Dustin Martin will not play for Richmond in Round Three in a major selection headache for coaches, while Jack Steven looks unlikely to get his Geelong debut again.

DUSTY SHOCK
Popular midfield-forward Dustin Martin (AF $728k, SC $542k – MID/FWD) has created a dilemma for huge numbers of coaches as he’ll miss Thursday’s Round Three match with Hawthorn due to bruised ribs.

And Richmond haven’t promised he’ll be available for Round Four either, providing an ambiguous update on the club website upon the team release, where Josh Caddy and Jack Ross came in for Martin and Liam Baker (personal reasons).

“After experiencing soreness following last week’s match, Martin has minor bruising to the ribs, and will not play,” the statement read. “The Club will assess his availability for Round Four next week.”

Upon the news, 60% of AFL Fantasy coaches and approximately 67% of SuperCoach coaches owned Martin.

CONSERVATIVE CATS
Jack Steven (AF $653k, SC $361k – MID/FWD) looks likely to miss out for the Cats against Carlton, with coach Chris Scott indicating he’ll play in the side’s practice game.

Steven, who was popular with coaches, is still building up his match fitness after a stabbing incident.

“More than likely he’ll play the practice game against Carlton,” Scott said. “It’s a conservative call but it’s an opportunity for him to get some match practice. I suspect we’ll take that.”

Scott added it’s unlikely the Cats will make any selection changes following their big win over Hawthorn, meaning Jake Kolodjashnij will need to play in the practice game.

He also clarified Gary Rohan was fine after an injury scare against the Hawks.

HAWK CONFIRMED
Jaeger O’Meara (AF $740k, SC $491k – MID) has officially been locked in for Round Three against Richmond after a facial fracture, replacing Harry Morrison.

“He’ll train this morning,” Clarkson said in the morning. “We rely on the advice of the surgeon … but we need the final tick-off.”

It’ll be interesting to assess O’Meara’s impact on popular pick Tom Mitchell’s (AF $677k, SC $619k – MID) scoring ability.

OTHERS
Essendon coach John Worsfold said forward Orazio Fantasia is “very close” to returning from a hamstring injury but needs to get through their main training session on Friday. He said he’s “tracking well”.

Worsfold said Conor McKenna may come into calculations after a two-week quarantine following his delayed return from Ireland.

Dogs coach Luke Beveridge wouldn’t be drawn on selection much, but he did say midfielder Tom Liberatore is up for consideration as he re-builds his fitness.

Eagles winger Andrew Gaff flagged either Will Schofield and Josh Rotham as options to take the suspended Jeremy McGovern’s spot this weekend.

TOMORROW
We’ve got a big day with several coaches speaking to the media, including Adelaide’s Matthew Nicks, Gold Coast’s Stuart Dew, Sydney’s John Longmire, Carlton’s David Teague, Melbourne’s Simon Goodwin and Collingwood’s Nathan Buckley.