Hurt Locker: the latest update on your club’s injured footballers ahead of the AAMI Community Series
Already dealing with a long injury list, Hawthorn could be without its best player for Round 1. Check out the full injury lists at every club.
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Here’s how all 18 AFL clubs are tracking with injuries ahead of the AAMI Community Series starting this week.
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Adelaide
Wayne Milera’s hardluck run continues, with the 23-year-old undergoing surgery on a ruptured patella tendon that will end his season before it begins. Matt Crouch is dealing with groin soreness linked to post-season hip surgery and missed last week’s practice match, but could play against Port Adelaide on Sunday. Tom Doedee (groin) will return in the reserves this weekend, while fellow defender Daniel Talia (knee) is still on the comeback trail and a longshot for round one. David Mackay (concussion) also sat out the practice match with the Power, while draftee Brayden Cook is aiming to be ready by round five as he recovers from a shoulder reconstruction.
Brisbane
Connor McFadyen is making steady progress from his anterior cruciate ligament rupture in July last year, while Noah Answerth is training away from the main group because of a groin issue. The only other two Lions who were unavailable for Saturday’s practice match were Darcy Gardiner (knee) and Nakia Cockatoo (hamstring), but they’re tracking well and remain in contention for round one.
Carlton
Charlie Curnow (fractured kneecap) won’t be available until at least the second half of the season, while 2019 draftee Brodie Kemp faces three months out following recent surgery on a syndesmosis setback. Two others who’ve been ruled out for round one are Nic Newman (inflammation behind kneecap) and Caleb Marchbank (calf). Sam Philp (hip flexor) is also aiming to return in the early rounds, and ruck prospect Tom De Koning (back) has resumed running. On a more positive note, Mitch McGovern (hamstring), Levi Casboult (jarred knee) and Eddie Betts (calf) could play this week.
Collingwood
Star Magpie Jordan De Goey (ankle) will be back in action against the Tigers on Friday night after skipping last week’s practice match as a precaution. Other best-22 members to sit out were Taylor Adams (hamstring) and Chris Mayne (concussion). Adams is an outside chance to face Richmond but his round one preparations will otherwise be restricted to the training track. Jeremy Howe’s been eased into match-play the past fortnight after his serious knee injury in June last year. Will Kelly (calf) sat out the Geelong practice match, but the issue looks only minor, while Reef McInnes (finger) and Mark Keane (finger) are also on the sidelines.
Essendon
The Bombers haven’t set a timeline for defender Michael Hurley’s return to training as he recovers from a nasty hip infection that saw him hospitalised. David Zaharakis (PCL) is increasing his training loads but playing in round one looks unlikely, while Jake Stringer’s resumed training after managing an Achilles problem throughout summer. Patrick Ambrose continues to recover from his long-term Lisfranc (mid-foot) injury, and Irving Mosquito and Lachie Johnson are on individual rehabilitation programs from respective ACL ruptures. Andy McGrath (concussion/syndesmosis) will be available for Essendon’s AAMI Community Series clash with Geelong, after Dyson Heppell’s strong return from a foot issue in last week’s practice match.
Fremantle
Matt Taberner (quadriceps) – who sat out last week’s practice match – Luke Ryan (back) and Adam Cerra (calf) are all likely to play against West Coast on Sunday night. Scans cleared Ryan of any damage after a mid-match collision, while Cerra didn’t play in the second half as a precautionary measure. Sean Darcy (knee) and Griffin Logue (hamstring) are aiming to be ready for the season opener, and the Dockers also hope Luke Valente recovers well in the coming weeks after a freak calf injury. The Dockers are easing important defenders Joel Hamling and Alex Pearce back into games on limited minutes. Brett Bewley (quadriceps) is on track to resume full training before round one.
Geelong
Mitch Duncan is in serious doubt for round one after multiple calf setbacks this summer that kept him out of last week’s pre-season clash with Collingwood and likely Saturday night against Essendon. Former Hawk Isaac Smith (ankle), Luke Dahlhaus (groin), Darcy Fort (knee) and Sam Simpson (shoulder) are others on the injury shelf. Smith should be right for the season opener. Zach Tuohy withdrew from the Pies game after feeling sore in the warm-up, while Rhys Stanley copped a knock in the second quarter.
Gold Coast
Key defender Sam Collins (foot) is back in full training and set to return against Brisbane next Monday night for a potential matchup with Joe Daniher. He was off his feet for the past few weeks with soreness and was badly missed in last week’s practice game, especially with Rory Thompson (partial ACL tear) out for the long term. Top-10 draftee Elijah Hollands (knee) is also still working his way back and served as a runner in the VFL practice match at the weekend. Draftee Rhys Nicholls is going through the concussion protocols after suffering a head knock at training last week.
GWS Giants
Jesse Hogan’s hopes of making an instant impact at his third club are in doubt because of a quadriceps injury sustained at training last week. The Giants are dealing with several key injuries, including ruck recruit Braydon Preuss and Adam Kennedy underdoing shoulder reconstructions that will sideline them for up to five months. Brent Daniels (hamstring) could also miss round one. Lachie Whitfield (bruised liver) has returned to training and may be ready for the season opener, while veteran defender Phil Davis is back in full training but missed last week’s practice game. Bobby Hill and Ryan Angwin should be available for Sunday’s AAMI Community Series showdown with the Swans.
Hawthorn
The Hawks have ruled out reigning club champion Jack Gunston for round one, but are hopeful he will return in the early stages of the season after back surgery in December. Brownlow medallist Tom Mitchell (shoulder), Chad Wingard (calf) and Jack Scrimshaw (hyperextended knee/bone bruising) are all in a race against time to be fit for round one. Mitchell is completing the full skills program, but his availability will depend on his progress in the coming weeks. Conor Nash, who, like Mitchell, had a post-season shoulder reconstruction, played in a reserves scratch match last week and is training fully. James Sicily is building strength in his ACL-repaired right knee – injured in mid-August last year – and has started running, but it’s too early to know when he will play again.
Melbourne
Scans confirmed that Aaron Nietschke ruptured an ACL for the third time in an innocuous incident in Friday’s reserves practice match against Richmond. That follows Marty Hore’s season-ending knee injury in January. Sam Weideman is the other long-term injury, as he prepares for three months out with a stress fracture in his right leg. Fellow forward and star recruit Ben Brown will miss the early rounds after undergoing left knee surgery in February. The Demons still plan to have prime-movers Jack Viney (plantar fascia) and Angus Brayshaw (foot) in their round one side, with the latter slightly more advanced. Brayshaw could take on the Bulldogs in their AAMI Community Series clash on Monday, while Viney may fit in a VFL practice game the weekend after. Michael Hibberd is also still recovering from ankle surgery. After batting hamstring soreness, luckless utility Joel Smith dislocated his finger during the early stages of Melbourne’s main training on Wednesday. The medicos had some trouble putting his finger back into place and it could sideline him for a week or two.
North Melbourne
Big forward Charlie Comben (tibial stress fracture) remains the Kangaroos’ sole long-term issue and “won’t be back until midway through the season at best. Star onballer Ben Cunnington (concussion) is expected to return for Saturday’s AAMI Community Series match against Hawthorn – and Jared Polec (hamstring) is a chance, too. Todd Goldstein and Luke Davies-Uniacke (both soreness) are certain starters. Jed Anderson, Trent Dumont and Aiden Bonar (all calf) are all on track to be available for round one, as are Jack Mahony (elbow), Flynn Perez (hamstring) and Matt McGuinness (finger).
Port Adelaide
Sam Powell-Pepper (hand) joined Robbie Gray (lip) and captain Tom Jonas (managed) in sitting out last week’s practice match hitout with the Crows. Powell-Pepper had surgery to relieve swelling in his broken right hand and will be touch and go for round one. Gray suffered a deep cut to his lip, so won’t play until that is healed, while Jonas is set to be managed again in the AAMI Community Series game, after playing a full game in Port’s intraclub match. Todd Marshall avoided a concussion at the weekend, but sat out the rest of the contest with a cheek contusion.
Richmond
There’s plenty of interest in whether All-Australian halfback Bachar Houli will be fit for round one as he continues to recover from a nagging calf problem. Houli is in some doubt and sat out last week’s practice game against Melbourne, along with Dion Prestia (hamstring), Dan Rioli (ankle), Kane Lambert (managed), Riley Collier-Dawkins (cheekbone), Ivan Soldo (knee) and Noah Cumberland (knee). Prestia will miss at least the Tigers’ season opener and maybe beyond. Soldo and Cumberland are on the way back from respective ACL setbacks and the only long-term issues at Tigerland.
St Kilda
Important big man Rowan Marshall will miss the start of the season after scans revealed the early signs of a stress injury in one of his feet. There is no time frame for his return at this stage, but he’ll complete an ‘off-legs’ rehabilitation program for a couple more weeks before gradually returning to training. Jarryn Geary will miss at least round one because of the fracture fibula he suffered in January, but Zak Jones still hopes to play in the season opener despite sustaining another hamstring injury. Ryan Byrnes (hamstring) still faces another seven weeks out, while Ben Paton will miss the entire season with a broken leg.
Sydney
The two Swans of most interest here are Lance Franklin (calf) and Sam Naismith (knee). Franklin’s training setback in January means it’s unclear when he will next play, but it won’t be in Sunday’s AAMI Community Series game against the Giants. The star forward is focusing on building strength after a horror run in recent times. Naismith sustained a second ACL tear on his right knee in June last year and won’t feature in Sydney’s pre-season build-up. It’s unlikely the club’s No. 1 ruckman will be available in round one, as the Swans take a cautious approach with him.
West Coast
Elliot Yeo (osteitis pubis) isn’t training yet, but is completing a significant running block and remains on track to return in the early rounds of the season, after last playing in round 11 last year. Mark Hutchings (Iliotibial band) is preparing to start running again post-surgery, while Daniel Venables hasn’t resumed contact work, but is progressing well from his long-term concussion issues. A hamstring setback ruled Nic Naitanui out of Saturday’s practice match against Fremantle, but he could return as soon as Sunday night’s AAMI Community Series rematch. None of Naitanui, Tim Kelly (thumb) or Josh Kennedy (calf) is in doubt for round one.
Western Bulldogs
Star recruit Adam Treloar (calf tightness) and Easton Wood (hamstring) are on track to play in round one. Treloar is back running and getting involved in skills training, and both he and Wood are a chance to play in the Dogs’ AAMI Community Series clash with Melbourne. Aaron Naughton (corkie) skipped the practice game against Hawthorn, but only as a precaution. Another newcomer, Mitch Hannan (groin), is increasing his workload after an interrupted summer and his progress in the next fortnight will determine his round one readiness. Riley Garcia remains out indefinitely because of his pre-Christmas knee setback, but is back running, while Toby McLean’s been running for about a month after his ACL rupture in September.
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Originally published as Hurt Locker: the latest update on your club’s injured footballers ahead of the AAMI Community Series
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