Melbourne captain Kate Hore says the Demons will do everything they can to support Liv Purcell as the premiership midfielder remains in Adelaide recovering from facial fractures.
The 23-year-old was taken to hospital after a nasty knock during the Demons' pre-season game against Port Adelaide on Sunday.
Purcell will be sidelined for an indefinite period as she recovers from the facial injuries, and a concussion.
"She copped a whack to the face, and unfortunately, has a few fractures in her cheekbones, so she's still over in Adelaide at the moment, just waiting for that swelling to go down," Hore told AAP on Tuesday.
"She'll have surgery over there and it'll be a bit of a recovery process for her.
"But she's in good hands and she's in good spirits, too.
"We'll get around her, and I'm sure she'll support the group where she can in the first couple rounds of the season."
After winning the premiership in the second season of 2022, Melbourne bowed out of last year's finals in straight-sets.
The Demons lost important players Libby Birch (North Melbourne), Maddi Gay (Essendon), Casey Sherriff and Eliza West (both Hawthorn) during the off-season.
Melbourne could also be missing star forward Tayla Harris for their opening-round clash with Geelong at GMHBA Stadium as she deals with a quad strain.
Harris was granted leave to attend the Paris Olympics just three weeks before the Demons' match against the Cats.
None of the 18 captains have predicted Melbourne to make the grand final, with the Brisbane Lions, North Melbourne, and Geelong, favoured over the Demons.
"A fair few changes (during the off-season), which I think has been a really healthy thing for our program," Hore said.
"I'm super confident, and have great belief in our group.
"Those core players of our group have stuck together, and the talent that we've brought in is hopefully only going to add to our program."
