Merrett-Murray Medallist Stefan Martin will have post-season arthroscopic knee surgery to ensure he is ready to start training when the Lions resume in November.
The ruckman underwent the operation in Brisbane today. The expected recovery period is four weeks.
Fellow Merrett-Murray Medallist Dayne Beams is on track is his return from shoulder surgery that has sidelined the 25-year old since August.
The Club Champion dinner on Saturday evening was the first night Beams had taken the sling off his surgically repaired right shoulder.
Beams said the injury was coming along nicely.
“It's still sore. But everything's going to plan”, Beams told reporters that evening.
“Now I've got to have two weeks of it in the sling at day and off at night.”
In further good news, brother Claye Beams, (left knee medial meniscus repaired in June), Michael Close (ACL reconstruction in April), James Aish (finger flexor tendon repair in July) were all training with the recovery group before season’s end and are set to resume with the main group in November.
Rookie forward, Matt Hammelmann, who sustained a left tibial fracture in the Reserves’ loss to the NT Thunder in August is likely to commence full training around Christmas.
19-year old defender Darcy Gardiner, who had a left ankle reconstruction in July and a shoulder reconstruction in August is tracking well and will begin training with the recovery group in the pre-season.