AFL round 9 injury list: Big Blue Marc Pittonet in doubt for Sydney clash, Tigers’ injury list grows
The Blues will face a daunting task in Sydney on Friday night, and could be without a vital cog in their midfield, as the Tigers’ injury continues to grow in their horror season.
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Marc Pittonet could be sidelined against Sydney star Brodie Grundy on Friday night after finger surgery in a setback for the Blues ruckman after the hottest stint of his AFL career.
Pittonet said on Friday he had only dislocated his finger in the victory over Melbourne but he had surgery across the weekend.
The Demons used a bye to ensure Clayton Oliver was available after he had surgery on his badly dislocated finger leading into round 6 but he was back training less than a week later after the wound healed.
It means Pittonet is less likely to take on Grundy and the Swans’ elite midfield core but not yet ruled out.
On Friday he had said of the injury: “It’s not too bad. I popped it out but it went straight back in. It was just sore at the time but it should be all right.”
The Blues trained on Sunday at Ikon Park without Pittonet, as they prepare for Adam Cerra to miss multiple weeks with his fifth hamstring episode since 2022.
Pittonet returned in round 5 and not only helped the Blues midfield, he also contributed with six, seven, 11 and six clearances before the injury against Melbourne.
Without him Tom De Koning would have to handle the ruck duties after kicking six goals in the past four games playing forward and as Pittonet’s back-up.
While the Demons and Max Gawn won the hitouts on Friday night (51-32) the Blues still won clearances 42-40 and centre clearances 14-10 in a strong midfield display.
Mitch McGovern and Jack Martin made successful returns from their own hamstring issues so the SCG encounter against the Swans has blockbuster status given both sides have premiership claims.
Carlton’s VFL team played on Friday night against Melbourne and first-choice defender Caleb Marchbank made a successful return from back issues and could be considered against the Swans.
Elite running mid Jaxon Binns had 43 possessions, while forward Orazio Fantasia rebounded from his demotion to the VFL with 23 possessions but no goals and Jack Carroll had 23 touches.
If Pittonet missed it would be another blow for a midfield that at its best looks elite but has not been able to play together as a senior group enough given injury issues.
“If you look at our midfield group, they haven’t played a lot together when you talk about ‘Pitto’, Tom, Patrick (Cripps), ‘Walshy’ (Sam Walsh), (Matt) Kennedy, George (Hewett), Cerra,” coach Michael Voss said on Friday.
“They haven’t played a lot of footy together. To build those relationships and cohesiveness you need, it takes a bit of time. They get along really, really well. They’re good teammates with each other, and the more we can get them out there playing together, the better we’ll be.”
TIGERS COUNT COST OF BULLDOGS WHACKING
– Ed Bourke
Richmond will sweat over scans of Maurice Rioli’s ankle as the Tigers’ wretched injury run shows no signs of slowing down in their horror 1-8 start to the season.
Rioli’s injury late in the final quarter of the 91-point loss to the Western Bulldogs left him writhing in pain before he was stretchered off, but coach Adem Yze said there was still hope he may have only suffered a “rolled ankle”.
The incident came after a horror third-quarter marking contest collision in which Sam Banks was knocked out cold after he backed into the path of an oncoming Tim English and Noah Balta.
Replays were not shown on the broadcast or the MCG scoreboards after Balta appeared to push English under the ball before the Bulldogs ruck took out Banks’ legs from underneath him and he fell awkwardly into the turf.
Yze said the 21-year-old had been cleared of any other injuries from the incident but would enter concussion protocols.
“Banksy is up and about now – obviously he was concussed, so he’ll go into the protocols. It did look dangerous, but we’re glad to see him walking around,” Yze said.
“And then Maurice – we’re hoping it’s just a rolled ankle, but whenever there’s a rolled ankle it could be syndesmosis but we’ll just wait for the scan on that.
“He was trying so hard in that last quarter, so we gave him a bit of midfield exposure, which was nice, but then to see him get injured … we’ve got a few sore boys there.”
Senior midfielder Jack Graham returned to the side after missing a week with a hamstring complaint but was subbed out earlier in the third term with only seven disposals to his name after he again felt tightness in the same muscle.
“Jack Graham just felt the same (as two weeks ago), felt tight (in) the same hammy, so we didn’t want to take any risk with that, but we’ll have to bite the bullet and he’ll be out for a week or two,” Yze said.
Dogs uncertain on Libba timeline after latest concussion
– Matthew Forrest
Tom Liberatore has returned to the Kennel just days after being ruled out of football indefinitely, but his coach Luke Beveridge says he is unsure when the star Dog may return.
The veteran midfielder suffered his third concussive episode in the Bulldogs’ loss to the Hawks on Sunday night when he received a stray boot to his forehead in the dying minutes.
Despite returning to the club on Thursday and running away from the group, Beveridge said he could not shed light on Liberatore’s short-term future.
“He’s come in this morning and in regards to the concussion, I’m totally leaving it up to the medical professionals. I can’t really give an opinion on how he’s going,” he said.
“I ask him and he says he’s okay, but ultimately, clinically and from a diagnosis point of view I can’t help you at all, we just hope he’ll be fine.
“Great to see him here and he will do his best to convince everyone he is going to be okay, but ultimately there’s more at play obviously.”
Liberatore was given a one-match ban for a dumping tackle on Hawthorn’s Will Day, so would have missed the Bulldogs’ meeting with Richmond this week anyway, however the concussion sustained was his fourth inside a 12-month period.
The nature of his two most recent episodes, which both involved Liberatore stumbling and falling to the turf, has meant the AFL’s chief medical officer Michael Makdissi will oversee the Dog’s recovery.
Tom Liberatore will miss this week’s clash against Richmond due to concussion.
— Western Bulldogs (@westernbulldogs) May 6, 2024
Having suffered two concussions in a short space of time, Tom will be unavailable for an indefinite period as the Club works through a thorough process before a return-to-play plan is determined.
On Tuesday a concussion campaigner Peter Jess said players who have suffered three concussions should be barred from signing long-term extensions, with clubs set to be handed guidelines from the AFL about salary cap exemptions for medically retired players in the wake of Angus Brayshaw’s retirement.
Brayshaw had five years left on a six-year contract, set to expire at the end of 2028, despite having an extensive concussion history that included four concussions inside a 12-month period back in 2017.
Beveridge said he was not aware whether the AFL’s intervention would change the timeline on Liberatore’s return to footy.
“I know it takes them a while to convene those panels, so if that is the case it remains to be seen when that may be,” he said.
“I haven’t had any news on that.”
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