Geelong Cats: Brad Close and Esava Ratugolea done for 2023 season
Cats defender Esava Ratugolea may have played his last game in the hoops after he was subbed out of Geelong’s 33-point loss against the Saints on Saturday night.
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Cats defender Esava Ratugolea may have played his last game in the hoops after he was subbed out of Geelong’s 33-point loss against the Saints on Saturday night.
Ratugolea is out of contract at the end of the 2023 season and is tipped to leave the club, but will likely finish the campaign on the sidelines after suffering a hamstring injury in the opening term.
The 25 year old was playing on star Saint Max King and conceded two goals in the opening term before coming from the ground and being subbed out within minutes of assessment.
It is suspected the injury suffered is on the milder side of hamstring strains, but with just one game left in the home-and-away season and the Cats now unable to make finals, it appears to be season over for Ratugolea.
It was his second hamstring complaint of the season after missing three games earlier in the year with the same issue.
It got worse for Geelong, with Max Holmes hobbled off with a right ankle complaint, but after a restrapping effort the young gun returned to the field in the second term and played out his 50th game.
Brad Close also injured his ankle in the first half and finished the game on the bench, not reappearing after the main break.
Coach Chris Scott confirmed Close would not return in 2023 despite escaping a significant issue.
“He won’t play next week... they just said he wouldn’t come up for next week,” he said.
“We’ll have a few guys that will have surgery pretty quickly but I don’t have any indication that he’ll be one of those.
Skipper Patrick Dangerfield also suffered a knock to his throat and was clearly hampered throughout the game, but he played on despite the discomfort.
Mitch Duncan also conceded a 50m penalty in the opening quarter with a dumping tackle after the whistle that may get looked at by the Match Review Officer.
Geelong entered the contest in 11th position and requiring a victory to keep its finals dreams alive after Greater Western Sydney recorded its largest-ever victory in its clash against Essendon earlier in the day.
But the Saints enjoyed a blistering start, booting a goal in the opening 20 seconds and holding the lead for the rest of the game, condemning the Cats to their second season without reaching finals in Chris Scott’s 15 years in charge.
Originally published as Geelong Cats: Brad Close and Esava Ratugolea done for 2023 season
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