Star North Melbourne forward Nick Larkey will miss the rest of the AFL season due to a recurrence of a knee injury.
Larkey hurt the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) in his right knee during last Sunday's close loss to St Kilda.
The 27-year-old has kicked 41 goals this season and will lead the club's goal-kicking for a fifth-straight season.
"PCLs are difficult injuries to manage," Kangaroos coach Alastair Clarkson said on Friday after confirming Larkey won't feature in the club's remaining three games of 2025.
"When you crunch your knee into the ground like he did in that marking contest, there was only going to be damage.
"We've just got to look after that now and put him in a brace and he'll get himself right for next year.
"I was so disappointed for him and disappointed for us, knowing full well that as soon as he hobbled and couldn't take his kick, I knew what had happened.
"And sort of disappointed in myself a little bit that I didn't let him know before the game that leading at flat-out pace … was going to put him at the most risk."
North will unleash two debutants against GWS in Canberra on Sunday - Geordie Payne and Cooper Trembath.
Both players were mid-season rookie draft selections - Payne last year, while Trembath was taken with pick 10 earlier this season.
The pair become North's sixth and seventh debutants of the campaign, after Finn O'Sullivan, Jacob Konstanty, Matt Whitlock, Finnbar Maley and Zac Banch.
Ruckman Tristan Xerri returns after serving his three-match ban, but Paul Curtis (suspension) misses.
The Giants welcome back skipper Toby Greene from suspension, while Max Gruzewski replaces sore spearhead Jesse Hogan, who is being managed due to an ongoing foot issue.
"He's just got inflammation in that foot that just provides some pain," coach Adam Kingsley said of Hogan, who went scoreless from three disposals in last week's 88-point loss to the Western Bulldogs.
"It's not ideal, but it's what we've got, so we have to deal with it as well as we possibly can.
"If that means we move past him in the short term, then that's the way we'll go.
"We're trying to manage it so he can get close to his best each and every week."
Adelaide welcome back Rory Laird for Sunday's clash with West Coast in Perth, but veteran Taylor Walker has been rested.
Eagles recruit Jack Graham returns after serving his four-match ban for a homophobic slur, while Matt Flynn has been named in the ruck to replace Bailey Williams (omitted).
