Gold Coast coach Rodney Eade is adamant AFL star Gary Ablett does not need more surgery and predicts he will return within five weeks.
But Eade concedes there is no definite indication when the Suns captain will be back playing.
Uncertainty surrounds Ablett's playing future, with the league's best player forced out because of ongoing problems with his left shoulder.
Gold Coast announced on Tuesday that their inspirational captain is back on the sidelines just two games after making his return from the injury which ended his 2014 campaign in July.
Visibly hampered during the losses to Melbourne and St Kilda, Ablett will not feature against his old club Geelong on Sunday.
Two days after admitting his shoulder was not 100 per cent and that sustaining knocks on it was "not ideal", the 30-year-old was stood down with no timeframe put on his return.
Suns football manager Marcus Ashcroft said while Ablett's shoulder was structurally sound, the dual Brownlow Medallist did not have a full range of motion in the joint.
Asked if there was a chance that Ablett would need more surgery, Eade told AFL 360: "no, none at all, because structurally it's fine - it's just some inflammation."
Eade also said: "it could be two or three weeks, it could be four - it might be five 'max', I would think.
"But there's no definitive time line.
"It's a little bit aggravated, a little bit angry at the moment, obviously the knocks that he's taken."
Eade insisted that structurally, Ablett's troublesome shoulder is "very sound".
"If he continues on, he'll still be able to play, but he wouldn't be able to continue his strength work," Eade said.
"So it's best to get that right."
This new setback raises the issue of whether Ablett can regain his top playing form.
Eade also addressed talk of Ablett's reluctance to have standard medication, such as painkillers and anti-anti-inflammatories.
"That's been blown a bit out of proportion," he said.
"He's very particular in his rehab and his preparation - he's not a great believer in medications.
"He's not totally against them, but there has to be a discussion with medical staff (about) the benefits of it.
"He's certainly very thorough in his investigation."
Eade also dismissed speculation of a disconnect between Ablett and the Suns.
"There's none that I know of ... nothing like that has been said at all," he said.
Regardless of how long Ablett is out of action, it is a bitter blow to Eade and the Suns.
They have started the season with disappointing losses to Melbourne and St Kilda.
Gold Coast will face the Cats without their two most dominant midfielders - 2013 Rising Star Jaeger O'Meara is already sidelined for the season due to a knee ligament injury.
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