Collingwood will begin its season without the experience of skipper Darcy Moore and veteran Jeremy Howe.
The key Magpies were ruled out on Tuesday afternoon, alongside recovering defender Reef McInnes.
Moore has progressed well from his calf setback and has integrated back into full training but won’t take on St Kilda in front of a packed MCG on Sunday.
Howe, meanwhile, is still yet to complete main training after his calf injury but is expected to start this week and be in the selection frame within a fortnight.
McInnes – who ruptured his ACL in Opening Round of last season – has started full training, including match simulation, but will continue building his fitness base.
At Punt Rd, it’s more bad news for uncapped top pick Josh Smillie.
The exciting midfielder – who was considered one of Richmond’s best picks in the 2024 super draft – will spend more time on the sidelines with a quad injury.
“Josh, unfortunately, suffered a quad strain at one of our recent rehab sessions, which will delay his return to play,” high performance manager Ben Serpell said.
“To be clear, it is not a re-injury of the injury which required surgery, and the young man himself is as disappointed as everyone else at the club is for him, given the work he has put in.
“We are on the right path with Josh. However, we also want to be conservative and anticipate that this will unfortunately extend his rehab by 4-8 weeks.
“We will have a clearer picture on this in the coming weeks.”
Western Bulldogs stars Sam Darcy, Adam Treloar and Bailey Dale have all been listed as needing to prove their fitness ahead of Opening Round.
Darcy pulled up with a sore hip and groin from State of Origin and has been watched closely since.
“To reduce the risk of Sam suffering prolonged issues related to this soreness, Sam didn’t play in Friday’s practice game and instead completed a football training session,” Bulldogs head of sports medicine Chris Bell said.
“Sam will be monitored across this week to determine his availability ahead of Opening Round against the Lions.