AFL: Jaidyn Stephenson could spend another week in VFL as North weighs up midfield options
There’s no guarantee Jaidyn Stephenson will be back in North Melbourne’s AFL side this weekend despite an injury to Tarryn Thomas.
AFL
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Senior coach David Noble says Tarryn Thomas’ injury won’t necessarily give Jaidyn Stephenson a free pass back from the VFL and into North Melbourne’s side to face Brisbane this weekend.
Thomas sustained “internal bruising” against West Coast on Sunday and joined a handful of other midfield options, including Luke Davies-Uniacke, Will Phillips and Ben Cunnington, in the Kangaroos’ casualty ward.
But despite the growing list of outs, Stephenson, North’s highest profile recruit ahead of the 2021 season, is still no guarantee to line up in the AFL this weekend.
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“Jaidyn went back and played really well (in the VFL),” Noble said.
“With Luke and ‘Taz’ (Thomas) out, it gives us some options.
“Eddie Ford’s been in good form, Paul Curtis has shown some good signs, so we feel like we’ve got some options being able to roll some different players through that midfield.”
The Kangaroos initially indicated Thomas would need between four and eight weeks to recover, but Noble on Wednesday said there was no timeframe on his return.
“We’ve got to take our time,” he said.
“Internal bruising is always something that we just have to be guided from a medical perspective.
“We’re not quite sure of the range of timeframe yet.
“Tarryn’s health is important. We’ll make sure he gets the right rest and then we’ll probably
just assess him in the next couple of weeks to see what that timeframe looks like.”
New recruit Callum Coleman-Jones is in the frame to return against Brisbane, having joined Stephenson in the VFL last week.
“It’s certainly a consideration,” Noble said.
The return date of Cunnington, who underwent chemotherapy in the off-season, is still unclear.
“We’re looking after Ben’s health. That’s all I’ll say,” Noble said.
“We just need to let him do his own thing. His health is his No.1 priority. When he’s ready, he's ready.”
Noble refused to weigh into the debate as to whether Sunday’s clash with West Coast should have gone ahead.
The Eagles were forced to make 14 changes to their round 1 side after Covid swept through the club and ended up losing by 15 points.
“We won, we’ve moved on. We’ve got the Brisbane Lions this week,” Noble said.
“We’ve got a pretty tough opponent up at the Gabba on Saturday night.
“We’re looking forward to the challenge, I think that’s where we’re at as a group, it’s embracing going away and playing a big opponent.”
Originally published as AFL: Jaidyn Stephenson could spend another week in VFL as North weighs up midfield options
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