Jeremy Howe to miss Round 1 after twist emerges in broken finger tale

COLLINGWOOD recruit Jeremy Howe played in a T20 cricket match on the night he broke his finger, but insists the injury was caused by a frisbee accident.

Collingwood Press Conference

COLLINGWOOD recruit Jeremy Howe played in a T20 cricket match on the night he broke his finger, but insists the injury was caused by a frisbee accident.

Two screws have been inserted into high-flying Howe’s middle finger, with the club already ruling him out of Round 1.

The Pies yesterday said Howe had broken the finger in a freak frisbee accident involving his dog at an Elsternwick park last Tuesday.

But it emerged last night that Howe, recovering from stress fractures in his feet, had earlier bowled four overs for Koonung Heights against Vermont.

Witnesses claimed he ran in from the boundary line, dropped a catch, then immediately left the ground favouring his hand.

Collingwood football boss Neil Balme last night told the Herald Sun Howe was adamant the injury happened an hour later.

HOW? THE DANGERS OF PLAYING FRISBEE

Balme admitted he would have attempted to convince Howe not to play cricket given he had only started running days before following a summer spent battling stress fractures.

Despite conjecture about the incident, Balme backed Howe’s version of events.

“I have spoken to him again tonight and he told me he broke his finger picking up a frisbee,’’ Balme said.

“I said `we are hearing all this stuff and I don’t care if you play cricket but I will be unhappy if I find out later you broke your hand playing cricket’, and he said, “I didn’t’.

“He said he filled in for a bloke for a while and didn’t intend to play but he doesn’t have anything to hide.

“To be fair he didn’t ask permission to play and if he had I might have convinced him otherwise, but there is nothing wrong with him playing cricket.”

Vermont had batted first in the Twenty20 clash and made 131 — Howe took 0/20 — but despite batting in the top order in the other games for Koonung Heights he was listed at No. 10 and did not bat.

Jeremy Howe’s version of events has been backed by Collingwood football boss Neil Balme. Picture: Getty Images

Howe has played five games for Koonung Heights over summer.

His manager Ben Niall said last night he had investigated claims about the cricket match and said Howe had injured himself jarring his finger into the ground as his dog grabbed him.

“He left at 6.30pm but he didn’t bat and he didn’t hurt his finger,’’ Niall said.

“He met his girlfriend at a dog park in Elsternwick and the dog must weight 45kg and he was throwing the frisbee and he put his hand down and the dog grabbed it and he jammed his finger into the ground.

“He called the club doctor by 7.30pm. He didn’t hurt his finger playing cricket. That is fact.”

Asked about spectators who believed Howe was hurt playing cricket, Balme replied: “(His version) is the truth because I asked him and he told me that was what happened.”

The match was Howe’s first game since December 15; the former Melbourne player has averaged 38.6 with the bat and 38.3 with the ball (three wickets).