INJURIES have caused chaos at some clubs over summer and time is running out before the start of the season.

The first of the unofficial match simulations is on Monday and the home and away season is less than three weeks away as pre-season training ramps up, and some players race the clock to return to full fitness.

Check out who has been injured at your club this pre-season and where your key players sit as the countdown to the 2026 campaign continues.

The Crows will be without two of last year's breakout stars with Mark Keane (broken ankle) and Dan Curtin (dislocated knee) set to miss several months after suffering injuries at training at the start of the year. Sid Draper (groin soreness) is taking it easy but hopes to play some part in the coming practice games, while Mitch Hinge (back) is also on light duties after reporting soreness in recent days. Izak Rankine has no injury concerns but will be unavailable in round one due to suspension, while recruit Callum Ah Chee will be assessed after experiencing hamstring awareness late in Saturday's Origin game. - Michael Rogers

The Lions suffered a little setback recently with ruck recruit Sam Draper sidelined with a stress reaction in his foot. The former Bomber will miss Opening Round against the Western Bulldogs but should be available to debut shortly after. Jack Payne is doing lateral work as he recovers from a ruptured patella tendon and is hopeful of being available by round six, while rangy forward Eric Hipwood is rehabilitating from a ruptured ACL and should be available in the second half of the season. Josh Dunkley, Jarrod Berry and Jaspa Fletcher all had shoulder surgery during the off-season but are back into full training and are expected to play either Carlton or Gold Coast in the next fortnight. Tom Doedee has progressed well in recent weeks from knee and wrist problems and will be around the mark by season's start. - Michael Whiting

All Carlton eyes are on star defender Jacob Weitering after he was taken to hospital following a nasty injury in AAMI AFL Origin on Saturday night, with the extent of his injury and timeline to become clearer in the coming days. Elsewhere, Jesse Motlop will miss the entire season after rupturing his ACL last month, joining fellow knee victim Harry O'Farrell on the sidelines. Blake Acres was another summer casualty with a dislocated shoulder but is expected to be available for the club's Opening Round clash against Sydney. Veteran defender Nick Haynes (ankle) and midfielder Matthew Cottrell (knee) have undergone arthroscopes and will be assessed after the club's bye in round two. Nic Newman is set to return in the early rounds after a patella injury, while Brodie Kemp is another poised for an early-season comeback from a ruptured Achilles. Matt Carroll sustained a hamstring injury in the club's intraclub during the week. - Brandon Cohen

Captain Darcy Moore is racing the clock for the club's season-opener against St Kilda as he recovers from a calf injury, while small forward Beau McCreery is also striving to be fit for the start of the campaign after he underwent foot surgery. Several Magpies have dealt with injuries this pre-season, but are more likely to be available for the beginning of the season. Jeremy Howe has had another setback with his calf strain, while Dan McStay (hamstring), Isaac Quaynor (hamstring) and Dan Houston (hip) have all battled different ailments over the summer. Gun small forward Bobby Hill is on extended leave with his return date unclear. – Dejan Kalinic

The Bombers are, unsurprisingly, looking far healthier than last year, but will be without gun Nic Martin (knee) for the whole of 2026. Ruck Nick Bryan, forward Tom Edwards and young defender Lewis Hayes will be eyeing returns early in the season after their ACL injuries in the first half of last year. Important defender Jordan Ridley (hamstring) and Archie Perkins (groin) have had interrupted pre-seasons, while midfielder Jye Caldwell dealt with a knee concern earlier this month. Small forward Isaac Kako is set to miss at least one, and possibly both, of the pre-season games after straining his hamstring last week, while Irishman Cillian Bourke also suffered a hamstring injury in January. No.9 draft pick Sullivan Robey had his training load scaled down after the Bombers found signs of back stress shortly after his arrival at the club, but he has resumed running in recent weeks. – Dejan Kalinic

Sean Darcy suffered a calf strain during training in early February, but is expected to feature in the Dockers' match simulation against West Coast on Saturday. Forward Sam Sturt continues to work back from an ACL injury sustained in July, while captain Alex Pearce's training loads are being managed carefully after recurrent stress-related issues in 2025. Untried ruck Aiden Riddle has been sidelined for a few weeks with an ankle injury, while third-year half-back Cooper Simpson is managing a minor hip issue. - Sophie Welsh

Coleman medallist Jeremy Cameron is no certainty to play in Opening Round after he suffered a quad strain at training last Monday, having just returned to full-contact training after the badly broken arm he suffered in the Grand Final. Tyson Stengle has spent time away from the club dealing with personal issues and won't be rushed back into full training, while Toby Conway was sidelined for most of 2025 with a foot problem and the club won't be rushing the promising young ruck. Mark Blicavs and Jack Martin have both suffered minor ankle issues in recent weeks, but neither injury is serious. Keighton Matofai-Forbes (foot) and Harley Barker (knee) are also on modified programs. - Michael Rogers

On the whole, the Suns are in great shape, with Charlie Ballard's recovery from a ruptured ACL coming along nicely. The key defender took part in match simulation this week, and although he'll miss Opening Round against Geelong, should be available shortly after. Star midfielder Matt Rowell suffered a finger injury in the Origin clash, but he's expected to be fit for the start of the season proper. The biggest concerns are for a couple of draftees, with Beau Addinsall suffering a high-grade hamstring injury and Jai Murray a femoral stress reaction. Both are expected back around four to six weeks into the season. Jy Farrar is dealing with a knee knock, but should only miss a week or two, while Elliott Himmelberg is now nine months into rehab from his ruptured ACL and is hopeful of a mid-season return. - Michael Whiting

The Giants have been hammered by injury early in the year, with no bigger blow than that to star midfielder Tom Green, who went down with an ACL injury at training last Friday. A nightmare weekend continued with news that Toby Bedford will be sidelined by up to six weeks due to a hamstring injury, star defender Sam Taylor picked up a minor hamstring injury in Saturday's Origin clash and Finn Callaghan will also miss a few weeks due to a minor hip flexor issue. Gun small forward Darcy Jones will also miss a significant portion of 2026 after rupturing his ACL in last year's elimination final against Hawthorn; if he does return, it won't be until later in the season. Veteran Josh Kelly is another who will be sidelined for most, if not all, of the year following hip surgery, while Leek Aleer has been dealing with a groin complaint over the pre-season. High-profile recruit Clayton Oliver had a setback with a minor calf strain over summer but is set to feature on managed minutes in a practice match against Collingwood on Friday. Brent Daniels, who was restricted to just six games last season, is eyeing a spot in the Opening Round team in his return from off-season abdominal and groin surgery. - Brandon Cohen

Will Day is the Hawks' biggest casualty - again - after dislocating his shoulder during a pre-season hitout. The star mid underwent surgery and is not expected back on the park until at least round 14. Co-captain James Sicily is working his way back from shoulder and hip problems that dulled his impact in 2025, while Finn Maginness has returned to full training after suffering a lacerated kidney against Port Adelaide in July. Livewire forward Jack Ginnivan broke his finger during last week's match simulation but is expected to be fit for Opening Round. - Brandon Cohen

The Demons' new-look midfield has been hit hard with Jack Viney (Achilles) set to miss most of the first half of the season and Jai Culley (arm) out for a month after a promising summer. Max Gawn has been nursing a finger fracture but played in AAMI AFL Origin on Saturday, while Jake Bowey will miss several months as he recovers from a Lisfranc fracture in his foot. Harry Sharp (hamstring) and draftee Tom Matthews (groin) returned to match sim training last week, while Shane McAdam (Achilles), Jack Henderson (back/sacrum), Tom Campbell (neck) and Andy Moniz-Wakefield (knee) are all in various stages of recovery. Christian Salem has been restricted to running laps in recent sessions but the club reportedly said in late January there were no concerns with his fitness. Father-son tall Kalani White has returned to Queensland to spend time with family as he recovers from a bout of glandular fever. - Michael Rogers

Jackson Archer has been ruled out for the entire 2026 season due to an ACL injury, while young midfielder George Wardlaw suffered a hamstring injury in training earlier this month but is expected to be in the frame for selection in round one. Veteran defender Luke McDonald (wrist) will wear a splint but it also set to be available for the start of the season, while recruit Charlie Spargo is building towards unrestricted training towards the end of the month. Tall duo Aidan Corr and Callum Coleman-Jones have both been battling calf injuries this pre-season, while draftee Blake Thredgold underwent surgery last Tuesday to repair a Lisfranc injury. – Dejan Kalinic

There is a big watch on former No.1 pick Jason Horne-Francis, who underwent foot surgery in November before copping a shoulder knock in early February. The Power confirmed he would play some minutes during pre-season matches, but stopped short of locking him in for the round one clash against North Melbourne. Sam Powell-Pepper underwent a knee arthroscopy in January, but the procedure isn't expected to impact his return-to-play timeline after tearing an ACL last July, while Mitch Georgiades will be assessed after he experienced hamstring awareness late in Saturday's Origin game. Back-up ruck Ivan Soldo has been ruled out for the season after tearing his ACL, while second-year player Tom Cochrane has also been ruled out for two months with a hamstring injury. - Sophie Welsh

Second-year midfielder Josh Smillie (quad) is still building towards a return to full training and won't be sighted in the early rounds of the season, while Judson Clarke (knee) will head to the Aspetar rehab centre in Qatar as he eyes a mid-year return from his ACL rupture. Sam Lalor has had a strong pre-season but is freshening up ahead of round one, with the club indicating he will be fit to face Carlton at the MCG. Nick Vlastuin (ankle fracture) is making good progress in his recovery but is not yet certain for round one, and the same goes for Dion Prestia, who won't play any practice games after straining a hamstring. Tom Sims (foot) is yet to resume running after navicular surgery, while Sam Banks (foot stress) is gradually rejoining match simulation sessions. Veterans Tom Lynch, Nathan Broad and Toby Nankervis are all building towards a planned round one appearance, with an eye on a hitout in the AAMI Community Series against Melbourne. - Michael Rogers

The Saints' biggest injury concern remains key spearhead Max King, who suffered a calf strain last week that will rule him out for two to three weeks. King hasn't played a game since round 16, 2024 having battled recurrent knee concerns, which has included multiple rounds of surgery. King aside, the Saints are boasting a clean bill of health, with big-name recruits Tom De Koning and Jack Silvagni overcoming respective calf and groin issues after arriving at Moorabbin. - Sophie Welsh

The Swans are confident star trio Tom Papley (calf), Callum Mills (hamstring) and Isaac Heeney (hamstring) will be fit for the start of the season, despite their workloads were managed over summer due to minor injuries. Veteran Harry Cunningham and draftee Jevan Phillipou will both miss the opening rounds due to quad injuries, which have ruled them out for 3-5 weeks and 5-7 weeks respectively, while Taylor Adams (Achilles) is also working back from injury. Draftee Max King will miss the first six months of his debut season due to a back issue, while Adams, Joel Amartey and Brodie Grundy also suffered concussions during pre-season training. - Martin Smith

There are several injury concerns for the Eagles from Friday's intraclub match, with Jack Graham and Tom Gross both sent for scans on hamstring issues, while Liam Duggan was assessed for a head knock. Brady Hough (ankle), Bailey Williams (groin), Elijah Hewett (calf) and Tylar Young (shin) are all working their way back from respective injuries and while recruit Brandon Starcevich was ruled out of Origin due to a minor knee issue, he is expected to feature in the practice games starting this week. Draftee Sam Allen is expected to miss the start of the year as he continues to rehab an ACL tear, while Jack Hutchinson is no guarantee to feature in pre-season matches after undergoing ankle surgery in December. - Sophie Welsh

A return date for luckless forward Cody Weightman remains unclear following a complex kneecap injury. The 24-year-old, who has not played since the 2024 elimination final, had surgery this time last year for a rare congenital condition called bipartite patella, before more surgeries to treat an infection in his knee. He ran for the first time in 331 days in January on the AlterG treadmill and is slowly increasing his conditioning. Former No.6 pick Ryley Sanders strained both hamstrings over summer which has limited his pre-season, while Riley Garcia is out for an extended period with his own hamstring injury. James Harmes announced his retirement last week after taking time away from the club for personal reasons. - Brandon Cohen