Injury wrap: Get the latest injury news from Round 7
North Melbourne says captain Jack Ziebell’s latest injury setback was “bad luck” after he went down early in the club’s loss to Richmond. Plus, the latest on Jordan De Goey and Joel Selwood’s injuries.
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North Melbourne could call on key talls Nick Larkey and Majak Daw to turn around a disastrous five-match losing streak that will see captain Jack Ziebell sidelined for weeks to come.
The Kangaroos face the unenviable prospect of weeks in a Queensland hub out of finals contention and with plummeting morale after their horror stretch.
Youngster Kyron Hayden recovered well on Sunday after his extraordinary bravery to go back with the flight against Richmond’s Tom Lynch.
He lost consciousness but had strong recall of the lead-up to the incident on Sunday, even if he is long odds to take on Carlton on Saturday at the Gabba.
Cam Zurhaar was a late out with a sore calf, with Ziebell was given an extra week to recover from a hamstring injury but still pinged the muscle early in the contest.
Larkey is ready to return from a foot hot spot after playing only Round 1 this year, while Jed Anderson (quad) should be ready to return.
One of the bravest acts you will ever see.
— 7AFL (@7AFL) July 18, 2020
Hope Kyron Hayden is okay ðŸ™#AFLTigersNorth pic.twitter.com/A0mlI2rI4l
Majak Daw has been building fitness after missing training due to a pectoral injury and also some sickness which kept him away from Arden St for a period of time.
The Roos didn’t play a scratch match over the weekend but he has built his fitness to a level where he is available for selection.
Luke Davies-Uniacke is another contender to come into a North Melbourne side where too few Roos showed Hayden’s level of commitment.
Shaw said on Saturday night after bringing back Ben Cunnington back too early from a back injury the Roos were just unlucky with Ziebell.
“I thought we did a really good job in bringing Jack back,” Shaw said.
“He was pretty much right to go last week but we took the cautious route and it’s ended up like this. It’s a bit of bad luck for Jack.”
Meanwhile, Richmond will give Trent Cotchin another week on the sidelines as a precaution but defender David Astbury is ready to take on Greater Western Sydney after a knee injury.
Richmond coach Damien Hardwick said after the victory over North Melbourne that the Tigers wanted to ensure Cotchin’s hamstring was fully recovered before he returned.
Josh Caddy suffered a serious hamstring injury and was only able to limp off Metricon Stadium so will miss up to four weeks.
Richmond stars Dion Prestia and Toby Nankervis are still several weeks away with syndesmosis injuries as they face another week in a 14-day quarantine hub.
DE GOEY IN RACE AGAINST TIME TO PLAY BEFORE FINALS
Collingwood’s premiership hopes have taken a massive whack with forward Jordan De Goey tipped to miss six weeks with a broken finger.
The star forward will be in a race against time to return before the end of the home-and-away season, as the AFL looks to cram the remaining 11 rounds into a schedule that finishes by September 20.
A leading sports medico told the Herald Sun that with a hand splint it is likely to be a six-week injury for De Goey.
The dynamic 24-year-old was the matchwinner in Perth on Thursday night, kicking five of Collingwood’s eight goals against Geelong, but finished the game with two fingers on his right hand taped.
The club said De Goey would have surgery to repair the flexor tendon in his right middle finger after suffering the injury during the match.
Collingwood general manager of football Geoff Walsh said the 24-year-old would have the operation in Perth and would continue to travel with the team during his recovery.
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“Jordan has torn the flexor tendon in his right middle finger and it was determined this morning that surgery will be required to repair the damage,” Walsh said.
“Jordan will have surgery over the weekend and will remain with the team while he recovers.
“We will have a better idea of an expected return date following his surgery.”
Collingwood is likely to move to a Queensland hub, following three weeks in Perth, to start round 10.
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Before news of the injury broke Nathan Buckley praised De Goey’s exhilarating return to the side on Thursday night.
“He was a fresh player having not played last week. I think he enjoyed being around his teammates,” Buckley said.
“We feel like we create a safe environment for our people, whether they’re players, coaches or staff.
“So I think Jordy has enjoyed having that support around him and he was happy to play his part no doubt.”
The finger injury and a potentially lengthy time out of the game come in a year that De Goey falls out of contract.
The injury could pave the way for out-of-favour American Mason Cox, who was dropped shortly before the start of Thursday night’s game, to return to Collingwood’s forward line.
CATS HOPE SELWOOD SETBACK SHORT TERM
– Nathan Schmook
Geelong is confident captain Joel Selwood has avoided serious injury after he was sidelined with a hamstring complaint early in Thursday night’s loss to Collingwood at Perth Stadium.
Selwood became the third Geelong player in two matches to suffer a hamstring injury after midfield teammates Mitch Duncan and Quinton Narkle were struck down against Hawthorn in round six.
The Cats also lost Jordan Clark to a shoulder dislocation on Thursday night, with the promising youngster hurt in a ground-level contest with Magpies ruckman Brodie Grundy.
Coach Chris Scott said he was confident Selwood’s hamstring issue was not serious, but Clark would need to be assessed to determine the extent of his shoulder injury.
“Speaking to him (Selwood) and the medical staff briefly, they’re optimistic it’s not too bad. But it always takes a bit of time to make that assessment,” Scott said.
“There was no suggestion we were thinking about putting him back on the ground, so that says a little bit.
“And Jordan Clark had a shoulder dislocation, so that’s not a great sign.
“But the variation between a minor shoulder dislocation and a severe one is great. We’re hoping it’s on the minor end, I’m not sure yet.”
Selwood, who underwent hamstring surgery over the summer, left the ground halfway through the first quarter and was quickly removed from the contest after being assessed.
He told Channel 7 it felt like cramp and there was “enough there in a season like it is not to continue”.
After falling two men down, Scott conceded the Cats were beaten by a better team on the night, with Collingwood restricting the Cats to their lowest score of the season.
“They were much better than us early in the contest, their good players played really well,” the coach said.
“I felt it was a night where more than a few things went against us and we just couldn’t manufacture a way back the way we did last week.
“Sometimes you get beaten by a better team on the night.”
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Originally published as Injury wrap: Get the latest injury news from Round 7