The Western Bulldogs could be without two of their major off-season additions against St Kilda after Rory Lobb underwent ankle surgery on Monday.
Lobb will miss the Saints clash on Saturday and key defender Liam Jones is racing the clock to be fit after his neck injury in their 50-point loss to Melbourne.
The Bulldogs say Lobb's surgery was a "small procedure" addressing pain he has had in the ankle for a number of years.
"To minimise risk of him having recurrent issues, we have decided to be proactive and wash the loose bodies out with an ankle arthroscopy this afternoon," Bulldogs sports medicine boss Chris Bell said.
"We will determine Rory's return to play plan following the procedure, but don't expect it to keep him out for too long."
Bell said post-game scans confirmed Jones had no serious structural damage to his neck, with his weekend return a question of pain management.
"We are working overtime to get him back on track and will determine his availability as the week progresses," he said.
Meanwhile, veteran North Melbourne ruckman Todd Goldstein is in line for a recall to the senior side with fellow big Tristan Xerri heading for ankle surgery on Tuesday.
Xerri developed a syndesmosis problem in their win against West Coast on Saturday, with the club to set a timeline on his rehabilitation after the surgery.
Goldstein was overlooked in round one for 24-year-old Xerri as coach Alistair Clarkson took a future lens to selection, declaring the emerging talent could serve the club for a decade.
Goldstein, who signed a one-year contract with the Roos last September, is five appearances away from joining the AFL's 300-game club.
Earlier, Geelong officially ruled star defender Tom Stewart out of their clash with Carlton, but said he's only facing a short stint on the sidelines after avoiding a serious knee injury.
Stewart had to be substituted out of Friday night's loss to Collingwood at the MCG after injuring his right knee, with scans confirming he suffered a grade two medial collateral ligament (MCL) injury.
The Cats expected Stewart to only be sidelined for a short time.
"While disappointing Tom sustained an injury in last Friday night's game, following scans it was pleasing news the injury is not severe enough to keep sidelined long term," Geelong football boss Simon Lloyd told the club's website.
Defender Sam De Koning won't need to join Stewart on the sidelines and is due to take on older brother and Carlton ruck-forward Tom in Thursday night's match at the MCG.
The young gun left the field during the second quarter to have his knee assessed but returned to the field after half-time and played out the game.
When Stewart and De Koning were injured, they appeared to have trouble with their footing on the MCG playing surface, which was re-laid after the Ed Sheeran concerts earlier this month.