AFL 2024: All the injury news from round 2
Melbourne defender Jake Lever has been cleared of significant damage to his knee – but the news isn’t so good for teammate Steven May.
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Melbourne superstar full back Steven May will miss the clash against Port Adelaide with a pair of fractured ribs.
This masthead has confirmed scans have shown May suffered two broken ribs in the heavy collision with Hawthorn’s Mabior Chol on Saturday.
Jake Lever is also in doubt for the clash against Port Adelaide after hurting his knee against the Hawks.
Scans have cleared Lever of significant damage, but medicos will continue to assess some irritation under his kneecap.
He will have to pass a medical test later in the week to take on the Power.
Melbourne will assess May next week to see whether he can play against Adelaide at Gather Round.
It would be a huge blow for Melbourne if they lose both their key pillars for the clash against Port Adelaide, who boast in-form forwards Charlie Dixon and Todd Marshall.
Melbourne is expected to confirm the findings Monday afternoon.
Melbourne believes it has the depth to cover for its star defensive duo if both miss the road trip to take on both South Australian sides in the next fortnight.
The Demons take on Port Adelaide on Saturday night at Adelaide Oval, then Adelaide at the game venue on the Thursday of Gather Round five days later.
They will take an expanded squad to Adelaide and remain in the city between those games.
Harry Petty was switched into defence in their absence and second-chance hero Marty Hore stood up as a defensive all.
Adam Tomlinson, desperately unlucky to be dropped for Tom McDonald last week, played VFL on Sunday and is another option.
Demons defender Trent Rivers told SEN on Sunday the club had enough depth.
“Maysey was still in hospital this morning getting scans and Jake is having scans today,” he said.
“But I am hoping for the best for both of them. We have a next man in mentality and whoever will come in if they do miss weeks is going to do the job.”
CATS EXPECT REINFORCEMENTS
Geelong should be able to select from Mitch Duncan, Tom Atkins and Tanner Bruhn as midfield replacements if Patrick Dangerfield’s hamstring issue requires him to miss weeks.
The Cats will assess scans on Monday for what is likely to be a minor hamstring strain, with the Geelong skipper having missed six weeks with a similar injury last year.
Duncan flew out of Adelaide at 4.30pm to be at the birth of his fourth child on Friday, while Bruhn missed the game with a mid-foot sprain.
Atkins pulled out with a sore groin, but the Cats hope all three will be available against Hawthorn on Easter Monday.
BLUES’ BYE BRINGS RELIEF
Carlton will hope to call upon best-and-fairest winner Jacob Weitering to take on North Melbourne as Caleb Marchbank and Sam Walsh near returns to football.
Weitering had ear-marked a return in round 3 from a calf issue and has made strong progress in recent weeks so is a chance to return.
Carlton will make a decision by mid-week with Marchbank back in full training for several weeks after overcoming a nasty viral infection.
Walsh has also made strong progress working his way back into action after back soreness but the Blues are yet to provide an official update on his return date.
DEMONS HAVE STRENGTH TO COVER MAY: GOODWIN
Melbourne believes it has the depth to cover for its star defensive duo if they miss the road trip to take on both South Australian sides in the next fortnight.
Steven May was still in hospital on Sunday morning with broken ribs and seems unlikely to be risked for that Adelaide trip.
The Demons take on Port Adelaide on Saturday night at Adelaide Oval, then Adelaide at the game venue on the Thursday of Gather Round five days later.
They will take an expanded squad to Adelaide and remain in the city between those games.
The Demons will reveal details of May’s rib injury on Monday, only confirming suspected broken ribs on Sunday.
But he could be joined by fellow defensive star Jake Lever after scans on Sunday on his injured knee.
He said post-match he had soreness behind his knee cap, with coach Simon Goodwin hopeful the injury is only minor.
Jake’s going to have to have a scan on that knee,” Goodwin said post-match.
“We’re pretty hopeful that it’ll be OK. We just have to wait and see on the back of the scan, but clearly ‘Maysy’ has got to get checked off completely to find out what’s going on with his ribs there.”
Regarding Lever, Goodwin said: “Clearly he was just a bit unsure and the medical team made a decision that it wasn’t worth putting him back out there.”
Harry Petty was switched into defence in their absence and second-chance hero Marty Hore stood up as a defensive all.
Adam Tomlinson, desperately unlucky to be dropped for Tom McDonald last week, played VFL on Sunday and is another option.
Demons defender Trent Rivers told SEN on Sunday the club had enough depth.
“Maysey was still in hospital this morning getting scans and Jake is having scans today,” he said.
“But I am hoping for the best for both of them. We have a next man in mentality and whoever will come in if they do miss weeks is going to do the job.”
Geelong should be able to select from Mitch Duncan, Tom Atkins and Tanner Bruhn as midfield replacements if Patrick Dangerfield’s hamstring issue requires him to miss weeks.
The Cats will assess scans on Monday for what is likely to be a minor hamstring strain, with the Geelong skipper having missed six weeks with a similar injury last year.
Duncan flew out of Adelaide at 4.30pm to be at the birth of his fourth child on Friday, while Bruhn missed the game with a mid-foot sprain.
Atkins pulled out with a sore groin, but the Cats hope all three will be available against Hawthorn on Easter Monday.
Carlton will hope to call upon best-and-fairest winner Jacob Weitering to take on North Melbourne as Caleb Marchbank and Sam Walsh near returns to football.
Weitering had ear-marked a return in round 3 from a calf issue and has made strong progress in recent weeks so is a chance to return.
Carlton will make a decision by mid-week with Marchbank back in full training for several weeks after overcoming a nasty viral infection.
Walsh has also made strong progress working his way back into action after back soreness but the Blues are yet to provide an official update on his return date.
CATS SWEAT ON DANGER’S HAMSTRING
Geelong will sweat the results of a hamstring scan for captain Patrick Dangerfield as it begins a long break before a traditional Easter Monday clash with Hawthorn.
The eight-time all-Australian was subbed out of Friday night’s impressive 19-point win over Adelaide after detailed discussions with medical staff around his hamstring late in the game.
Dangerfield was only removed from the contest extremely late, with youngster Mitch Knevitt stepping into the game as sub with 72 seconds on the clock.
He told Channel 7 after the match that he wasn’t sure whether his injury was cramp or “a little hammy” and he would have a scan back in Victoria.
“I am reticent to guess (on the injury) because I have done some where I have felt it is a hammy and it has come back and been clear and I have done a hammy thinking it is just a cramp so it feels minor but who knows,” Dangerfield said.
The danger of a hamstring that feels initially like cramp was made clear on Friday when St Kilda recruit Liam Henry had a similar complaint diagnosed as a high-grade strain and is looking at up to eight weeks out.
Soft tissue injuries have crept into Dangerfield’s game more and more as he has aged and he missed six weeks with a hamstring complaint last year after a tweak in round 8 against Adelaide.
He then picked up a nasty lung injury on his return at the Adelaide Oval, forcing him to drive back to Geelong.
Dangerfield has started the season in super nick after a strong summer and picked up a maximum 10 coaches votes in round 1.
He had 23 disposals and a team-high 625 metres gained against his old team the Crows.
The Cats were thrown around by multiple selection issues just before Friday night’s win, with veteran Mitch Duncan returning home for family reasons three hours before the match and midfielder Tom Atkins a late out due to an adductor issue.
Onballer Tanner Bruhn also didn’t make it to the line with a foot complaint.
All three are likely additions for Easter Monday, given the Cats now face a 10-day break.
HORROR INJURY BLOWS, MRO PAIN SOUR SAINTS’ NIGHT TO REMEMBER
- Jon Ralph
St Kilda’s brilliant upset victory over Collingwood has been soured by Max King’s shock suspension and a worst-case diagnosis on young forward Liam Henry’s hamstring.
Courageous wingman Mason Wood will likely miss six weeks with surgery on his broken collarbone on Friday after the disturbing collision that also saw him concussed.
But St Kilda’s hopes that Henry had only severe cramp were dashed when scans late on Friday revealed he would need six to eight weeks on the sidelines.
Max King suspended for next week’s match against Essendon for this hit on Fin Macrae. pic.twitter.com/Gcrtysv9Mq
— Sam Landsberger (@SamLandsberger) March 22, 2024
St Kilda football boss David Misson said the injury was “far greater than we initially thought” with Henry unsure himself of the damage post-match given it was his first hamstring strain.
The AFL’s match review panel on Friday night hit King with a one-week ban for a high bump on Macrae that was assessed as careless and medium impact.
While the hit on Collingwood’s Fin Macrae with two minutes left in the victory was not especially savage it was clearly high and late.
So while the Saints will consider their options ahead of next week’s clash against Essendon, it might be hard to downgrade to low impact given its capacity to cause serious injury.
The Saints would have hoped King could fill his boots against an under-manned Essendon defence missing Zach Reid and Jordan Ridley but instead might have to play in his absence.
Wood was concussed in a crunching collision with teammate Zaine Cordy and while he is in the concussion protocol he has also broken his collarbone.
Mission said the Saints were aware that given the nature of his fall they could have been “dealing with something far more serious”.
“Mason’s set for surgery in the next few hours, which is a great start. He’ll now get his rehab started pretty much straight away.
“We’ll have a better idea of a return to play timeline after his initial recovery from surgery - we think it’ll be around the 6-week mark, but we’ll be able to provide a clearer picture early next week.
“If we know anything about Mase it’s that he’s extremely diligent and professional in how he looks after his body, so we know he’ll be doing everything he can to get right and be back on the field as soon as possible.”
St Kilda could recall midfielder Brad Crouch against Essendon next Saturday but St Kilda assistant coach Brendon Goddard said on Thursday night he was not fully fit with a knee issue he managed across summer.
“We just felt he wasn’t quite right with his knee, he just needs another 2-3 games under his belt, because we need him at his fittest. His knee just didn’t feel right to himself in the heat of battle.”
Dan Butler will resume in the VFL this weekend after twin ankle surgeries across summer, with the Saints thrilled he is ready to return ahead of time.
It came as Lyon made clear Collingwood’s recent success had allowed teams to go to school on their patterns of play.
“If you’re a reigning premier, you’ve got clear signatures you need to deal with. I think the competition – it may have taken a while, but I think we’re seeing those signatures, so it’s pretty clear. Often it’s hard to stop, but tonight we did a pretty good job of it.”
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