Richmond midfielder Nathan Foley will miss the start of the AFL season after undergoing foot surgery.
Foley, 29, recently reported soreness on the bottom of his foot and will be sidelined for around six weeks after having an operation to rectify the problem.
"Axel had a bit of an issue with his plantar fascia ... so he needed a small release done to help alleviate that," physical performance manager Peter Burge told the club's website.
"We're thinking somewhere around the six-week mark (for his return), but we'll see how he goes.
"Knowing Axel, he's a super-positive athlete, so I'm sure his recovery will be quicker than most."
The news is better for Trent Cotchin and Brett Deledio, who have had their pre-season workloads carefully monitored, but will soon see action in the NAB Challenge.
"Trent's on a managed program, he's doing a lot of conditioning and he hasn't missed anything," he said.
"It's really just a management program to make sure that he's right for round one.
"Hopefully we'll see him in the next two weeks in the NAB series."
Burge said that Deledio is available to play in Saturday's match against Port Adelaide in Albury.
Corey Ellis, the club's top pick at last year's draft, has rejoined full training after a long recovery from a foot stress fracture, but defender Matt Dea will miss two-to-four weeks with a hamstring strain.
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