Melbourne will be without Max Gawn for up to six weeks as the star ruckman recovers from a fractured larynx.
Gawn, a seven-time All-Australian, suffered the injury in a contest at Demons training, with scans later revealing the severity of the injury.
The 32-year-old has been instructed to sit out of training for the next fortnight and can not engage in contact training for an additional four weeks.
Despite the setback, High Performance manager Selwyn Griffith confirmed the club's skipper remains "in good spirits."
"Max sustained a fractured larynx following a hit to the throat during training," he said.
"As part of his recovery, Max won't be able to exercise for the next two weeks, followed by a period of non-contact training for an additional four weeks."
Max Gawn leads the Demons. Getty
Gawn was seen walking laps on Wednesday as the team completed the final days of their pre-Christmas schedule.
In more positive news for the Dees, premiership duo Bayley Fritsch and Christian Salem were confirmed to have returned to full training following their absences due to injury.
Small forward Charlie Spargo, who was restricted to a single game last season, and draftee Xavier Lindsay, are also expected to resume full training in January.
Defender Jake Lever has also been cleared to return to training after undergoing a shoulder surgery, but has yet to engage in contact training.
"[Lever will] still be in a modified environment once we return from Christmas, more so from the shoulder perspective as we build his tolerance to contact training," Griffith said.
"We expect that Jake will be full training by the end of January."
