THE RACE to finals is heating up, and so too is the race for club medical departments to get their injured players back on the park.

There's some big names set to boost the finals hopefuls in the run to September if they can overcome their injury struggles.

See below for just some of the big names who are currently sidelined but could still make a huge impact in the run to September and beyond.

1) Will Day

Games played in 2025: 4
Last played: Round 3, 2025
Expected return date: Round 20-22

The Hawk's start to the season had him discussed as one of the most impactful players in the competition, but another long-term injury has derailed his season and Hawthorn's midfield output dropped considerably as a result. While the Hawks have done well to steady without their star midfielder for most of the season, there's little doubt they're a significantly better side when Day is fit and firing. If he can get himself right for a burst of September action, it would put the Hawks firmly in premiership contention.

2) Sam Taylor

Games played in 2025: 14
Last played: Round 14, 2025
Expected return date: Round 21

The All-Australian defender was flying across the first half of the year but a fractured toe brought his season unstuck after round 14. Taylor is the one player the Giants could ill-afford to lose, with his intercept marking (he leads the competition with an average of 4.1 per game this season) and his ability to lock down opponents critical to his side's success. While he's slowly progressing through his rehab, Taylor is still at least three weeks away from a return meaning the Giants will need to keep in the September mix without their star defender on deck.

3) Hayden Young

Games played in 2025: 4
Last played: Round eight, 2025
Expected return date: Round 19

While the six-game winning streak is over, the Dockers have been travelling nicely without their star midfielder, but he'll be a dangerous addition once he's ready to return later this month. Young was coming off a breakout season in 2024 where he set career-highs for disposals (548), tackles (123) and clearances (116), while he set a new club record for the most inside 50s in a season (134). Andrew Brayshaw and Caleb Serong already have the Dockers' engine room humming, but the looming addition of Young to work alongside them and star ruckman Luke Jackson will have rivals on notice. The Dockers will be primed for a deep September run once they get the band back together.

4) Jordan De Goey

Games played in 2025: 5
Last played: Round eight, 2025
Expected return date: TBC

Just when it looked like De Goey was closing in on a return from an Achilles issue, the Pies star suffered yet another setback after copping a head knock at training in some friendly fire from Brayden Maynard. The Magpies are playing the long game with their midfield bull, preferring to have him back fit and firing on the eve of finals rather than rushing him back into the fold sooner, and haven't set a timeline for his return. They sit 10 points clear atop the ladder and are getting the job done without one of their best players, but De Goey still looms as a huge wildcard come September. He's a big game specialist and if the Pies can finally get his body right, he might just reproduce the kind of form that saw him play a pivotal role in their 2023 premiership success.

5) Brent Daniels

Games played in 2025: 6
Last played: Round 14, 2025
Expected return date: TBC

After playing the first four matches of the season, Daniels was struck down with a rare abdominal injury that forced him to the sidelines for two months. GWS coach Adam Kingsley was delighted to get his 'elite' playmaker back for the round 13 match against Port Adelaide, but the 26-year-old was on the injury list again the following week when he was subbed out of the win over Brisbane with an adductor problem. A return to play timeline is yet to be determined for Daniels, but there's no doubt the Giants are a better team with him in it.

6) Adam Treloar

Games played in 2025: 4
Last played: Round 15, 2025
Expected return date: Round 24+

A third calf injury for the year last month will have the Dogs midfielder battling to return for finals, if he gets on the park at all. After a career-best season in which he won a maiden All-Australian blazer in 2024, Treloar was first struck down in January in a blow that saw him miss the opening seven weeks of the season. He returned for one game before another setback forced him out for another month. The 32-year-old was subbed out against Richmond thanks again to his troublesome calf. Luckily for the Dogs, the midfield bats deep but Treloar could provide a September spark if he can get himself fit.

7) Mitch Lewis

Games played in 2025: 0
Last played: Round 17, 2024
Expected return date: Available

The 199cm forward looms as a genuine wildcard for Sam Mitchell's side in the second half of the season. Lewis has been cruelled by a series of knee injuries over the past three seasons, including a ruptured ACL last July. The 26-year-old has impressed on return in the VFL and his AFL comeback appears imminent. Along with Calsher Dear, who has also returned from injury via the VFL, he will give the Hawks a different dimension to an already imposing forward line.

8) Keidean Coleman

Games played in 2025: 1
Last played: Round 10, 2025
Expected return date: Available

An ACL ended Coleman's 2024 season an hour after it started. He returned to the seniors in round 10 but went straight out again with 'soreness' and then swelling on the knee. Now it’s a quad injury keeping him sidelined for another week or two. The Lions may have won the flag last year without Coleman, but he is a crucial component of their strongest side. Chris Fagan wants 'Kiddy' there at the business end, so expect his return to be carefully managed over the next month or so.

9) Stephen Coniglio

Games played in 2025: 3
Last played: Round 3, 2025
Expected return date: Available

The former GWS skipper's start to the season wasn't overwhelming, but at his best Coniglio is still a factor in turning the Giants' midfield into a formidable force. He hasn't played at AFL level for 14 weeks, but got plenty of the footy at VFL level last weekend and looks close to a return. Adam Kingsley knows the 31-year-old's body is less reliable than it once was – as is his output – but the coach will nurse his veteran through to give Coniglio every chance to make an impact when it matters.

10) Oscar McInerney

Games played in 2025: 8
Last played: Round 9, 2025
Expected return date: Available

McInerney was initially rested due to 'soreness' but has now played three consecutive games at VFL level without an AFL recall. His replacement Darcy Fort has been, well, holding the fort with solid football, but there's something about the Big O that makes his teammates walk taller. With McInerney in the side the Lions have won seven of eight games this year, with him out they've won four of seven. Add to that the emotional charge he will bring late in September after heartbreakingly missing last year's decider and there's little question of how much McInerney can influence the Lions' year from here.

11) Jake Kolodjashnij

Games played in 2025: 0
Last played: Second preliminary final, 2024
Expected return date: TBC

A rock-solid shutdown defender when fit, Kolodjashnij's season has been devastated by injuries. The 30-year-old has been camped on the Cats' injury list with a groin problem that has been labelled from 'one to three weeks' ahead of round one, to its current 'indefinite’ status, broken only by a single VFL appearance in late April. Geelong's back half is relatively settled at the moment, but should Kolodjashnij shake off his woes he will be a more-than-handy back-up backman to have on hand at the business end of the season.

12) Tom Doedee

Games played in 2025: 0
Last played: Round 12, 2023
Expected return date: Available 

After back-to-back ACL injuries, Doedee debuted in a Brisbane jumper in April, but only at VFL level and has more recently been sidelined with concussion in another season where he just can't get a break. A gun defender when fit, Chris Fagan has said it's up to the former Crow to nominate when he's ready for senior football, but it's hard to see him demanding a spot after such a horrid run. If things go right, Doedee may get a few state league runs in before September and would be a big - if unlikely - bonus for finals.

13) Jamarra Ugle-Hagan

Games played in 2025: 0
Last played: Second elimination final, 2024
Expected return date: TBC

This one feels unlikely, but the man known as JUH is arguably one of the best players on this list. After playing 45 of 47 games across 2023-24, Ugle-Hagan looked to be close to realising his massive potential, but mental health issues in the off-season saw him miss the opening rounds this year before he took time away from the club in April. The former No.1 pick returned to Mission Whitten Oval in mid-June and is back training. The Dogs have covered his absence with the meteoric rise of Sam Darcy plus cameos from Buku Khamis when Darcy was sidelined, but Ugle-Hagan's presence would add another level to the Bulldogs' forward power - but that feels more unlikely than likely this season.