MELBOURNE draftee Jackie Parry won’t be available for selection this weekend after suffering a hamstring injury on the eve of the AFLW season.
The 23-year-old was the Dees’ top pick in the 2019 AFL Women’s Draft, but after a strong pre-season, she will be forced to wait to make her senior debut.
Parry joins Lily Mithen (ankle), Lauren Pearce (knee), Shae Sloane (knee) and Katherine Smith (knee) on the sidelines, and is expected to miss the next four weeks of footy.
The Demons hope to see Mithen and Pearce to return against Collingwood in Round 4, which would provide a major boost for their midfield.
With injuries beginning to mount, the AFLW has allowed clubs to invite ‘top-up’ players down to training for the entirety of the season, in case a side is unable to fill a 23-player squad.
PERKINS, BENTLEY INVITED TO TRAIN WITH DEES
The Dees will announce their Round 1 side at 6pm on Thursday night, before taking on North Melbourne at Casey Fields this Saturday afternoon.
