Thomas expected to miss one game with nasty hand gash

CENTRAL District captain Paul Thomas is likely to return from a nasty hand injury sooner than expected.

glenelg

CENTRAL District captain Paul Thomas is expected to miss just one week with a nasty hand injury he sustained during the Bulldogs' 13-point win over West Adelaide at Richmond on Saturday.

Concerns mounted over Thomas when he came off the field and passed out in the players' race in the match's opening minutes after his hand was accidentally stepped on. He was taken to hospital for X-rays, which revealed he had a "badly lacerated hand", according to Bulldogs football manager Kris Grant.

"There was a massive amount of blood," Grant said. "He'll probably miss a week because there was no other damage."

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey , the world's leading questionnaire tool.

It means Thomas should return for Central's crunch game against the Eagles at Woodville on July 20.

Thomas's absence for the majority of the game did not stop the Bulldogs from snapping a three-game losing streak against West and bouncing back from disappointing defeats to Port Adelaide and Norwood.

Central had a stack of contributors but what pleased coach Roy Laird the most was his side's willingness to tackle and put pressure on the Bloods, particularly in the forward half.

"It was a really competitive, physical effort and that was going to need to be the base of our game, baring in mind where we've been in the last couple of games," Laird said.

"We've been looking for our senior players to grow a bit in the role. It was important they stood up in the loss of Thomas and they did."

Central plays South Adelaide at Elizabeth on Saturday.