Serious injuries have come at the worst-possible time for Dale Morris and Leigh Montagna as they consider their AFL futures.
Morris was having surgery on Monday to have a plate inserted in his broken right forearm and similarly the news is worse than expected for Montagna's hamstring injury.
It is unclear for now whether the two veterans will continue beyond this season.
Morris, one of the AFL's bravest players, suffered the injury on Saturday in the win over Gold Coast.
Coach Luke Beveridge said post-match that they are yet to discuss with the 34-year-old defender whether he continues beyond this season.
While Morris is renowned for his resilience, he will probably be out of action for two months.
Even if the reigning premiers make the finals - they are currently 10th - he probably will not be ready in time.
The Bulldogs say the best result for Morris is if he is back in six weeks.
Montagna hurt his hamstring in Friday night's loss to Sydney.
The Saints have big calls to make on whether Montagna and fellow veteran Nick Riewoldt continue beyond this season.
"Certainly he's done a bit of damage to the hamstring," coach Alan Richardson told Fox Footy.
"We're still really hopeful we'll get him back before the home-and-away season (ends), but he certainly gave it a tear.
"It's a little bit more than we would have hoped and Joey would have hoped, but there is still an opportunity for him to be back before the end of the year."
As speculation intensifies about Montagna and Riewoldt, Richardson said that the two much-loved Saints know where they stand in terms of the discussions about their futures.
"The two guys know exactly where it sits, there's still a fair bit of footy to play out," he said.
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