From the Tigers' grand final side, Daniel Rioli (ankle) and Nathan Broad (club suspension) are definitely out, while Dion Prestia (hamstring) and Bachar Houli (calf) will need to overcome disrupted pre-seasons to play.

"Dion had his ankle surgery pre-Christmas, resumed training with the group in January and then just had a little minor hamstring injury just before the (pre-season) series," Tigers performance manager Peter Burge told the club's website.

"So he's back training with the group now and we're just yet to determine whether he's ready to go next week or not.

"Bachar had been training well. He just pulled up a little bit sore after the game against Essendon in Wangaratta.

"But he was back with the group (last week) doing footy training and like Dion we're just going to determine over the next couple of days his availability for next week, but it's looking really positive."

Richmond will open the 2018 AFL season when they unfurl their premiership flag before their clash with Carlton at the MCG on Thursday night.

Several clubs are racing the clock to have stars ready to play in round one, but few have been hit as hard as the Western Bulldogs late in the pre-season campaign.

The Bulldogs suffered a significant blow on Friday, losing key defender Marcus Adams for up to three months with an ankle injury that requires surgery.

It's a major setback for the 24-year-old, who missed the last half of the 2017 season with a foot injury, and another headache for coach Luke Beveridge.

Veteran defender Dale Morris will also miss up to three months of football as he recovers from knee surgery to repair a partially torn anterior cruciate ligament.

The coach is also looking to cover the losses of stalwart defenders Bob Murphy and Matthew Boyd, who retired at the end of last season.

Few returns from injury have received more attention than West Coast star Nic Naitanui's comeback from a knee reconstruction that ruled him out of the 2017 season.

The ruckman took a major step forward in a recent WAFL practice match.

"He did some things there that he didn't do at training," coach Adam Simpson said.

"That was a significant step towards playing round one, but it wasn't the last step.

"He needs to cover some more ground and get another week of performance."

Star Geelong duo Patrick Dangerfield (hamstring) and Gary Ablett (hamstring), Adelaide's Taylor Walker (foot), Sydney's Dan Hannebery (calf) and Jarrad McVeigh (calf), Port Adelaide skipper Travis Boak (hamstring), Hawthorn's Cyril Rioli (managed) and Carlton's Matthew Kreuzer (ankle) are other notable players who must pass fitness tests to play in round one.

Australian Associated Press