Luker Kentfield is sidelined by pneumonia and complications, requiring a hospital stay and delaying his start to the 2025 season.
"Over the Christmas break whilst back home in Perth, Luker was struck down with a nasty bout of pneumonia. He unfortunately experienced some complications with this that involved a lengthy hospital stay," Melbourne's football general manager Alan Richardson.
"He has been recovering at home for the past fortnight and will now slowly start to progress his day-to-day activity. We look forward to welcoming him back into the club in the coming weeks."