Barometer: Who’s hurt and who’s pushing for selection at every club after Round 12
Carlton’s hope of an immediate return from its controversial draft pick swap with Adelaide has taken a hit with an injury to youngster Liam Stocker. INJURY LATEST.
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Carlton’s hope of an immediate return from its controversial draft pick swap with Adelaide has taken a hit with an injury to youngster Liam Stocker.
Stocker, who was recruited by the Blues after their shock deal with the Crows during last year’s draft, is set to miss a month with a foot injury.
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“He unfortunately has some low-grade bone stress in his foot,” Blues high performance boss Andrew Russell told the club website.
“It’s not uncommon for a young guy of his age. It will probably mean he will miss three or four games, but he should come back strong and be able to finish the season.”
Adelaide currently holds the No.1 pick in this year’s draft after Carlton gave away its first selection in exchange for the Crows’ pick 19 last November, which it used on Stocker.
The 19-year-old midfielder had shown promise in his first five AFL games and is expected to be a long-term player for the Blues.
There is some better news for Carlton with the possible return of Marc Murphy, who has missed four weeks with broken ribs. Murphy could return this week against the Western Bulldogs if he proves his fitness this week.
BOMBERS WELCOME BACK BIG GUNS
Essendon is expected to welcome back injured duo Dylan Shiel and Jake Stringer for its Friday night clash with Hawthorn.
Shiel and Stringer were injured in the club’s Round 10 defeat to Richmond and missed the club’s victory over Carlton.
The Bombers had the bye in Round 12, giving the pair extra time to recover before the club’s crunch game against the Hawks.
Essendon coach John Worsfold said Shiel and Stringer were both in line to bolster the Bombers’ side.
But he stopped short of guaranteeing young on-baller Dylan Clarke, who kept Carlton co-captain Patrick Cripps to 11 disposals, would play.
“Our line-up will be based specifically around match-ups,” he said.
“There’s no guarantee we’ll go with a tagger, but even then we still might find a role for Dylan Clarke.”
Worsfold said forward Orazio Fantasia needed to “tick more boxes” to return from a quad injury.
SURGERY FOR KANGAROOS STAR
Resurgent North Melbourne has suffered a major injury blow with star midfielder Shaun Higgins set to miss up to six weeks with a shoulder injury.
The dual best-and-fairest winner had surger to repair his AC joint after it was damaged in a tackle by Touk Miller on Saturday night.
“The way he fell was unfortunate because he landed on the arm of his opponent, which exacerbated the injury somewhat,” football manager Cameron Joyce said.
“He‘ll have surgery this afternoon and will be targeting a Round 17 or 18 comeback at this stage.”
TIGERS CONFIDENT MARTIN WILL FACE CROWS
Meanwhile, Richmond believes Dustin Martin will take on Adelaide on Thursday as it attempts to bounce back from a heavy loss for the third time this season.
The undermanned Tigers have 15 players on their injury list and must fly into enemy territory against an Adelaide side with only Tom Doedee (knee) and Tom Lynch (calf) unavailable.
Adelaide is not only in marauding form, it has ruckman Reilly O’Brien and forward Josh Jenkins in form in areas of weakness for the Tigers given their injuries.
Martin, who was hobbling after copping a cork on Friday night, trained with the main group on Tuesday and is expected to play, while wingman Brandon Ellis (groin) is available for selection.
But key defender David Astbury will miss again as he battles a hamstring injury, and Nick Vlastuin only ran laps at training. Jack Riewoldt, Toby Nankervis, Jayden Short and Kane Lambert are still some weeks away.
The Tigers lost by 49 points against GWS in Round 3 and defeated Port Adelaide at Adelaide Oval the following week.
Then in Round 7 they lost to the Western Bulldogs by 47 points and bounced back by knocking over Fremantle in Perth.
Balme said the Tigers were disappointed with their second and third quarters against the Cats.
“We would be very surprised if he (Martin) doesn’t play. We haven’t heard any discussion he won’t be,” he said.
“With Astbury they don’t think we will take a risk on it, particularly with another week behind it. It hasn’t responded as quickly as we would like.
“We will have to see how they respond tomorrow but we would be reasonably surprised if (Nick Vlastuin, hip) didn’t get up.
“Our response this year has been really positive every game we have had. We have recovered a couple of times after being in tough positions.”
Adelaide ruckman O’Brien has been in exceptional form, taking the honours against GWS veteran Shane Mumford last week and will believe he can get on top of Ivan Soldo.
Likewise, the Tigers will have to hold up in defence against Taylor Walker and Jenkins, with Ryan Garthwaite struggling to contain Tom Hawkins last week.
The Tigers could recall Nathan Broad if they need defensive cover alongside Garthwaite and Dylan Grimes, while Shai Bolton responded to his dumping with 11 tackles and 25 possessions in the VFL.
Scroll down for the latest injury news from every club...
ADELAIDE
Adelaide forward Tom Lynch has been ruled out of Thursday night’s clash against Richmond due to a calf strain. Lynch withdrew from the side that toppled Greater Western Sydney on Saturday night at Adelaide Oval after injuring his calf in the pre-game warm-up.
Crows science and medical services coordinator Steve Saunders said scans had confirmed a low-level strain, which meant Lynch would miss consecutive games.
“MRI has today confirmed the initial clinical assessment, that being of a low-level calf strain involving the central aponeurosis,” Saunders said.
“Tom will be unavailable for selection this week as he commences treatment and rehabilitation. We will re-evaluate his progress at the end of the week and aim to make training progressions (to) prepare for the Geelong game after the bye.”
Forward Jordan Gallucci suffered a cork but played out the game, so should be fine to face the Tigers while No.1 ruckman Sam Jacobs played a second game in the SANFL and will be back in the selection mix after a knee injury.
— Richard Earle
INJURIES
Tom Doedee (knee) season
Tom Lynch (calf)
BRISBANE LIONS
Captain Dayne Zorko was the only injury concern for Brisbane to come out of its disappointing loss to Carlton after he copped a knock to his hip in a marking contest with Sam Walsh. Zorko appeared trouble by the knock but then returned to the field and then played out the match. With a bye this week, he should be fine to face St Kilda in Round 14. Ryan Bastinac could be in line for a re-call after he was best afield in the club’s NEAFL win against Gold Coast. Big man Oscar McInerney was another who impressed.
INJURIES
Dayne Zorko (hip) test
Marcus Adams (knee) 3 weeks
Zac Bailey (hamstring) 1-3 weeks
Jarrod Berry (knee) 5-7 weeks
Ryan Lester (groin) test
Ely Smith (foot) 5 weeks
CARLTON
“It’s a good question. I probably should know that, shouldn’t I?”
Don’t expect David Teague to play doctor in his time in charge of Carlton.
Understandably, the Blues’ caretaker coach has enough on his plate as he embarks on a three-month stint in the top job.
Teague admitted he didn’t know what Lochie O’Brien’s exact problem was after he limped to the bench in the last quarter against the Brisbane Lions and sat out the rest of the game.
“That’s probably one of my growth areas, to bring this time of information to these meetings,” he joked.
Marc Murphy? “I think Murph’s close.”
Liam Jones? “I’m not sure where Liam is.”
“This week was just such a whirlwind week, I just said: ‘Who’s available?’.
“To be honest, going forward I’ll be a bit that way. I know our medical and high-performance staff are excellent and when they’re ready to go, they’re ready to go.”
— Sam Edmund
INJURIES
Lochie O’Brien (leg) TBC
Liam Stocker (foot) 3-4 weeks
Tom De Koning (knee) 2-3 weeks
Sam Docherty (knee) indefinite
Liam Jones (concussion) test
Mitch McGovern (ankle) test
Marc Murphy (ribs) test
Jarrod Pickett (knee) indefinite
Tom Williamson (back) 3 weeks
COLLINGWOOD
Collingwood enters its bye sitting second on the ladder with a 9-3 record, but coach Nathan Buckley is far from content.
While Buckley said his side took a “step in the right direction” against Melbourne on Queen’s Birthday in a 41-point win, he said the coaches “haven’t liked our last month”.
“We’ve played some good footy this year, but it just hasn’t been as consistent (as we’d like),” Buckley said. “We’ve still got a way to go.”
The coach revealed after the win over the Demons that ruckman Brodie Grundy has been battling a neck injury which had put him in doubt for the match.
Asked how likely Taylor Adams (groin) and Jamie Elliott (hamstring) were to be available for the Magpies’ Round 14 clash with Western Bulldogs after the bye, Buckley said it was too early to tell.
“They’re both training really well,” Buckley said. “They’ve had two or three weeks where they’ve got some pretty good load in and they’re both looking forward to playing, they’ll be pushing the docs pretty hard. Both of them are training through our break with the intent of putting their hand up.”
- Chris Cavanagh
INJURIES
Taylor Adams (groin) 1-2 weeks
Flynn Appleby (ankle) test
Dayne Beams (hip) 12 weeks
Lynden Dunn (knee) season
Jamie Elliott (hamstring) 1-2 weeks
Will Kelly (leg) 6-9 weeks
Tom Langdon (knee) 4 weeks
Nathan Murphy (ankle) indefinite
Sam Murray (provisional suspension) TBC
Daniel Wells (knee) 12 weeks
ESSENDON
The Bombers will hope to regain prime movers Dylan Shiel and Jake Stringer from hamstring injuries when they tackle Hawthorn on Friday night. The key pair were injured during the club’s Dreamtime at the G loss to Richmond in Round 10 and missed their side’s victory over Carlton last weekend. Orazio Fantasia is the other Bomber who the club will assess this week after a quad concern kept him out in recent weeks. James Stewart has been close to returning from a groin injury but is likely to come through the VFL.
— Tim Michell
INJURIES
Joe Daniher (groin) season
Sam Draper (knee) season
Orazio Fantasia (quad) test
Kobe Mutch (hamstring) 2-3 weeks
Dylan Shiel (hamstring) test
Devon Smith (knee) season
James Stewart (groin) 1-2 weeks
Jake Stringer (hamstring) test
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FREMANTLE
Fremantle has suffered a massive blow with ruckman Rory Lobb in danger of missing the rest of the AFL season after being diagnosed with a stress fracture in his foot.
Just days after ruling out key defender Alex Pearce for the remainder of the campaign, the Dockers revealed Lobb would miss “an extended period” after injuring his right foot in last week’s win over Collingwood at the MCG.
The Dockers have notset a timeline for Lobb’s return but the injury is notoriously slow to heal.
Stephen Hill (quad) is the key Docker who has been on the sidelines set for a welcome return in coming weeks. The dashing wingman is yet to play a game this year due to calf and quad issues. Pearce (ankle) and fringe midfielder Stefan Giro (knee) have been ruled out for the season, along with key forward Matt Taberner (foot). In positive news, No. 17 draft pick Sam Sturt is close to playing again after battling concussion following a heavy collision in the WAFL in late April.
— Tim Michell, AAP
INJURIES
Sean Darcy (ankle) test
Hugh Dixon (hamstring) 2 weeks
Stefan Giro (knee) season
Stephen Hill (quad) 1-2 weeks
Shane Kersten (foot) TBC
Rory Lobb (foot) TBC
Alex Pearce (ankle) season
Aaron Sandilands (calf) TBC
Sam Sturt (concussion) 1 week
Matt Taberner (foot) season
Luke Valente (groin) 2 weeks
GEELONG
Patrick Dangerfield is convinced Geelong’s recent hoodoo after the bye weekend holds no relevance this year given the restructuring of the Cats’ team.
The Cats head to the break at 11-1 after an extraordinary start to the season.
“We understand it is there (the past history), we are not naive enough to just bury our heads in the sand,” Dangerfield said.
“But it’s just a different team we have this year. I look at that and say it might historically have happened, but this is a totally new unit, and that give me confidence.
“We’ve got to confront that (the bye), the only way to confront it is to prepare as best as we can.”
The Cats are confident forward Esava Ratugolea (hamstring tightness) will be right to play immediately after the break.
— Glenn McFarlane
INJURIES
Esava Ratugolea (hamstring) TBC
Nakia Cockatoo (knee) 6-8 weeks
Jordan Cunico (ankle) 6-8 weeks
Lachie Henderson (plantar fascia) 1-2 weeks
Sam Menegola (knee) 2-3 weeks
Quinton Narkle (hamstring) 3-4 weeks
GOLD COAST
Half-back flanker Jordan Murdoch’s ankle injury was the key concern for Gold Coast out of its loss to North Melbourne. The former Cat missed the last quarter against North Melbourne after limping off and will be under a cloud as the Suns prepare to face St Kilda. Callum Ah Chee kicked two goals and was named Gold Coast’s best in its NEAFL loss to Brisbane, while former Tiger Corey Ellis was another who impressed and would be a like-for-like replacement with Murdoch.
— Tim Michell
INJURIES
Jordan Murdoch (ankle) test
Ben Ainsworth (foot) 5-7 weeks
Josh Schoenfeld (knee soreness) test
Jack Bowes (quad) 8 weeks
Sam Collins (hip) 4 weeks
Pearce Hanley (quad) 3-4 weeks
Jarrod Harbrow (groin) test
Sean Lemmens (ankle) 5 weeks
Izak Rankine (hamstring) 1-2 weeks
Brad Scheer (hand) 1-3 weeks
Rory Thompson (knee) season
Harrison Wigg (knee) season
Aaron Young (knee) 2 weeks
GWS GIANTS
Has the time come for Jackson Hately to return to the Giants side? He could hardly have done more to press his case in the NEAFL and was GWS’ winning possession-getter as its reserves defeated Sydney by 25 points. Hately missed out on a late call-up after Toby Greene (calf) withdrew as Leon Cameron preferred Daniel Lloyd to the rising star. Small forward Zac Langdon was another who shone in the NEAFL with three goals. Defender Nick Haynes hurt his ankle in a marking contest and will be the key concern this week along with Greene.
— Tim Michell
INJURIES
Toby Greene (calf) test
Jye Caldwell (calf) 3 weeks
Aidan Corr (calf) 3 weeks
Jonathon Patton (knee) TBC
Tommy Sheridan (calf) 2 weeks
Zac Sproule (knee) 6-8 weeks
Callan Ward (knee) season
Lachie Whitfield (collarbone) 4 weeks
HAWTHORN
The Hawks shape as one of the most intriguing teams to watch in the run home. Are they trying to rebuild on the run or will they bottom out? Al Clarkson unashamedly is looking to the future but wins against Essendon and Sydney in the next two weeks would probably put Hawthorn back in the eight. Chad Wingard won’t feature in either clash — he’s still listed as “TBC” on the club injury list after suffering a second hamstring injury, but Jarryd Roughead is available and willing if needed.
— Al Paton
INJURIES
Grant Birchall (calf/knee) indefinite
Ben McEvoy (ankle) 2-4 weeks
Darren Minchington (hamstring) test
Tom Mitchell (broken leg) indefinite
Tim Mohr (dislocated knee/ACL) season
Ryan Schoenmakers (calf) test
Jack Scrimshaw (knee) 3-5 weeks
Chad Wingard (hamstring) TBC
MELBOURNE
For the first time this season, Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin feels like there’s genuine selection pressure. The Dees are starting to get some players back from injury and Kade Kolodjashnij, Jordan Lewis, Corey Wagner and Jay Kennedy-Harris all had strong games in the VFL. Clearly, Melbourne desperately needs to fix the midfield-forward connection issues which have destroyed its season, so anyone who can hit a target will be front of mind. The Dees will have the bye this week before they meet Jesse Hogan for the first time since his departure to Fremantle. The match-up against Steven May will be must-watch, given Melbourne effectively swapped one for the other in the trade period.
- Jay Clark
INJURIES
Tim Smith (ill) TBC
Neville Jetta (knee) 6-8 weeks
Corey Maynard (concussion) 1 week
Jake Melksham (foot) 4-6 weeks
Aaron Nietschke (nee) season
Harry Petty (knee) test
Joel Smith (groin) 4-6 weeks
Aaron vandenBerg (ankle) 6-8 weeks
Guy Walker (shoulder) indefinite
NORTH MELBOURNE
North Melbourne turned to its young guns to fill the midfield void left by Shaun Higgins’ shoulder injury on Saturday and is facing an extended period without the silky midfielder. Tarryn Thomas, Luke Davies-Uniacke and Jy Simpkin stepped up in Higgins’ absence, impressing interim coach Rhyce Shaw. Brad Scott’s replacement flagged Higgins would be scanned on Monday to determine the extent of his injury. “It doesn’t look good, but we will have to assess that,” Shaw said. Skipper Jack Ziebell underwent a concussion test after a heavy hit from Jack Martin but played on.
— Tim Michell
INJURIES
Shaun Higgins (AC joint) 5-6 weeks
Aaron Hall (knee) TBC
Majak Daw (pelvis/hips) indefinite
Ben Jacobs (head/neck) indefinite
Jamie Macmillan (calf) test
Tom McKenzie (back) TBC
Dom Tyson (calf) 1 week
Ed Vickers-Willis (knee) season
Will Walker (knee) indefinite
Tom Wilkinson (ankle) 3-4 weeks
Sam Wright (ankle) 1-2 weeks
PORT ADELAIDE
While most AFL clubs’ VFL affiliates matched their bye, Port was fortunate to play a SANFL game against Sturt — the perfect vehicle for Ollie Wines and Charlie Dixon to make their returns from injury. Both shone, with Wines picking up 32 disposals and 10 tackles and Dixon kicking five goals in his first game for nine months. Will he come straight into the senior line-up? Willem Drew (29 disposals) Peter Ladhams (46 hit-outs) also impressed while Tom Rockliff is expected to be available for Port’s clash against Fremantle, a game that will be crucial in deciding placings at the bottom end of the top eight — something we didn’t expect to be saying at the start of the season.
— Al Paton
INJURIES
Brad Ebert (concussion) 1-2 weeks
Sam Hayes (glandular fever) 2-3 weeks
Jake Patmore (knee) season
Tom Rockliff (hamstring) test
Jack Trengove (leg) 2-3 weeks
Jack Watts (leg) indefinite
RICHMOND
Can Richmond hang around the top eight long enough to stay in touching distance of the top four until a final seven-match stretch of matches at the MCG?
Right now it needs to stem the bleeding against Adelaide away next Thursday night with the reality its injury list might get longer rather than shorter.
Dustin Martin should play despite a corked leg, but there is an injury cloud over Nick Vlastuin (hip) and Damien Hardwick suggested on Friday night David Astbury (hamstring) and Brandon Ellis (groin) might only return after the Round 14 bye.
In the VFL on Saturday Shai Bolton had 12 tackles and Nathan Broad performed strongly, so they will both come into the mix against the Crows.
But can the Tigers eke out enough wins until Jack Riewoldt, Toby Nankervis and Kane Lambert return after that bye?
Given the way Geelong taught them a football lesson in the last three quarters on Friday night with little resistance, that is a valid question.
— Jon Ralph
INJURIES
Nick Vlastuin (hip) test
Dustin Martin (corked leg) test
David Astbury (hamstring) test
Brandon Ellis (groin) test
Luke English (shoulder) 4-6 weeks
Kane Lambert (achilles) 2-3 weeks
Oleg Markov (illness) test
Callum Moore (ankle) 6-8 weeks
Toby Nankervis (adductor) 4-6 weeks
Marlion Pickett (finger) 8-10 weeks
Alex Rance (knee) season
Jack Riewoldt (PCL) 4-5 weeks
Jack Ross (ankle) 4-6 weeks
Jayden Short (elbow) 3-4 weeks
ST KILDA
The Saints gave their players some time off after the Shanghai disaster, and fixtures against Gold Coast (away) and Brisbane (hope) give them the chance to reboot a stalled season. Skipper Jarryn Geary won’t be back for a while, but Blake Acres should be available and top draft pick Max King is closing on an AFL debut after building form in the VFL. Dan Hannebery played his first game of the year for Sandringham last week (the VFL side also had the bye this weekend) and picked up 24 disposals in three quarters. “I’ll get a solid week of training in and reassess in the next week or two,” Hannebery told the Saints website. “My gut feel is at least another one or so games in the VFL, but we’ll wait and see.”
— Al Paton
INJURIES
Blake Acres (ill) test
Logan Austin (shoulder) indefinite
Jack Bytel (back) season
Jake Carlisle (back) 3-5 weeks
Jarryn Geary (leg) 8-10 weeks
Jack Lonie (knee) 3-5 weeks
Jonathon Marsh (ill) test
Paddy McCartin (concussion) season
Daniel McKenzie (ill) test
Lewis Pierce (concussion) test
Dylan Roberton (heart) season
Sam Rowe (shoulder) test
Jack Steven (mental health) indefinite
Jimmy Webster (hand) 2-3 weeks
SYDNEY
Sydney hopes to regain several key players including Josh Kennedy after its Round 13 bye, although its win against West Coast did come at a cost. Irishman Colin O’Riordan suffered concussion after a heavy tackle from Willie Rioli, Jackson Thurlow was on the end of a hefty bump from ruckman Nathan Vardy and veteran Jarrad McVeigh suffered a thigh injury. The week off should have O’Riordan and Thurlow in the mix for Round 14, however McVeigh will be touch and go.
— Tim Michell
INJURIES
Colin O’Riordan (concussion) test
Jarrad McVeigh (thigh) TBC
Jackson Thurlow (head) test
Harry Cunningham (quad) 3-5 weeks
Robbie Fox (ankle) 1-2 weeks
Kieren Jack (hip) 2-3 weeks
Zak Jones (hamstring) 1-2 weeks
Josh Kennedy (knee) 2-3 weeks
Matthew Ling (foot) 4-6 weeks
Jack Maibaum (knee) season
Sam Naismith (knee) TBC
Nick Smith (hamstring) TBC
Durak Tucker (knee) indefinite
WEST COAST
While forwards Liam Ryan and Jamie Cripps were assessed during the game, West Coast got out of Sydney without a major injury worry. The Eagles have been confident skipper Shannon Hurn will shake off a hamstring strain to be back by Round 14, while the pending return of key defender Tom Barrass will be a huge boost. West Coast had long targeted the period after its Round 13 bye to welcome back Nic Naitanui and he cannot return soon enough after Callum Sinclair got the better of Nathan Vardy and Tom Hickey.
— Tim Michell
INJURIES
Shannon Hurn (hamstring) 1-2 weeks
Oscar Allen (ankle) TBC
Tom Barrass (foot) 3-4 weeks
Patrick Bines (hernia) TBC
Hamish Brayshaw (toe) test
Harry Edwards (foot) TBC
Fraser McInnes (shoulder) 1 week
Nic Naitanui (knee) indefinite
Daniel Venables (concussion) TBC
Francis Watson (shoulder) test
WESTERN BULLDOGS
Can the Dogs make a late-season push for the finals? The bottom end of the eight is incredibly tight and the talent is there, but a percentage of 88.7 is going to make it tough unless they can get on a serious roll. A date with the buoyant Blues isn’t as clear-cut as they might have thought, with the Dogs well aware of the impact of a coach sacking bounce after copping the Kangaroos in Brad Scott’s last game in charge. At least they’re a chance to get a few players back including Hayden Crozier and Taylor Duryea.
— Al Paton
INJURIES
Hayden Crozier (toe) test
Taylor Duryea (hip) test
Dale Morris (knee) test
Fergus Greene (shoulder) TBC
Mitch Wallis (ankle) TBC
Josh Schache (concussion) test
Lukas Webb (ankle) 6-8 weeks
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