By Peter Ryan
In today’s AFL Briefing, your daily wrap of football news
- Max Gawn has injured his hamstring at Melbourne training
- Essendon’s top draft pick is in for surgery
- St Kilda have signed former Blue Liam Stocker
Melbourne skipper suffers pre-season hamstring injury
AAP and Peter Ryan
Melbourne captain Max Gawn has suffered a hamstring injury at an AFL pre-season training session.
The Demons’ 2021 premiership skipper will have weekend scans to determine the extent of his injury after being forced out of training on Friday.
“Max unfortunately had some hamstring awareness towards the end of this morning’s training session,” Melbourne’s general manager of AFL performance Alan Richardson said in a statement.
Max Gawn injured his hamstring at Melbourne training.Credit: AFL Photos
“He will be closely monitored and assessed over the weekend. We’re hopeful we will have some further clarity early next week.”
Melbourne’s premiership season begins on March 18 but any lengthy lay-off for Gawn, a six-time All-Australian, would be partially offset by the recruitment of former Collingwood ruckman Brodie Grundy late last year.
Gawn missed several months with a hamstring injury in 2017 but bounced back to become the game’s best ruckman for the past five seasons. He overcame two knee reconstructions early in his career and also returned from a syndesmosis injury last season.
The Bombers also had bad news on the injury front with their top pick from the 2022 National Draft, Elijah Tsatas, to have surgery to repair a torn meniscus.
The club described the tear as minor but said they would be conservative in their approach to recovery to set the No.5 selection from last year’s draft up for a long, successful career.
“Elijah suffered a knock to the knee during a contest drill earlier in the week, and the initial scan showed a minor tear in his meniscus. He has been assessed by a surgeon today who has recommended it be repaired,” McPherson said.
Elijah Tsatas.played for the Oakleigh Chargers before being drafted to the Bombers.Credit: AFL Photos
“The post operation timeframes will be determined following the surgery, but he is a young player with a bright future ahead of him, so whilst this setback is disappointing, we won’t be rushing his return to play.
“He’s had a great start to his time in the AFL system having produced a very impressive pre-season to this point. We will give him the required time to recover to ensure he is best prepared to re-join the AFL program.”
Tsatas suffered a foot injury in 2022 which kept him sidelined for three months, however he remained one of the most highly sought-after players in the land, with several clubs attempting to move up the draft order to add him to their list.
St Kilda stocks up with former first-round Blue
Peter Ryan
Liam Stocker in his new colours.
New Saint Liam Stocker said he is determined to resurrect his career at St Kilda after he spent a soul-searching week post-season deciding whether he wanted to throw himself back into the fray following four years and 28 games at Carlton.
He said he realised that he was yearning for the connection the game provided and he wanted to help end the stigma that surrounds mental health as he continues to learn about the anxiety he has experienced and how to manage it.
“I got to the bottom of why I wanted to play footy...it’s really difficult to put yourself through all this stuff, particularly getting delisted and the heartbreak that comes with it,” Stocker said.
“I am in it to be part of something important. I didn’t have a role model hopefully like me when I was 14, 15 or 16 who understood this stuff and who was open to speaking about it.”
Stocker hopes to play across half-back but remains hopeful of moving into the midfield at some point. He says his main role will be to get to the fall of the ball in defence and support his teammates in defending.
“I know I have a whole lot of hard work ahead of me,” Stocker said. “I’m really grateful to both clubs.”
Stocker, who turns 23 on Monday, has been training with St Kilda during the pre-season after the Blues delisted him at the end of last season.
He said the Saints were convinced he had the appetite to resume his career and he felt confident he was equipped to deal with the pressures that come with being in a high-performance environment.
Stocker said former Kangaroo Mason Wood, who revitalised his career at the Saints after being delisted, had been very supportive as he tried to make an impression with the skipper Jack Steele also helping him settle in.
He played 28 games for Carlton in four years but was unable to cement a spot as a defender despite showing glimpses of his talent.
Liam Stocker showed glimpses of his talent at the Blues.Credit: Getty Images
Stocker made a high-profile entry to the game when he was the first player selected in the draft following a live trade between clubs, with the Blues swapping future first-round picks with the Crows to nab pick 19 which allowed them to select Stocker.
The smart ball user, who can win the ball inside the contest, battled however to make an impression at Carlton with injury then COVID-19 interrupting his progress. He played 16 matches in 2021 but just six under new coach Michael Voss in 2022. He admitted after being delisted he almost gave the game away during his time at the Blues due to an aggressive anxiety disorder.
Stocker said returning Saints coach Ross Lyon understood what he could contribute on-field and that gave him confidence he could grow in the environment if he was prepared to work hard.
“At the moment, I am just trying to prove myself out there,” Stocker said.
Stocker was chosen by Carlton when Stephen Silvagni was list manager, with the former Blue a potential candidate for the Saints’ vacant list manager position. The Saints, however, have been in no rush to replace James Gallagher.
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