St Kilda will be without Kate McCarthy for Round 5 after the small forward developed delayed concussion symptoms following last Friday’s match against Geelong.

The 28-year-old knocked her head on the ground in a tackle during the opening quarter, but returned to the field of play after passing the league’s rigorous concussion tests.

In line with the AFL’s latest concussion protocols, McCarthy will be forced to the sidelines for a minimum of 12 days, thereby ruling her out of the AFLW’s inaugural Indigenous Round.

The Saints will be looking to regain Ali Brown to tackle the in-form Crows, with a hamstring awareness issue moving her to the sidelines last week.

The key defender had an MRI last Thursday – which showed zero sign of injury – and took part in a running session last Friday with no complaint.

Nadia von Bertouch (plantar fascia) will also be eyeing off a maiden AFLW appearance in her home state.

A positive rehabilitation session on Wednesday has opened the door for a potential recall, with the Saints utility available for selection should she get through tonight’s training unaffected.

Olivia Vesely (calf) and Molly McDonald (quad) are progressing well through their respective injuries, with the former stringing together several training sessions last week.

In other injury news, Selena Karlson returned to competitive footy for the Southern Saints last weekend, while Nicola Xenos has had successful surgery on her ruptured left ACL.