MELBOURNE will continue to assess its training program and the loads its players are exposed to after a spate of stress-related foot injuries in 2018, coach Simon Goodwin says.

Co-captain Jack Viney's troublesome foot flared again for the second time this year in the last week, with the toe on his right foot showing early signs of bone stress.

Viney is set to be sidelined for at least a month as he recovers from the setback, while Billy Stretch (toe) has been ruled out for the season and star forward Tom McDonald missed the first five weeks of the season through a similar injury.

"I think if you look across the competition there's probably a few more injuries to feet in every club," Goodwin said.

"We'll have a look at our grounds, we'll have a look at our loads, we'll have a look at all those things that potentially go into those things.

"But our high-performance and doctors have done a really strong job this year."

Midfielder Aaron vandenBerg was sidelined for almost 18 months after developing a stress fracture in his heel, and although he is back playing now, the Demons were worried the injury may have been career-threatening.

Three Western Bulldogs players – Tim English, Bailey Dale and Bailey Williams – have also been hampered by stress-related foot injuries this season.

Goodwin said it would be "a discussion point" for club doctors and AFL medical officers.

"I think it's something every club will be looking at. I think it's across the industry that we're seeing more feet injuries," he said.

"I'm sure it will be a discussion point at the high-performance and medical officers' meetings."

Meanwhile, Melbourne is embracing the challenge of taking on Geelong at GMHBA Stadium on Saturday night.

Four of the Demons' last six games this season are against teams in the top eight and Goodwin said the upcoming clashes would provide a clear indication of where his team was placed.

"We've put ourselves in a position where we get great exposure in games like this and now our challenge is to start performing," Goodwin said.

"This year has been a new learning curve for us. We look forward to becoming a great team in these sorts of matches."

Melbourne is weighing up whether to bring in an extra midfielder after losing Viney before last week's clash against the Bulldogs, when forward Mitch Hannan came in to replace him.

Joel Smith, who missed last Saturday's game with hip soreness, will also come into the selection mix, while Neville Jetta (glute) should be right to take his place in the team against the Cats.

However, despite gathering 20 disposals and laying 10 tackles in his second hit-out in the VFL, vandenBerg is still several weeks away from being in the selection mix.

"He needs a few more weeks yet. He's missed a lot of footy. Last week was his second game back. We're probably looking at three or four games before he starts to come back into the mix," Goodwin said.

"We're certainly not putting any pressure on Aaron. We want him to get right back to his best before we expose him to AFL footy."

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