Jordan Lewis is the latest 30-plus AFL veteran nursing a soft-tissue injury ahead of round one.
As Gary Ablett recovers from his hamstring injury and Jarrad McVeigh struggles to avoid the dubious distinction of missing the start of the season for the fourth-straight year, Lewis is also out of action.
But unlike McVeigh, at this stage there are no concerns that Lewis and Ablett will be unavailable for their season openers.
Lewis, 31, suffered sport's "old man's disease" on Saturday when Melbourne had their first pre-season match against North Melbourne in Hobart.
He pulled up with calf tightness in the first term and the Demons said scans had shown a minor strain.
"He's done a full pre-season, has got a lot of confidence in his legs and he's an experienced player," Melbourne football boss Josh Mahoney told the club website.
Sydney are not so optimistic about McVeigh, 32, who is battling to be ready for their round-one clash with West Coast on March 25 at the new Optus Stadium.
McVeigh has not played in round one since 2014. Last season, he was out of action until round seven with a calf injury.
Coach John Longmire is also unsure about midfielder Dan Hannebery, who has had off-season groin and calf problems.
"You'd expect Hannebery and McVeigh would have question marks over them for that round one but we'll see how the next few weeks go," Longmire said.
But veteran defender Heath Grundy, who also has had a calf issue, could return for their second pre-season game.
Cats coach Chris Scott has no concerns about Ablett, 33, who has a hamstring strain after feeling tightness last week at training.
Ablett might play in their second pre-season game but, at this stage, will feature in round one.
"These days, the scans are very sensitive - it showed something very minor," Scott said.
"We're confident it's minor; we're confident he'll play really soon.
"He's had a really good preparation."
