AFL Grand Final casualty ward: Fresh hope for GWS star’s miracle return, Tigers face brutal call
GWS has revealed star midfielder Stephen Coniglio has been running for four weeks while Richmond faces a tough call of its own.
AFL
Don't miss out on the headlines from AFL. Followed categories will be added to My News.
As we count down to Saturday’s Grand Final both Richmond and GWS are set for some hard luck stories, with a number of playings fighting to be fit.
There are huge question marks around the Tigers’ tough nut Jack Graham, who played out Friday’s Preliminary Final despite dislocating his shoulder.
While at the Giants, a trio of stars - Stephen Coniglio (knee), Lachie Whitfield (appendix) and Phil Davis (calf/shoulder) - will be given up until the eleventh hour to prove their fitness.
Stream the full or condensed replay of the 2019 Toyota AFL Grand Final on KAYO SPORTS. Get your 14 day free trial and start streaming instantly >
Coniglio’s season was all but over when he succumbed to a knee injury in Round 17 against Richmond at the MCG.
But by virtue of the Giants’ successful September campaign, the star midfielder could make his comeback on the very turf he hyperextended his knee.
Coniglio has upped his training load over the last two weeks, with Giants football director Jimmy Bartel suggesting the 25-year-old was an outside chance of returning.
“He’s still got to do some training but he’s been running for four weeks,” Bartel told Macquarie Sports Radio.
“It’s Monday and they still have to see how everyone’s pulled up but there isn’t a line through him just yet.”
GWS board member and inaugural Giants coach Kevin Sheedy told the Today Show he would risk playing Coniglio
“He’s an unbelievable young talent. Leon Cameron and the boys would know more about it than me,” Sheedy said.
“I remember Richmond played Royce Hart off the bench in a preliminary final. He came on the field at halftime and changed the game and we got up and won and we were seven goals down. Even if you had him on the bench he would add value.”
Whitfield, conversely, is poised to almost certainly return.
One of the competition’s most damaging players via foot, Whitfield’s inclusion would inject some serious star power into the Giants, with Toby Greene also to be named after serving his one-week suspension.
“We expect Lachie to play,” GWS coach Leon Cameron told SEN on Monday morning.
Ian Hill and Lachlan Keeffe were the two inclusions for Saturday’s Preliminary Final win over Collingwood, with both looming as unlucky omissions.
While first-year player Hill is expected to be demoted, Keeffe’s performance - keeping Brody Mihocek goalless and to just two disposals - could have earned him
“I thought they both had some fantastic moments,” Cameron said.
“There’s always an unlucky story and there’s always fantastic stories in Grand Final week and it’ll be no different for us.”
With one co-captain in Callan Ward sidelined with a season-ending knee injury, it would be cruel to think Davis wouldn’t feature on Grand Final day.
But despite playing forward on Saturday after injuring his calf, Davis was confident on Monday morning that he’d play.
“I’m very confident,” he told SEN.
“Everything’s looking really positive. I had a scan yesterday and it all looked really positive so we’re all optimistic.”
Meanwhile, with Jack Ross and Kamdyn McIntosh sitting out Richmond’s VFL premiership on Sunday it appears like Graham’s bid to add another premiership to his career could be in serious doubt.
Richmond coach Damien Hardwick told reporters on Friday that regardless of whether Graham featured, his efforts to play through immense duress would go down in folklore.
“Jack Graham, if I’m going to be honest, we packed him up at half-time,” Hardwick said.
“We saw him walking off the ground, I spoke to him on the phone and asked him whether he could go and he said, ‘Yep, I can do it’.
“Where it ends up with Jack, we’re not too sure, but what I know is there’ll be a chapter in our history that has a massive, positive thing for Jack Graham, because that effort was simply incredible.”
Defender Nathan Broad (concussion) ended the 19-point win on the bench and must pass a test this week to maintain his spot in the side.
RICHMOND INJURY LIST
Jack Graham (shoulder) - TBC
Nathan Broad (concussion) - test
Alex Rance (knee) - season
Jack Higgins (knee) - season
GWS INJURY LIST
Stephen Coniglio (knee) - test
Lachie Whitfield (appendix) - test
Phil Davis (calf/shoulder) - test
Brett Deledio (calf) - TBC
Jonathon Patton (knee) - season
Callan Ward (knee) - season
Matt Flynn (knee) - season