been among the Demons’ most consistent this season, ranking first in the competition for goal assists.
Young forward Mitch Hannan (knee) faces a fitness test at Thursday’s main training session after missing the Demons’ past two games.
Key defender Michael Hibberd (quad) and co-captain Jack Viney (toe) remain several weeks away with the club taking a cautious approach to their rehabilitation.
“Hibbo has been doing some good stuff in rehab, some good running,” Misson said.
“He’s probably still two to three weeks away.
“Jack hasn’t quite started running yet, so his return to play will be a bit dictated by his reloading.
“Clinically, he’s looking a lot better and we’re hoping to start him running either late this week or early next week.”