The Crows reported no casualties in their win over Port Adelaide but are unlikely to welcome back any players from injury this week, with Kurt Tippett (hamstring), Richard Douglas (ankle) and Ian Callinan (hamstring) all at least a fortnight away. Brad Moran is also unavailable for selection after straining his calf playing in the SANFL. Forgotten defender Tony Armstrong continued his good run of form in the local league with a best on ground performance for North Adelaide.
- Katrina Gill
BRISBANE LIONS
The Lions are rested after last weekend's bye and Josh Green (ankle) is the only new face to come into consideration for Sunday's match at home against Adelaide. Daniel Rich's foot problem is taking longer than expected to recover and he is still two weeks away. While full-back Daniel Merrett has resumed running, his back injury is still likely to keep him out for the remainder of the season.
- Michael Whiting
CARLTON
Brett Ratten said last week that Jarrad Waite would be "50-50" to return against Melbourne, but Michael Jamison is still two weeks away. Andrew Carrazzo has been out a little longer than expected with a calf strain and Dennis Armfield will test a rolled ankle he suffered against North Melbourne. Paul Bower and Jordan Russell both played another game at VFL level while Matthew Watson, Rohan Kerr and Kane Lucas were rated amongst the Bullants' best players.
-Jason Phelan
COLLINGWOOD
The Magpies expect Dale Thomas to return, after he was a late withdrawal on Sunday with a corked calf, as well as Sharrod Wellingham, who has missed the last two matches with a groin strain. Alan Didak is also expected to be available after overcoming the calf he strained against the Sydney Swans in round 14. Chris Dawes (hand) and Alan Toovey (finger) remain at least another week away while John McCarthy was in the VFL side's best on Saturday after being omitted from the senior side.
- Jen Witham
ESSENDON
Essendon's injury crisis continued to deepen on Sunday when it lost Brent Prismall (knee) and Travis Colyer (knee, ankle) to season-ending injuries in the first quarter against Collingwood. Of the Bombers to miss the Magpies clash, Dustin Fletcher seems most likely to return from a calf complaint, while Michael Hurley and Heath Hocking are still considered unlikely to play owing to foot injuries. Andrew Welsh and Alex Browne are on the cusp of senior selection having been emergencies last week.
- Callum Twomey
FREMANTLE
Key defender Luke McPharlin has served his one-match suspension and will return to take on star Saint Nick Riewoldt this week, headlining a host of likely changes for Fremantle. Nick Suban should return after a one-week hiccup in his return from a broken leg, while ruckman Jon Griffin (hip) faces a fitness test. Kepler Bradley, Josh Mellington and Jay van Berlo were rested from WAFL duties and could offer fresh legs with the team travelling on a six-day break.
- Nathan Schmook
GEELONG
The Cats have few injury worries after their relatively bruise-free afternoon against Melbourne last Saturday. Although they need to settle on their best 22 by finals time, expect them to experiment a bit more when they host Gold Coast at Skilled Stadium on Saturday afternoon. James Podsiadly and Josh Hunt, who both missed the demolition of the Demons due to slight injuries, are among those likely to come into the side.
- Adam McNicol
GOLD COAST
After missing out last week with a hip injury, consistent midfielder Sam Iles is expected to return for Saturday's match against Geelong at Skilled Stadium. A number of other Suns will return through the reserves this week including exciting small forward Brandon Matera (abdominal), experienced midfielder Daniel Harris (abdominal), and No.7 NAB AFL Draft pick Josh Caddy (foot) who was injured in the NAB Cup.
- Michael Whiting
HAWTHORN
Skipper Luke Hodge should come back to face North Melbourne after missing the trip to Perth with a swollen knee. Shane Savage (sore shoulder) is also a chance to return. Midfielders Chance Bateman and Cam Bruce and young big men Jordan Lisle and Ryan Schoenmakers are fit and ready, but a weekend bye for the Hawks' VFL affiliate Box Hill meant they were denied a chance to press their claims.
- Mark Macgugan
MELBOURNE
The good news for the players involved in last week's 186-point defeat is that there weren't many players in the VFL pushing for their spots. But new coach Todd Viney has already flagged Clint Bartram, Aaron Davey and Tom Scully as possible inclusions while Joel Macdonald may also be brought in. Cale Morton and Max Gawn were among the best for VFL team Casey.
- Luke Holmesby
NORTH MELBOURNE
Lindsay Thomas took a significant step in his fight to return to the AFL, starring for North Ballarat in its win over Williamstown. Most importantly, Thomas seemed to put his recent goalkicking inaccuracy behind him with a return of 9.3. Midfielders Cruize Garlett (39 possessions), Shaun Atley (23) and rookie Aaron Mullett (21) also pressed their cases for a senior berth in the Roosters' win. Fellow rookie Majak Daw (16 disposals and 21 hit-outs) was North's best player in Werribee's win over Sandringham, while key defender Nathan Grima was the Kangaroos' other standout. Ruckman Hamish McIntosh was a late withdrawal from Werribee's team with general soreness.
- Nick Bowen
PORT ADELAIDE
The Power are sweating on the fitness of defender Jackson Trengove (knee), and also Jay Schulz, Troy Chaplin and Tom Logan, who all bizarrely suffered plantar fascia injuries in the loss to Adelaide. Ben Jacobs sat out Showdown XXXI with a quad complaint, but should return against Collingwood this week. Daniel Stewart, Jacob Surjan, Jason Davenport, Daniel Motlop and rookie-listed players Tom Jonas and Daniel Bass are among the players in the SANFL pushing for a recall.
- Katrina Gill
RICHMOND
Fresh from the bye, the Tigers face a major challenge as they head to Perth on the weekend to meet the in-form Eagles. Chris Newman has been ruled out for at least a month with a knee injury, while Jayden Post, Tom Hislop, Jeromey Webberley and Mitch Farmer were the best players for Coburg in the VFL.
- Adam McNicol
ST KILDA
Nick Riewoldt returns from suspension just as Zac Dawson heads out of the team for the same reason. Jason Blake seems the most logical replacement for Dawson in the Saints' defensive six but Tom Simpkin is also likely to be strongly considered. Steven Baker was named Sandringham's best in the VFL last year and could be brought in to continue his fiery history with Hayden Ballantyne. Michael Gardiner also impressed for Sandringham last week but may require a bit more game time.
- Luke Holmesby
SYDNEY SWANS
With the Swans reserves coming off a heavy loss prior to last week's bye, there's been precious few opportunities for players to press for a spot in the senior side. Coach John Longmire's charges also had an impressive win over the Western Bulldogs before their bye. But there is good news on the injury front, with Gary Rohan, Andrejs Everitt, Jed Lamb and Mike Pyke set to return to the seconds and begin pushing for senior selection.
- James Dampney
WEST COAST
After three weeks sidelined with glute and hip soreness, Daniel Kerr is expected to return this week against Richmond. The midfielder should be joined by ruckman Nic Naitanui, who was also ruled out last week with soreness. Sam Butler was ready to resume from a four-week quad injury last week, but the club took a conservative approach and gave the injury-plagued half-back one more week off. He should return against the Tigers. Star forward Josh Kennedy will require one more week to recover from an eye injury.
- Nathan Schmook
