MELBOURNE coach Simon Goodwin is confident he'll have key players Steven May and James Harmes available for the Demons' round one clash against Port Adelaide in two weeks' time.
Harmes suffered a compound finger fracture in the second quarter of Melbourne's seven-point loss to Brisbane at Casey Fields on Saturday, while May appeared to catch Jarrod Berry on the chin with a last quarter bump that is likely to be scrutinised by Match Review Officer Michael Christian.
To cap off a potentially costly day for the Demons, Jay Kennedy Harris suffered a knee injury in the first quarter of the JLT match, while ruckman Braydon Preuss strained his groin in the curtain-raiser game between Casey Demons and the Lions' NEAFL team.
LIONS TAKE ANOTHER SCALP Full match coverage and stats
Goodwin, however, was upbeat after the match, saying things could have been worse for the Demons.
The Melbourne coach said Kennedy Harris had escaped with bone bruising to his left knee that would sideline him for some time, but noted that was a far better result than the ruptured ACL the club had first been feared.
Goodwin was unsure on the severity of Preuss' groin injury, but was in little doubt Harmes and May would be available for the Dees' season opener.
"[Harmes] will be right to go for round one, our doctors are really clear on that," Goodwin said.
"He went straight to hospital, had it fixed up. We've had many players who have had that injury and played the next week.
"We've still got 14 days to get him right."
Former Suns co-captain May has been reported nine times in his career, found guilty eight times and missed a total of 10 games through suspension.
Berry was able to walk from the ground after May's bump but did not return to the ground, although Brisbane coach Chris Fagan was unsure after the match whether Berry had failed a concussion test.
Steven May was involved in an incident with Jarrod Berry in the fourth quarter.#JLTSeries pic.twitter.com/Nrehj0bch5
— AFL (@AFL) March 9, 2019
Goodwin said he had watched replays of the incident and was not concerned.
"It seemed minimal contact to me. [May] was just standing there ready to block, so I'm really confident that he'll be right to play," he said.
Melbourne finished the JLT series winless, having lost to Richmond in the opening week, but Goodwin was content his team would be well prepared for the start of the premiership season.
Meanwhile, Fagan said his young Lions team would take "belief" from beating a strong side like Melbourne even if Saturday's game was "just a practice match".
Fagan was particularly pleased with the Lions' ability to win the clearances 40-29 and contested possessions 159-150, praising the hardnosed work of Lachie Neale, Jarryd Lyons, Rhys Mathieson, Jarrod Berry and Lincoln McCarthy.
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"Melbourne always give you a great test in that area. You need to do well and break even to have a chance to beat them," Fagan said.
"It's not been one of our great strengths for a long time at Brisbane. It's something we've worked really hard on, so credit to our coaches for the work they've done with the players over the summer.
"First test of that: well passed."
Lions ruckman Archie Smith was injured in the first quarter of Saturday's JLT game when he suffered a knock to the throat.
The emerging ruckman had staked a claim for the Lions' No.1 ruck spot in the club's opening JLT win over Hawthorn, but now faces a delayed start to the season.
"He's in hospital being assessed," Fagan said.
"We've got no idea at this moment the extent of the injury, we're hopeful it's not too bad."