NewsBite

Updated

AFL 2020: Matt Rowell shoulder injury update vs Geelong Cats

The AFL world could not believe it when Gold Coast star Matt Rowell went down with a “bone sticking out” of his shoulder.

2 min read
July 4, 2020 - 6:02PM
Matt Rowell had a bone sticking up from his shoulder.
Matt Rowell had a bone sticking up from his shoulder.

Gold Coast freak Matt Rowell has been taken from the field with a serious shoulder injury in the Suns’ clash with Geelong on Saturday.

The No. 1 draft pick was seen wincing in pain as he clutched at his right shoulder after he was dumped into the turf during a tackle by Geelong player Brandan Parfitt.

Rowell crashed hard into the turf and absorbed the collision through his elbows before Parfitt landed on him.

The 19-year-old came out of the pack holding the injured limb with TV commentators immediately spotting an apparent fracture.

As Rowell tried to run out the painful contact, AFL legend Jason Dunstall told Fox Footy it was easy to spot a bone sticking out of place.

“You can see the point of the bone sticking out there,” he said.

“He’s in trouble. He’s coming straight off. This is so unfortunate.”

Kayo is your ticket to the 2020 Toyota AFL Premiership Season. Watch every match of every round Live & On-Demand. New to Kayo? Get your 14-day free trial & start streaming instantly >

The Suns released a brief statement in the second term confirming Rowell would miss the rest of the match.

Gold Coast Suns general manager of football John Haines then confirmed Rowell had suffered a shoulder dislocation in a half time interview with Fox Footy.

“Unfortunately, the shoulder popped out. They’ve been able to put it back in, but he wont take any further part in the game unfortunately,” he said.

“He was actually demanding to go back out on the ground and had to be convinced otherwise by the physio.”

He confirmed Rowell will travel to Sydney next week with teammates ahead of their clash with the Demons at Giants Stadium.

The rising star is expected to have scans on Sunday.

He returned to sit on the bench in the second half to support his teammates.

Rowell ran by himself to the sideline but again struggled to hold the joint when a team medical official helped him walk down the tunnel into the dressing rooms.

It came at the same time Cats superstar Gary Ablett was also forced from the field with an injury scare.

Ablett was also forced down into the dressing room but emerged sitting back on the bench a few minutes later.

He returned to the field before the end of the first quarter.

Joel Selwood and Matthew Rowell was going to be a thrilling showdown.
Joel Selwood and Matthew Rowell was going to be a thrilling showdown.

Fox Footy commentator Cameron Mooney said Rowell appeared in serious pain when he came from the field.

“Seems like there’s a lump at the top of the shoulder,” he said.

“He’s in a fair bit of pain at the moment.”

Rowell has been the symbol of the Suns’ impressive start to the 2020 season and rise up the ladder after delivering three straight best-on-ground performances to start his rookie season.

Rowell’s potential long term injury sent the AFL world into a spin with many commentators feeling deeply sad for the teen star and his club.

Original URL: https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/afl-2020-matt-rowell-shoulder-injury-update-vs-geelong-cats/news-story/dc9ac383abc2d08ee2f4b8cb06a78498