THE LATEST on Dion Prestia, Joe Daniher, Sean Darcy, Paddy McCartin and more.

Check out your club's injury updates after round seven.

Early prognosis

Stand-in captain Smith and young forward McHenry will both be unavailable for round eight after entering concussion protocols. McPherson didn’t play in the SANFL on the weekend as he bids to return from a hamstring issue, meaning he's unlikely to come into senior considerations. Thilthorpe also was absent from the SANFL side having entered health and safety protocols, so he'll be in contention to return at the lower level pending a knee issue sustained prior to that. - Ben Somerford

Early prognosis

Scan results for Daniher have come back positive with the key forward not requiring surgery on his injured shoulder. Prior avoided serious injury against the Swans and should be available to face West Coast after suffering a corked knee. - Michael Whiting

Early prognosis

The Blues will be without McGovern for a further three months after he reaggravated a hamstring injury. But the side could regain Hewett and Williams from minor knocks this weekend. Stocker will miss the next fortnight. - Riley Beveridge

Early prognosis

Collingwood experienced a week of injury carnage, losing Brodie Grundy and Nathan Kreuger to long-term injuries on Anzac Day, before dealing with a wave of gastro sweeping through the club. Key defender Jordan Roughead has been in non-contact training but is still a few weeks away after undergoing finger surgery last month, while Charlie Dean isn’t expected to return for at least six weeks due to an ongoing foot issue. Tom Wilson hurt his back in the VFL last Monday and will be assessed. Nathan Murphy is available for selection after recovering from pre-season ankle surgery. Jamie Elliott is on track for an earlier than first thought return from shoulder surgery.  - Josh Gabelich

Early prognosis

Stringer will miss a month with another hamstring strain, while Cox had to be substituted out of the loss to the Bulldogs with an ankle issue. All Bombers fans are keen to see Jones back but he was kept out of the VFL last week as they take a cautious approach with his ankle injury. The same applied for Wanganeen, who didn't play at VFL level last week. - Cal Twomey

Early prognosis

Heath Chapman and Hayden Young will be available again after missing two games in health and safety protocols, but Acres, Colyer and Lobb have all entered those protocols following the Geelong game, so will miss Friday's match against North Melbourne. Fremantle is confident Darcy will return to face the Kangaroos after concussion. Taberner will be out for several more weeks due to a hamstring injury, while Fyfe is starting to make good progress in his recovery from back surgery. – Ben Somerford

Early prognosis

Holmes underwent ankle surgery on Monday after suffering a syndesmosis injury against Fremantle and will spend some time on the sidelines. Patrick Dangerfield is expected to return against Greater Western Sydney on Saturday after missing the past fortnight due to a corked calf. The Brownlow medallist trained on Monday and is on track to head north. Henry remains a day-to-day proposition after injuring his foot on Easter Monday. The young defender has found some improvement, but his return remains unclear at this stage. Menegola and Stanley will be tested later in the week. Stanley hurt his ankle late against the Dockers, while Menegola has been experiencing some knee soreness. - Josh Gabelich

Early prognosis

Powell has made good progress from the hamstring injury he suffered against Brisbane and only needs to get through main training on Wednesday to put his hand up for selection. Budarick has bounced back quicker than expected after his setback against Collingwood and will also need to prove his fitness at the main session. - Michael Whiting

Early prognosis

Good news for the Giants with their lengthy injury list finally dwindling and no new names appearing. Conor Stone returned through the VFL at the weekend, as did Zach Sproule. Daniels is also closing in on a return. - Michael Whiting

Early prognosis

Jiath and Lewis have been ruled out of Saturday night's clash against Essendon after missing the past fortnight with hamstring strains. Conor Nash remains in the hunt to play after scans ruled out a quad strain against Melbourne. There is still no return date for young ruckman Reeves, who dislocated his shoulder on Easter Monday. The club is still waiting to see if he can regain a full range of motion and strength in his shoulder. Phillips will be sidelined for the next two months after undergoing ankle surgery following an incident at training. - Josh Gabelich

Early prognosis

The Demons will regain a host of players – including Luke Jackson, Alex Neal-Bullen, Harrison Petty, Kysaiah Pickett and Tom Sparrow, as well as coach Simon Goodwin – from the AFL's health and safety protocols. Hibberd has had a minor setback to his calf injury and will miss more time, while Smith will undergo surgery to fix an ankle problem and will be sidelined for at least two months. - Riley Beveridge

Early prognosis

The Kangaroos should regain Corr from a non-COVID illness, but will lose young trio Bergman, Ford and Goater for the next period. Larkey is suspended, but Jed Anderson returned from a hamstring injury through the VFL last week. - Riley Beveridge

Early prognosis

Gun forward Dixon has made rapid progress, joining in competitive training drills last week and is set to play in the SANFL as he builds up for an AFL return in the near future. Fellow key forward Georgiades is in doubt for round eight after calf tightness in the win over St Kilda, while Bergman has missed the past two games due to a virus and is expected to miss a few more. Fantasia is also getting closer to a return as he increases his training loads. – Ben Somerford

Early prognosis

Richmond's injury room is set to be a lot freer this week, with a host of players – including possibly Martin – available for selection. Given Prestia's lengthy injury history, the club is likely to be cautious with the important midfielder, especially as he has been unable to come into the club due to illness. Richmond's VFL side had a bye last weekend, giving the likes of Dow, Cumberland and Brown an extra week to recover. Ryan has minor Achilles tendonitis. – Sarah Black

Early prognosis

St Kilda returned from far north Queensland with a clean bill of health and is expecting ruckman Marshall to return against Melbourne on Sunday, after missing the clash against Port Adelaide due to a corked quad. Bytel sent a scare through the Sandringham camp on Sunday when he hobbled off with a knee injury late in the third quarter, but the club has cleared him of structural damage. Clark is expected to return in the VFL this weekend after undergoing shoulder surgery following a collision with Darcy Parish in the AAMI Community Series. Jack Billings made a successful return from hamstring issues on the VFL on Sunday. - Josh Gabelich

Early prognosis

McCartin and McDonald need to only pass their final concussion tests to be available, while Hickey has progressed much quicker than first thought and needs to get through Thursday's main training to put his name up for selection to face Gold Coast. Cunningham is still in doubt and will be tested later in the week. - Michael Whiting

Early prognosis

Nelson and Witherden are the latest Eagles to enter health and safety protocols with fears of a few more. Yeo will miss another game due to concussion, while Barrass seems likely to return after a minor hamstring issue forced him to be a late withdrawal in round seven. Rioli will spend some time on the sidelines after a hamstring strain suffered against Richmond, while O'Neill will see a specialist after picking up a knee issue in the same game. Ruckman Williams has been ruled out too, leaving the Eagles short in the ruck department.  – Ben Somerford

Early prognosis

Wallis was substituted out of the Bulldogs win over Essendon with a foot issue that will be assessed this week. English and Keath will be assessed this week as they get back from their hamstring injuries. Darcy is continuing to build up his load and is likely to be seen about mid-season at VFL level. - Cal Twomey

*Placed on the club's long-term injury list