Gold Coast co-captain Touk Miller could miss up to six games with a fractured wrist, in a hammer blow to the Suns' AFL finals hopes.
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Miller was substituted out of Gold Coast's loss to St Kilda at half-time with the injury and will miss four to six weeks.
The 12th-placed Suns (8-8, 32 points) will sorely miss the gun midfielder as they chase a maiden finals berth.
Gold Coast play Port Adelaide (home), GWS (away), Brisbane (home), West Coast (away), Essendon (away), Melbourne (away) and Richmond (away) in a testing home stretch.
The Suns haven't won away from home this season.
"Touk was sent for scans on Monday, which have shown he has sustained a small fracture to his wrist," head physiotherapist Lindsay Bull said.
"We expect Touk to be unavailable in the short term as he allows time for his wrist to heal."
Key forward Sam Day will miss four to six weeks with a plantar fasciia issue, while ruckman and co-captain Jarrod Witts (fractured vertebrae) faces a fitness test.
Port Adelaide trio Esava Ratugolea (hamstring), Ryan Burton (foot) and Josh Sinn (quad) all hope to return.
Key Carlton pair Jacob Weitering (corked quad) and Tom De Koning (rolled ankle) will both need to prove their fitness to face the Western Bulldogs after they were hampered against GWS.
Fremantle skipper Alex Pearce could return from a fractured forearm against Hawthorn.
Young defender Josh Draper (groin) should be fit to face the Hawks, while Brandon Walker (shoulder) will attempt to prove his fitness, but ruckman Sean Darcy will miss the game through concussion.
Hawthorn skipper James Sicily (shoulder) will need to get through this week's training to play, while forward Jack Ginnivan (knee) and young tall Calsher Dear (ribs) are also tests.
Richmond star Dustin Martin (back) will need to pass a fitness test in order to face GWS at the MCG on Sunday, while Dion Prestia (calf), Samson Ryan (ankle) and Jacob Bauer (ribs) will all push to play.
GWS expect to regain Lachie Ash (corked calf).
St Kilda midfielder Marcus Windhager will miss four to six weeks with a hamstring injury.
North Melbourne should regain George Wardlaw from concussion against Sydney, while Zac Fisher (foot) and Miller Bergman (ankle sprain) need to prove their fitness.
Australian Associated Press
