AFL: Latest injury news from Round 16 of the 2021 season
Geelong has paid the price for playing star forward Jeremy Cameron on Friday night, with the extent of his hamstring injury revealed. Latest injury news.
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Geelong is counting the cost of the decision to risk playing Jeremy Cameron on Friday night, with the star forward facing at least a month out with a third right hamstring injury for the year.
Cameron’s night was over before half-time against Essendon – after he had already kicked three goals – and the Cats will be without him in the coming weeks as they try to break into the top four.
The former Giant had reported pre-match tightness but declared himself fit to play.
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Cameron sustained his first right hamstring setback in January before suffering a recurrence in March as he was primed to make his club debut in Round 1.
He finally played his first game for Geelong in Round 6 and has proven a quality addition, booting 28 goals in 10 matches.
Cats football boss Simon Lloyd confirmed the 28-year-old’s latest injury was related to the previous one.
“Unfortunately, this injury will see Jeremy miss several weeks,” Lloyd said.
“Our medical and conditioning teams are working closely with Jeremy on his rehab program.
“It will be a matter of monitoring how he progresses to then determine a timeline on his return to football.”
Coach Chris Scott defended club medicos’ decision to let Cameron play, but conceded they were “overworked and under-resourced” and his spearhead’s situation was “iffy” pre-game.
DOG FORWARD TO MISS AT LEAST ONE
Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge says it’s “too early” to tell how long high flying forward Aaron Naughton will spend on the sidelines after being subbed out of Sunday’s game against North Melbourne with concussion.
The Bulldogs will be without Naughton for at least next week’s clash with Sydney due to the league’s 12-day concussion protocol.
Naughton landed heavily after leaping for a huge mark on defensive 50 late in the second quarter and left the ground immediately before being subbed out at half time.
“It’s too early, I’ve got no answers for you on that,” Beveridge said after the 29-point win.
“We knew that we needed to look after him … and our guy’s called (the substitution) early.”
Dogs’ fans will also be hoping youngster Ed Richards will be fit next week after he was a late withdrawal due to illness.
Beveridge said Richards “just didn’t feel well” after the captain’s run on Saturday ahead of the contest against the Kangaroos.
“He went home and he just didn’t feel well and he had a bit of a tough night and he would have been low on energy and not a good idea to play,” he said.
Beveridge praised the performances of livewire forward Cody Weightman, who starred with four goals, including three in the first quarter, and Mitch Wallis, who was the late inclusion for Richards.
Wallis’ kicked three fourth term goals to help seal the game for the Dogs as North Melbourne threatened to close the margin with 12 shots on goal in the last quarter.
“In the first instance to be unfortunate to be the 23rd, (Wallis) did enough when he came on last week to earn a spot in the 22, so it was good to be able to play him again in a full game,” Beveridge said.
“At different stages he was important … for him to be quite clutch in that last quarter and convert for us when they had some momentum and control of the game, which was great for him and important for us.
“He sparked us early Cody, he’s got a really strong aerial game and runs to the right spots … wrapped for him to be able to kick four goals, that’s an important milestone for him.”
Beveridge also praised a “very good” North Melbourne outfit who they thumped by 128 points back in round 3.
“They would have come here today wanting some kind of retribution … I thought they were very good and very difficult to beat, they had a lot of chances in that last quarter that they squandered,” he said.
The Bulldogs now sit on top of the AFL ladder by percentage after round 16 after Melbourne lost to GWS on Saturday.
STAR HAWK COULD BE DONE FOR THE YEAR
Hawthorn is considering putting Jack Gunston on ice for the rest of the season as a back injury continues to hamper the key forward.
Gunston, who underwent back surgery during pre-season, returned to the field in Round 7 but played only one game before suffering a back spasm in a further setback which has sidelined him since then.
The Hawks had been hopeful that Gunston would play again in the second half of the season, but his prospects of returning at AFL level this season now look slim.
Gunston has “finally taken some steps forward” in recent weeks but is considered only a “slight possibility” of doing some limited ball work this week, with a return to full training still some time away.
With finals out of the question, Hawthorn has just seven matches remaining this season.
“While he is starting to move a bit more freely from that back injury that he had, we’ve now got a conditioning issue in just how well prepared he is to play a game of footy,” Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson said.
“Even if he gets back on the training track to do skills, we need to monitor just how long he does skills for and he needs to get some conditioning before he actually plays. But we’re not even at that step yet, to be fair.
“Hopefully he’ll continue to take some steps forward over the next week or two and we’ll see how that goes. But we’re starting to run out of time.
“There may come some time where we just say this season’s been a bit of a train wreck for him unfortunately and we might just have to get him ready for 2022.”
On a more positive note for the Hawks, fellow forward Mitch Lewis is likely to return for this weekend’s clash with Fremantle after missing the past four matches under concussion protocols.
Lewis trained strongly at Waverley Park on Saturday morning.
“He’s made some real progress,” Clarkson said.
“We’re really hopeful he’ll be able to play for us (this) week.”
POWER WATCH ON SUPERBOOT’S SCANS
Port Adelaide is fearing that young gun Kane Farrell has suffered an ACL injury.
Farrell’s right knee hyperextended when he was tackled by Hawthorn’s Jai Newcombe early on in the Power’s ultimately comfortable win over the Hawks at Marvel Stadium.
The 22-year-old was in immediate pain and discomfort and had to be helped off the field.
He was substituted out of the game and was on crutches for the rest of the night.
Power senior coach Ken Hinkley said the club was suspecting it was an ACL injury.
“Unfortunately it looks like Kane has done some serious knee damage, we won’t know exactly but we suspect it will be an ACL,” he said.
“It is a real tragedy because he has made some real strides this year, he’s a young player that I really enjoy in our team and he really has built his game. We know he has a great leg but he is also really good at the contest and that’s where he got hurt.
“We will support him really strongly and what I know about Kane is that he will use the opportunity to develop himself and we will support him all the way through.”
Farrell was on track for his most games in a season for Port Adelaide, with the clash against the Hawks his 10th this year.
After playing the first two games of the season Farrell, who is considered to have one of the best kicks in the competition, returned to the Power side in the Showdown in Round 8.
He has played in every game since, kicking four goals so far this year for the Power.
Port Adelaide ruckman Scott Lycett said post match that the playing group was shattered for Farrell.
“I’ve had a chat with him, he’s pretty flat,” Lycett said.
“All the boys are getting around him, it looks like he’s done an ACL.
“Real flat for him because he has worked his arse off to get back into the team and play some consistent footy, so yeah hopefully it’s not bad but it doesn’t look great.
“It is just very sad for him, anyone who has done an ACL would know it’s a shocking injury in footy but everyone knows injuries are a part of the game and unfortunately it is Kane’s go to have an injury.
“So he will get himself right and hopefully come back bigger and stronger for the second half of next season.”
HOBBLING BLUE TAKES GLOSS OFF GRITTY EFFORT
Carlton’s gritty victory over Fremantle has been soured by a foot injury to gun midfielder Patrick Cripps, with coach David Teague revealing he will head for scans on Sunday to determine the extent of the injury.
Cripps was able to play out the game despite looking hobbled at times.
Carlton produced one of its best performances of the season on Saturday night, fending off a wasteful Fremantle outfit to run out 16-point winners.
“I’m not sure how bad it is. I think he’s got a sore foot, so we’ll go get that checked out. He was confident, he said it felt OK outside of kicking,” Teague said.
“He’s a great leader, I thought some of his tackles, his bodywork around the contest, even late I know he grabbed the boys in at three quarter time, this game meant a lot to him.”
It was only the second time this season the club has secured back-to-back wins.
FEARS FOR KEY GIANTS DEFENDER
Leon Cameron says Greater Western Sydney is fearing the worst for young key defender Jack Buckley who injured his knee in the Giants’ gutsy nine-point win against Melbourne.
Buckley was going back with the flight of the ball when a collision with James Harmes wrenched the 23-year-old’s left knee in what is feared to be an ACL injury.
Cameron said the emerging star had been sent for scans but the injury had left the club heartbroken.
“I saw him at halftime and we probably fear the worst for him, he’s off at the hospital at the moment having scans,” Cameron said.
“It’s heartbreaking sometimes when you see these injuries, especially for a kid who’s put so much into his footy in the last few years.
“He’s come from nowhere really to become a bona fide AFL footballer who holds down a key position.”
Shane Mumford went toe-to-toe with Max Gawn and nullified the Dees’ skipper, but Cameron said the veteran big man was still a week-to-week prospect for the Giants.
“Mummy’s back’s been playing up and his knees, so he had three weeks off between efforts,” Cameron said.
“It doesn’t sound right because clearly you like to play your ruck back-to-back-to-back, and he may get up for next week, but I’m also mindful (Matt) Flynn is working his craft with young (Kieran) Briggs as well.
“Getting games into them knowing Mummy is at the back end of his career too, we juggle that every week.
“I thought he was terrific today against the best ruckman in the competition, he just finds a way.”
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Originally published as AFL: Latest injury news from Round 16 of the 2021 season
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