AFL 2024: All the injury, team news ahead of round 3 as Sam Walsh timeline revealed, Doedee re-tears ACL
Clayton Oliver has sent a scare through Melbourne as it prepares for a blockbuster against Port Adelaide after being sent for scans following as training mishap. See every club’s injury list here.
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Melbourne star Clayton Oliver was sent for a scan after suffering a dislocated finger at training on Wednesday, but the Demons still expect him to face Port Adelaide on Saturday.
The Demons confirmed Oliver left Casey Fields for a scan following the incident but do not have concerns over his availability ahead of the blockbuster Adelaide Oval clash.
It comes as coach Simon Goodwin said he was “really confident” key defender Jake Lever would play despite sitting out the second half of the win over Hawthorn with a knee concern.
Lever’s availability will be a major boost to a Melbourne backline missing star Steven May, who Goodwin said might only miss one week after suffering a painful double rib fracture and a small spinal fracture.
Goodwin said May was even lobbying to face the Power, but he said the club wouldn’t be “silly” in rushing the defender back.
“Steven May will just be the one week we think at the moment. He’ll run do some running today … and that might sound a bit strange to people, but just to get a guide on where he sits,” Goodwin said.
“We’re confident he’ll travel to Adelaide with us. And we’re really, really hopefully he will play the following week.
“He’ll be knocking on the door saying put me in (this week), but I don’t expect it to be the case … we certainly won’t be silly in that space. We’ll make sure that he’s right.”
Goodwin was tight lipped over which end of the ground he would deploy swingman Harrison Petty as he said either Adam Tomlinson or Marty Hore could replace May.
“We’re really confident (Lever) will play. So he’ll train today. We’re really confident he’ll be able to get through that session and be available for this week,” the coach said.
“So that’s exciting for our club after the weekend where there’s a bit of doom and gloom about having two key defensive pillars out.
“If I told you (where Petty would play), I’d be telling Port Adelaide … we’ve got some options.
“You know, Adam Tomlinson’s played some solid footy. Marty Hore plays tall as well. So we’ve got some options in the back half of the ground.
“Harrison is one of those players that you’d love to have him at either end of the ground. So we’ll make that decision probably tomorrow.”
LUCKLESS LION SUFFERS ACL HEARTBREAK ON CUSP OF RETURN
Unlucky Brisbane Lions recruit Tom Doedee will not make his return from a knee injury against Collingwood after copping a “heartbreaking” tear in his repaired knee at training on Tuesday.
Doedee was in the mix to play his first AFL game since round 12, when he ruptured his right ACL while playing for Adelaide, when he re-injured the knee.
The aggravation came in the final minutes of the training session and the Lions confirmed it was a partial tear to his ACL.
The Lions and Doedee will meet with a surgeon later this week and are yet to find out how long he will be sidelined.
The rupture last year was the second time he had suffered the injury, having supterd his left ACL in 2019.
Doedee, 27, played in the VFL on the weekend and spoke to the media this week, confirming he felt ready to play at the top level.
“I’ve got through that first game, which is always the biggest anxiety-inducing game because you’ve just been out for so long,” he said.
“I’m hoping to be back playing properly for the rest of the season, but there are still a few little things to sort out to make sure I’m back to 100 per cent.
“You don’t want to come back before you’re ready and waste 10 months of work.”
Lions footy boss Danny Daly said the injury was “cruel”.
“It’s incredibly heartbreaking for Tom, and everyone at the club are really feeling for him,” he said.
“Sport can produce some of the most amazing moments, but in cases like this it can also be extremely cruel.
“Tom is a fantastic person who has already become a highly popular member of our Club, and everyone was excited to see him so close to making his comeback.
“He has shown he is the ultimate professional by doing everything he could to recover from his ACL, which we have all admired, and I have no doubt he will treat this injury the same.
“Everyone at the Brisbane Lions will continue to give our full support to Tom and his family.”
The Lions will be able to call on experienced defender Darcy Gardiner for Thursday’s crucial Magpies clash after he was cleared of any damage to his knee, while Jack Payne is fit and played in the VFL last weekend.
WALSH’S RECOVERY TIME EXTENDED AS DEFENDER SET FOR RETURN
Carlton superstar Sam Walsh is expected to miss up to three more matches as he steps up his recovery from a debilitating back injury.
The Blues confirmed the jet midfielder was set to return to main training next week and push to play in either Round 5 (against Adelaide) or Round 6 (versus GWS Giants).
Carlton is happy Walsh has progressed in his recovery over the past month after reporting soreness in his back late in the preseason following back surgery in December 2022.
As expected gun centre half back Jacob Weitering is in line to play against North Melbourne in the Good Friday clash at Marvel Stadium along with Caleb Marchbank.
But Jack Martin will be unavailable for the clash against Kangaroos after hurting his hamstring at training on Monday.
Weitering tore his calf in January and missed the preseason games while Marchbank has been out with a viral illness since February.
The key defenders will provide key coverage in the defensive end as the Blues attempt to keep their good start to the season rolling against North, Fremantle (in Adelaide) and Adelaide over the next three games.
Speedster Jesse Motlop is also in the mix after recovering from a toe injury, while Gold Coast recruit Elijah Hollands is also pressing to play after serving a two-game suspension for being caught with an illicit substance.
RIB RISK
Respected sports medico Peter Brukner says Steven May would be risking more damage returning from rib and vertebrae issues if he only misses a single game.
The Demons star defender was crunched by Hawthorn’s Mabior Chol and spent time in hospital over the weekend with multiple broken ribs and the transverse fracture of the vertebrae.
Melbourne has ruled him out against Port Adelaide this weekend but is hopeful depending upon his pain levels he could play against Adelaide the following Thursday.
A former club doctor for Collingwood, Melbourne and multiple Australian sporting teams, Brukner said May might be able to withstand the pain.
But after Travis Boak and Jeremy Cameron battled with associated side effects of rib injuries last year he said there were other complications for the Demons to consider.
“There are two issues. One is the pain. Broken ribs are bloody painful and you can block the pain with injections, but the rib also has to heal. If you get another hit on the rib the fracture can get even worse and it’s potentially dangerous and it can impact the lung. I would be surprised if he plays before three or four weeks. That is the most likely scenario.
“The (transverse fracture) is just a little bone, a projection off the side of the vertebrae. It’s just about pain and maybe if you got another knock on it you might displace the fracture. But you don’t want to damage the lung. If your rib breaks in two places and pierces the lung you can get a pneumothorax (punctured lung).”
The Demons will sweat on Jake Lever’s knee injury and hope he gets through training, having diagnosed only some soreness behind his kneecap.
He had believed he might have torn his ACL again but instead the Demons are optimistic he could play against Port Adelaide.
Originally published as AFL 2024: All the injury, team news ahead of round 3 as Sam Walsh timeline revealed, Doedee re-tears ACL
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