MELBOURNE forward Jake Melksham has suffered a setback in his recovery from a foot injury and is expected to be on the sidelines for another five to six weeks.
Melksham initially suffered the injury after accidentally kicking David Swallow's shin during the Demons' last-gasp win over Gold Coast and has already missed two matches.
"He went and saw a surgeon last week who suggested he needed to stay in the moonboot for another couple of weeks," Melbourne’s elite performance manager David Misson told the club website.
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"He comes out of the boot early June and he'll need another month after that until he is back playing."
In better news for the injury-ravaged club, high-profile recruit Steven May is set to play in the VFL this week after recovering from a long-term groin injury.
He will be joined at Casey by fellow ex-Sun Kade Kolodjashnij (concussion), while Michael Hibberd (collarbone), Christian Salem and Alex Neal-Bullen (both concussion) will need to pass tests to play.
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Key defender Jake Lever suffered a rolled ankle in the VFL after recovering from a knee reconstruction and is only a possibility to play for Casey this week.
Co-captain Nathan Jones (head knock) and star ruckman Max Gawn (dislocated finger) are set to play Adelaide in Darwin on Saturday night after suffering minor injuries during Sunday's loss to Greater Western Sydney.