MELBOURNE will be without key forward trio Jesse Hogan, Chris Dawes and Mitch Clark for the club's NAB Challenge opener against Richmond on Friday night.
Demons coach Paul Roos said Hogan and Dawes hadn't done enough high-intensity training to warrant selection after spending some time in the club's rehab group over summer.
"Jesse probably hasn't done quite enough. He joined in the intra-club last week and played around 40 minutes, probably not quite enough to play," Roos said on Monday.
"We'd like to give him another week and a bit of training before an intra-club next week, but he'll probably be right for NAB Challenge.
"Dawesy is probably pretty similar, but they'll definitely be right for NAB Challenge two."
Clark - who has endured two injury-riddled season at Melbourne - is a different story, with Roos unsure when his major forward weapon would be ready to return.
"[Mitch's] foot has actually been quite good, but it's just when you're out of footy for so long, you're trying to get the balance right about how much you want to train, and when you need to pull back," Roos said.
"We'll have a bit better idea over the next few weeks when we'll see him."
With Clark, Hogan and Dawes all sidelined, the Demons will be forced to go with a makeshift forward line against the Tigers.
Roos said the onus would fall on high-flyer Jeremy Howe.
"Forward of centre is where we're going to really struggle, because we're not going to have too many talls down there," Roos said.
"Unfortunately, someone who suffers a bit from that, is Jeremy Howe. I'd love to free him up as a half-forward/wingman and get him more involved."
Roos also singled out Cameron Pedersen as potentially filling a forward post, after the former North Melbourne utility impressed in last Friday's intra-club clash.
"We'd probably set him as a defender. But about three or four weeks ago, we changed his mindset to a forward and he's been really good," he said.
Alan Richardson and Paul Roos with NAB Auskickers at the NAB Challenge launch. Picture: AFL Media
