North Adelaide confident Max Thring will face Norwood in the SANFL grand final
NORTH Adelaide captain Max Thring is the big story leading into the grand final against Norwood, but will a calf injury prevent him from playing?
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NORTH Adelaide has backed captain Max Thring to front Norwood in the grand final at Adelaide Oval on Sunday.
Roosters football manager Darryl Wintle said he was confident the onballer would prove his fitness after already successfully negotiating strength tests.
Thring is under a huge cloud after a calf injury forced him out of the controversial preliminary final in the final quarter. The calf was immediately caked in ice and he limped to the rooms following the five-point triumph over Woodville-West Torrens.
Tests have cleared Thring of a strain in the calf. The inspirational skipper missed the final three rounds because of a calf injury, but his latest setback is in the other leg.
“Unless he was to break down at training we are confident he will play,” Wintle said.
The Roosters will also meet the Redlegs in the reserves’ premiership decider and they face the difficult decision whether to have a player sit out the curtain raiser as insurance for the league side.
Wintle said the Roosters were considering taking a player from the reserves game after half-time.
“Maybe we will hold someone out, but that is not good for the guy who has to sit out,” Wintle said.
“Maybe we can play someone in the reserves for a half or take them off half way through the third quarter. It is a hard one, it is tough, and something we will have to talk through.”
There were no surprises when the two teams revealed 23-man squads yesterday.
The Roosters had already ruled Alex Spina out after he broke his collarbone against the Eagles. Matthew McDonough, Dakota Nixon and Mackenzie Slee were listed as the options to come into the side.
As expected, the Redlegs added Luke Surman and Zac Richards to the 21 who conquered the Eagles in the second semi-final.
The Roosters will know the opposition 21 when the teams are released for the reserves because the Redlegs won’t be holding a player out as an emergency for the league side.
“There are no injury concerns and we don’t want someone to miss out on a game,” Redlegs football manager Mark Ross said.
The Redlegs trained last night and the two players who will miss a spot will be told today. One of the players will be on standby.
The Roosters trained at Adelaide Oval last night and will have another workout at Prospect Oval tonight.
The teams will be presented in the mall at midday tomorrow.