The Brisbane Lions will be without former captain Dayne Zorko for the Round 1 clash with Port Adelaide.

Zorko, 34, is continuing to recover from a hamstring injury he suffered in the pre-season, with the club confirming on Tuesday he would not get up in time for the clash with the Power.

“Dayne is training really well and has made significant progress, but we need to ensure he has the opportunity to get more training volume under his belt,” club fitness boss Damien Austin said.

“The priority is to have him not only 100% ready to play but 100% ready to continue to play once his season gets underway.”

Brisbane also confirmed Callum Ah Chee and Darcy Gardiner would not be available for selection, with quad and ankle concerns respectively.

Essendon forward Jake Stringer won’t play in Round 1 against Hawthorn, the club has confirmed.

Stringer has been working his way back from a hamstring strain and had completed a two-week block of running and kicking, but the club said on Monday it would not give the green light to the 28-year-old until he was “fully ready to go”.

“He participated in a strong session on Saturday, and we want to make sure he has block of full training with the main group before he is available for selection,” fitness boss Daniel McPherson said.

“It’s a long season ahead and we want to ensure Jake is fully ready to go when he returns to play, so we won’t be rushing him back.”

Former captain Dyson Heppell is progressing well in his return from a foot sprain, with the club saying it will assess his availability this week.

Jye Caldwell is another who will be assessed this week after an ankle sprain during the practice match against St Kilda.

Youngster Ben Hobbs has been listed with Caldwell and Heppell as a test for this week.

St Kilda has confirmed it will be without key forward Tim Membrey for Round 1, as its list of missing players for the season-opener grows.

Membrey had been aiming to return from a knee injury in time for Sunday’s game against Fremantle, but was ruled out on Monday, adding to a list of injuries in the forward line, headed by Max King.

The Saints also said Seb Ross was unlikely to be ready for Round 1 as he continues to manage a calf complaint.

Nick Coffield has also suffered an injury setback, with the 23-year-old having injured his calf at training late last week.

The Saints have listed Coffield’s recovery time frame at four-to-six weeks.

“Obviously, this is not an ideal situation to have Nick join the injury list, particularly after the difficult year he has had,” acting football boss David Misson said.

“In the case of Tim and Seb, we need to think longer term and make sure we’re not rushing them unnecessarily.”

Making matters worse for Ross Lyon’s side, utility Jack Hayes’ recovery from his foot injury is progressing “slower than expected” according to the club, with a return date “now likely to be closer to the bye.”

In better news, Leo Connolly has returned to full training after a knee injury hampered much of his pre-season, while Marcus Windhager and Max Heath have the opportunity to prove their fitness at training this week.