The Saints will be without Jimmy Webster this week with the defender to undergo surgery following a hand injury, however will be bolstered by the return of Marcus Windhager.

Webster suffered a break to a metacarpal in his right hand during the first quarter of Sunday’s game against Fremantle, playing through the injury.

The 29-year-old is joined by Jack Bytel on the sidelines, who will miss this week’s match following a knee complaint which has limited his preparation for Round 2.

“Jimmy is such a courageous player and it’s disappointing for him to hit a roadblock like this,” Acting General Manager of Football David Misson said.

“The injury is comparable to Marcus’, so we’re hopeful for a similarly speedy recovery for Jimmy.

“Jack suffered a cut to his knee early in the game which was attended to and he returned to the field. However, his discomfort continued post-match and Jack was admitted to hospital later that evening.  

“Jack then underwent a clean-out of the wound, resulting in disruption to his preparation this week.

“Marcus was very close to playing last week, but didn’t complete the necessary training load for him to be selected. As has been a constant with Marcus, he’s put his head down during rehab and we’re pleased to have him available for Round 2.”

Seb Ross (calf) will need to pass a fitness test to make himself available this week, while Tim Membrey’s recovery from a knee setback continues.

“Due to his knee injury, Tim’s training load has been diminished over the past six weeks,” Misson said.

“In order to set him up for a good season, we feel we need to extend his re-loading period accordingly.

“We’re hesitant to put a definite return date down for Tim, but at this stage it could still be anywhere from 4 to 6 weeks.

“We will carefully monitor his progress and update as relevant.”

Injury list