And just like that, the 2025 AFL season looms on the horizon.
While some teams charge forward into the new year at full strength, others are looking to fill gaps in their sides as the pre-season injury toll mounts.
The Sporting News keeps you updated will all the medical news across the competition ahead of another big premiership season.
MORE: The complete 2025 AFL fixture
Read on for all the latest AFL injury news:
Adelaide injury news
| Player | Injury | Estimated return |
| Kieran Strachan | Foot | Doubtful for R1 |
- Ruckman Strachan had foot surgery but is expected to be back running before the end of pre-season, although he remains doubtful for round one.
Brisbane injury news
| Player | Injury | Estimated return |
| Levi Ashcroft | Shoulder | Pre-season |
| Shadeau Brain | Shoulder | Pre-season |
| Keidean Coleman | ACL | TBC |
| Tom Doedee | ACL | Early-mid season |
| Darcy Gardiner | ACL | Early season |
| Eric Hipwood | Groind | Pre-season |
| Luke Lloyd | Back | Early season |
| Lincoln McCarthy | ACL | Early season |
| Oscar McInerney | Shoulder | Pre-season |
| Hugh McCluggage | Ankle | Pre-season |
| Henry Smith | Shoulder | Pre-season |
| Brandon Starcevich | Quad | Pre-season |
- Several Lions with interrupted pre-seasons, but most expected to be get some practice match action in
- Doedee and Coleman the main concerns as they continue their recoveries from ACL injuries
Carlton injury news
| Player | Injury | Estimated return |
| Alex Cincotta | Hip | Mid-season |
| Charlie Curnow | Knee | Pre-season |
| Nic Newman | Patella | 2026 |
| Sam Walsh | Hamstring | Pre-season |
- The Blues are confident both Curnow and Walsh will feature in at least one practice match
- Newman's season was over before it begun, while Walsh should get some practice matches under his belt
Collingwood injury news
| Player | Injury | Estimated return |
| Nick Daicos | Foot | Pre-season |
| Jordan De Goey | Knee | Doubtful for OR |
| Harry DeMattia | Concussion | TBC |
| Harvey Harrison | ACL | Mid-season |
| Dan Houston | Suspension | Round 1 |
| Tom Mitchell | Foot | TBC |
- Brownlow winner Mitchell is dealing with a bone-stress injury and could be worked back slowly
- De Goey is no guarantee for Opening Round
- Daicos says he will be right to go but has ongoing foot issue
Essendon injury news
| Player | Injury | Estimated return |
| Jye Caldwell | Hip | Pre-season |
| Nik Cox | Concussion | Pre-season |
| Alwyn Davey | Meniscus | Doubtful for OR |
| Archer Day-Wicks | Toe | TBC |
| Sam Durham | Soreness | Pre-season |
| Matt Guelfi | Hamstring | Early-mid season |
| Zak Johnson | Shoulder | TBC |
| Harry Jones | Ankle | Pre-season |
| Ben McKay | Ankle | Pre-season |
| Jayden Nguyen | Meniscus | TBC |
| Darcy Parish | Back | Doubtful for OR |
| Jordan Ridley | Hamstring | Pre-season |
- Guelfi will go in for surgery on a hamstring issue and miss the opening few rounds
- Parish is in doubt for the season opener with a troublesome back injury
- Durham has been ruled out of an unofficial practice match
- Of the rest of the Bombers' injured brigade, only Davey, Day-Wicks, Johnson and Nguyen look in danger of being unavailable for opening round at this stage
Fremantle injury news
| Player | Injury | Estimated return |
| Sean Darcy | Ankle | Early season |
| Nat Fyfe | Knee | Pre-season |
| Odin Jones | Back | 2026 |
| Alex Pearce | Ankle | Pre-season |
| Michael Walters | Knee | Pre-season |
- Darcy is headed in for surgery to remove a screw in his ankle and will miss the opening rounds
- Fyfe and Walters had minor knee surgery but should be in the frame for practice matches
- Pearce will miss the Indigenous All Stars game with a minor ankle issue
- Jones needed spinal surgery after fracturing a vertebrae and will miss the 2025 season
Geelong injury news
| Player | Injury | Estimated return |
| Bailey Smith | ACL | Pre-season |
- A pretty clean bill of health for the Cats, who should welcome new recruit Smith to the side for the start of the season
Gold Coast injury news
| Player | Injury | Estimated return |
| Dan Rioli | MCL | Pre-season |
| Jed Walter | Suspension | Round 1 |
- Rioli should feature in practice matches as he continues to progress well following knee surgery
GWS injury news
| Player | Injury | Estimated return |
| Josh Fahey | Suspension | Round 5 |
| Joe Fonti | Suspension | Round 3 |
| Toby McMullin | Suspension | Round 3 |
| Jake Riccardi | Suspension | Round 3 |
| Harvey Thomas | Suspension | Round 3 |
- The fallout from the Giants' end-of-season celebrations means five players will be unavailable for the start of the new campaign
Hawthorn injury news
| Player | Injury | Estimated return |
| James Blanck | ACL | TBC |
| Calsher Dear | Back | Early season |
| Mitch Lewis | ACL | TBC |
- Blanck and Lewis remain on the comeback trails from ACL injuries
- Dear had a bone-stress injury and his return will be managed cautiously
Melbourne injury news
| Player | Injury | Estimated return |
| Kade Chandler | Shoulder | Pre-season |
| Tom Fullarton | Hamstring | Pre-season |
| Luke Kentfield | Pneumonia | TBC |
| Judd McVee | Hamstring | TBC |
| Jake Melksham | Hamstring | Pre-early season |
| Christian Petracca | Rib | Pre-season |
| Kysaiah Pickett | Suspension | Round 4 |
| Charlie Spargo | Achilles | Pre-season |
| Koltyn Tholstrup | Bone stress | Early-mid season |
| Jack Viney | Rib | Pre-season |
| Caleb Windsor | Foot | Pre-season |
- The Demons have several players working back following pre-season niggles, with Tholstrup the most concerning, ruling him out for the start of the season
North Melbourne injury news
| Player | Injury | Estimated return |
| Callum Coleman-Jones | Achilles | Mid season |
| Aidan Corr | Finger | Pre-season |
| Wil Dawson | Shoulder | Pre-season |
| Brayden George | ACL | Mid season |
| Josh Goater | Achilles | Pre-season |
| George Wardlaw | Hamstring | Early-mid season |
- Coleman-Jones and George won't be ready for the early part of the season
- Wardlaw picked up a nasty hamstring injury that will keep him out for up to three months
Port Adelaide injury news
| Player | Injury | Estimated return |
| Willem Drew | Foot | Pre-season |
| Todd Marshall | Achilles | Late season/2026 |
| Sam Powell-Pepper | ACL | Doubtful for R1 |
| Esava Ratugolea | Knee | TBC |
| Brandon Zerk-Thatcher | Back | TBC |
- Marshall is a doubt to play at all on 2025 after rupturing his Achilles
- Powell-Pepper continues his recovery from ACL surgery
- Zerk-Thatcher is expected to miss the start of the season
- Ratugolea has been sidelined with a meniscus issue
Richmond injury news
| Player | Injury | Estimated return |
| Jasper Alger | Knee | Pre-season |
| Noah Balta | Suspension | Round 5 |
| Judson Clarke | ACL | Early season |
| Josh Gibcus | ACL | Mid season |
| Mykelti Lefau | ACL | Early season |
| Josh Smillie | Hamstring | Pre-season |
| Tylar Young | ACL | Early season |
- The Tigers have a host of players on the comeback trail from ACL injuries, with Clarke the closest to a return
St Kilda injury news
| Player | Injury | Estimated return |
| Hunter Clark | Groin | Pre-season |
| Paddy Dow | Knee | TBC |
| Liam Henry | Knee | Early season |
| Dougal Howard | Shoulder | Mid season |
| Max King | Knee | Round 1 |
| Rowan Marshall | Pelvis | Round 1 |
| Mattaes Phillipou | Femur | Mid season |
| Jack Sinclair | Hamstring | Round 1 |
| Alix Tauru | Back | Early-mid season |
| Mason Wood | Quad | Round 1 |
- A crowded treatment room at Moorabbin has swelled with King, Sinclair and Wood suffering injuries in the pre-season. However, the trio have been cleared of long-term layoffs and will be ready for round one
- Clark is expected to return for the pre-season
- Howard requires surgery on a shoulder injury and will be sidelined for three months, while Phillipou will also return mid-season
Sydney injury news
| Player | Injury | Estimated return |
| Jack Buller | Shoulder | Pre/early season |
| Jesse Dattoli | Back | Early-mid season |
| Will Edwards | Leg | Pre-season |
| Hayden McLean | Groin | Pre-season |
| Logan McDonald | Ankle | TBC |
- McDonald's recovery from an ankle injury has been slower than expected and he's no guarantee to be ready for the Swans' season opener
- Fellow forwards Buller and McLean have had interrupted pre-seasons
West Coast injury news
| Player | Injury | Estimated return |
| Rhett Bazzo | Foot | Doubtful for R1 |
| Dom Sheed | ACL | 2026 |
| Elliot Yeo | MCL/Ankle | Early season |
- Sheed's season is over following a ruptured ACL at training
- Yeo looks set to miss the start of the year after picking up an injury during match simulation
Western Bulldogs injury news
| Player | Injury | Estimated return |
| Tim English | Abdominal | TBC |
| Jason Johannisen | Hamstring | Early-mid season |
| Liam Jones | Hamstring | Early season |
| Aaron Naughton | Calf | TBC |
| Anthony Scott | Patella | Doubtful for R1 |
| Adam Treloar | Calf | Early season |
| Jamarra Ugle-Hagan | Person | TBC |
- English picked up a knock in pre-season and will be managed
- Question marks remain over Naughton, Scott and Ugle-Hagan's pre-season availability
- Treloar is expected to miss the opening weeks of the season after struggling with a calf issue
- Johannisen required surgery on a hamstring issue and will miss the start of the season
- Jones will miss at least two months with a high-grade hamstring strain