BILLY Stretch has been ruled out for the rest of the season.

Elite performance manager Dave Misson said Stretch, who missed last Saturday’s win over the Western Bulldogs at the MCG, due a toe injury, would play no further part in Melbourne’s 2018 campaign. Stretch suffered his setback in his return to the side against Fremantle at TIO Stadium in round 16.

It was a disappointing blow for Stretch, whose second match this season was most impressive, with 24 disposals. But Misson said it was a tricky injury to heal and Stretch needed the rest of the season to overcome the injury.    

As announced earlier on Wednesday, dasher Michael Hibberd will miss the clash against Geelong at GMHBA Stadium on Saturday night due to a quadriceps injury.

Fellow defender Neville Jetta will face a fitness test after hurting his glute against the Bulldogs. But Misson was confident the courageous Jetta would play against the Cats.  

High-flyer Joel Smith is set to be available, after missing round 17 with a hip injury.

Speedster Jayden Hunt (ankle) and youngster Dion Johnstone (quadriceps) are still a couple of weeks away, and first-year Demon Harley Balic (illness) will return for Casey this week.

Backman Jake Lever (knee) and midfielder Corey Maynard (hip) remain sidelined for the rest of the season.

Misson’s injury assessments

Harley Balic (illness) – available

“Harley got pretty crook towards the end of last week, so he missed the VFL game, but he did a training session yesterday (Monday) and he should be right to go.”

Michael Hibberd (quadriceps) – TBC

“It was really unfortunate. He actually got through all of the training session and finished the last drill and as most players do, he did some extras at the end of training and he had a kick on his left and he felt a bit of a twinge in his right quad. So, he’ll definitely miss this weekend and he’ll get some scans and assess the severity of that, and then also when his return to play will be, so it’s really back luck for Michael.”

Jayden Hunt (ankle) – 2 weeks

“Jayden’s going really well in rehab. He’s really tapping back into his speed. He’ll be a little bit short for the VFL this week, and then the VFL has a bye the next week, so he’ll be ready for after the bye.”

Neville Jetta (glute) – test

“Nev sat out most of the last quarter [against the Western Bulldogs], after he tightened up in his glute. Because we had a reasonable lead by then, we didn’t want to take a risk. He’s pulled up really well. He’s had a run today (Tuesday) and he’ll do a little bit of training tomorrow, so we fully expect him to be right.”

Dion Johnstone (quadriceps) – 2 weeks

“He’s doing some really good rehab and he’ll be ready to go in the VFL after the bye.”

Jake Lever (knee) – season

“Jake is starting to do a bit more work in the gym. In a couple of weeks, he’s heading off for a bit of a break, which he’s looking forward to – just to break the initial monotony of rehab. He’s ticking every box.”

Corey Maynard (hip) – season

“Corey is starting to do a bit more work in the gym and he’s getting around a fair bit easier now.”

Joel Smith (hip) – available

“Joel hurt that hip in the game against Freo up in Darwin. He played the rest of the game and was pretty good [running] in straight lines, but it was more [about his] agility, and twisting and turning [that forced him to miss round 17]. We could’ve pushed him to maybe get up for the Bulldogs game, but we’re conscious that he’s someone we really want – [because he’s] explosive and dynamic – for the backend of the year. We sat him out, but he’s done some really good sessions over the weekend and yesterday. He’ll train with the group tomorrow (Wednesday) and be available to play.”

Billy Stretch (toe) – season

“Unfortunately, Billy, with that fifth toe, can be tricky to heal. So, Billy is going to be on crutches for a couple of weeks. He’ll be in a boot for four weeks, so that essentially rules him out for the year, even if the turnaround is really good and it heals in that six-week period. He’s still going to need another six weeks to reload and get ready to play. We don’t really want to rush him back, because they can be tricky injuries and hang around for a long time. We want to get him right for pre-season next year.”

Jack Viney (toe) – 4 weeks

“For us, it’s about hoping that his symptoms settle over the next couple of weeks and then we’ll go from there. It’s about waiting for those symptoms to settle and him ticking off a couple of markers and then we’ll take the next step. So, we’ll just see how it goes.”

Melbourne injury list: round 18

Harley Balic (illness) – available

Michael Hibberd (quadriceps) – TBC

Jayden Hunt (ankle) – 2 weeks

Neville Jetta (glute) – test

Dion Johnstone (quadriceps) – 2 weeks

Jake Lever (knee) – season

Corey Maynard (hip) – season

Joel Smith (hip) – available

Billy Stretch (toe) – season

Jack Viney (toe) – 4 weeks