AFL pre-season news: Every club’s injury status ahead of 2022 season
St Kilda has been rocked by a devastating blow to young defender Nick Coffield, with scans confirming the Saints’ worst fears. A look at every club’s hurt locker
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Scans have confirmed St Kilda young gun Nick Coffield has torn his ACL.
Coffield injured his right knee during the Saints’ match simulation session on Friday.
SCROLL DOWN TO SEE YOUR CLUB’S INJURY LIST
Coffield planted and fell to the ground in pain. The session was held up for five minutes as he was helped from the ground.
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Scans on Saturday afternoon confirmed the worst for the 22-year-old, whose season is over.
Coffield is expected to have surgery in the next two weeks.
St Kilda chief operating officer Simon Lethlean said it was a blow.
“Nick had been doing everything right this pre-season and we were really looking forward to seeing what he could achieve this year,” he said.
“This is a big blow to Nick, but we know he’ll be doing everything he can to get back out there as soon as possible.
“While this is a significant setback, Nick has the full support of the entire club as he attacks his rehabilitation.”
ADELAIDE
Paul Seedsman
Is running again at training, but has to wear sunglasses, after suffering a concussion prior to Christmas and felt lingering symptoms a month later.
The Crows are taking a cautious approach with Seedsman, with a timeline for his return to full contact unclear.
Shane McAdam
Another to cop a concussion, McAdam is now back in training and will be contending for Round 1.
Wayne Milera
Has been doing a lot of drills after tearing his patella tendon last pre-season.
The Crows are crossing their fingers he will be right for Round 1 after two injury interrupted years.
Matt Crouch
Is back in sessions and nearly taking part in the entirety of them.
Crouch missed pretty much all of 2021 because of a groin issue but seems to be on track to feature in Round 1.
Fischer McAsey
Suffered an early stress fracture in his right femur prior to Christmas.
McAsey was running on Monday but what needed to be a big season has been interrupted.
Lachie Murphy
Had surgery on a bulging disc in his neck prior to Christmas.
Was running with McAsey this week but won’t be able to resume contact training until March.
BRISBANE
Eric Hipwood
Unlikely to be available for Round 1 as he continues to recover from an ACL rupture, with a likely return date in May.
Cam Rayner
The former No.1 Draft pick has recovered from his knee injury and will be in the frame to play in Round 1.
Noah Answerth
After being hampered by groin, hip and back injuries for the past year, Answerth has returned to full training and is expected to be in the frame for Round 1.
CARLTON
The Blues are relatively healthy at the moment, which is always a bonus given Covid has impacted all clubs this pre-season. Liam Stocker, Caleb Marchbank and David Cuningham were among those still on the sidelines, while Marc Pittonet, Lachie Fogarty and Jack Martin sat out the match-simulation session.
COLLINGWOOD
Scott Pendlebury
Still on a slightly modified training program that has reduced the amount of running he completes to further limit issues with his leg after he suffered a left leg fracture at training last December.
Darcy Moore
Back in full training after suffering a PCL injury which sidelined him for the second half of last season.
ESSENDON
Michael Hurley
Following his hip surgery last September, Hurley resumed running after Christmas and has been gradually building his loads up since then. Essendon said the outcome of the surgery had been positive and he has been “progressing well” but remained wary of placing any time frame on when he might progress to skills training or the possibility of a return to play.
Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti
McDonald-Tipungwuti remains on a modified training program since suffering a slight calf injury just before Christmas. The small forward has been running but is still a few weeks away from progressing to training with the main group.
Zach Reid
Essendon has taken a conservative approach with the second-year Bomber since a foot injured surfaced before Christmas. The Bombers described Reid’s foot problem as the “early onset of a stress injury” but were confident they had got onto it early. The top-10 draft pick is now back running and gradually building up his loads.
FREMANTLE
Nat Fyfe
The Dockers superstar had shoulder surgery and could be back in full training soon.
Matthew Johnson
The young midfielder is out for four weeks after he suffered a foot injury.
Matt Taberner
The forward is dealing with an ankle issue but he will be back in full training soon.
Joel Hamling
Hamling is aiming to play a practice game soon as he recovers from an ankle injury.
David Mundy
Suffered an ankle injury pre-Christmas, the evergreen veteran has been on a managed program.
GEELONG
Gryan Miers
The talented small forward suffered a syndesmosis injury to his left ankle last week and underwent surgery. His return is unknown and dependent on rehabilitation.
Jon Ceglar
The newly joined Cat suffered a mishap at training hurting his knee and also underwent surgery. The club expects he will make a quick recovery.
Sam Menegola
Had knee surgery last October and has not been seen on the track since. Spent time in Perth post-season but has now returned to Geelong.
Jack Henry
Has undergone surgery on his foot but is expected to return to training before the season commences.
GOLD COAST
Jarrod Witts
The club captain suffered an ACL rupture last year and is recovering well and looking strong at training, however the club will wait and see how he pulls up over the next eight weeks.
Connor Budarick
Similarly to Witts, Budarick has recovered from his ACL injury but will be assessed over the next eight weeks to see whether he will be fit to play Round 1.
Jack Bowes
The midfielder injured his shoulder last week, which required surgery, and is likely to return in the early rounds of the season.
GREATER WESTERN SYDNEY
Zach Sproule
The forward has undergone shoulder surgery for the second time this pre-season after he injured his left shoulder at training. Sproule initially underwent a reconstruction on his right shoulder last September after dislocating it in the club’s semi-final against Geelong.
He injured his left shoulder in a spoiling contest after a return to training and underwent surgery two weeks ago. The club expects him to make a return in the second half of the season.
Jack Buckley
The young defender remains on track for a mid-season return from an anterior cruciate ligament injury after requiring an arthroscopy on his injured leg. Buckley tore his ACL in Round 16 last year.
Braydon Preuss
The ruckman has made a return to training after a run of injuries throughout the 2021 season, which included a shoulder reconstruction, ruptured pectoral and post-season back surgery. The 26-year-old is now back into full training.
Lachlan Keeffe
The Giants big man is making progress from his ACL injury, which he suffered in Round 10 last year. The club said Keeffe would continue to build up his training and is expected to return to the field in the early part of the season.
Brent Daniels (hamstring), Xavier O’Halloran (calf) and Tom Green (forearm) are all back in full training with the Giants after late-season injuries last year.
HAWTHORN
Jacob Koschitzke
The emerging tall had shoulder surgery post-season but has been back in full training since the start of pre-season.
James Sicily
The star intercept defender has been back in the main skills program since day one of pre-season after recovering from an ACL injury suffered in 2020. He has since built up to full contact loads and the club say he is going well.
Jack Gunston
Gunston had back surgery towards the end of last season and focused on his conditioning since then. The club says it’s a difficult injury to predict but the premiership sharp shooter has been able to partake in some skill-based drills in the pre-season. The Hawks are hopeful he can reach full training loads in the next three to four weeks.
Will Day
The talented youngster has been going through a slow building phase with training focused on conditioning after he suffered a serious ankle injury last year. The club expects that to increase to skills work over the next month and expect the 20-year-old to see some minutes in the later pre-season or practice matches.
Changkuoth Jiath
Coming off a significant PCL injury late in the 2021 season, CJ has had a period of down time to allow his knee to recover. The dashing defender is currently building his running volumes with the expectation of he’ll move to skill work in the next four weeks. The Hawks don’t expect CJ to return fully until closer to Round 1.
Jarman Impey
Following ankle surgery towards the end of last season, Impey has been able to join in with the group from day one of pre-season.
Connor Downie
Similar situation to Impey, Downie underwent surgery in the latter stages of last season and has since started skills with the group which will progress into full participation next week.
MELBOURNE
The Demons have a full group on the track.
NORTH MELBOURNE
Ben Cunnington
The tough as nails midfielder is undergoing chemotherapy for a secondary occurrence of testicular cancer. It is unclear when he will return.
Aiden Bonar
Bonar underwent surgery on a lingering wrist issue in December. Has been taking parts in drills and is expected to be available for Round 1.
PORT ADELAIDE
Charlie Dixon
Port are now hopeful that Dixon will avoid surgery after he tore ligaments in his ankle following landing on a teammate in a marking contest.
If Dixon continues to improve then he should be back in full training within four weeks.
Orazio Fantasia
The livewire had surgery on his left knee but is now having issues with his right one.
It is considered more likely that Fantasia will need surgery but he can’t because of South Australia’s ban on elective procedures because of Covid.
A running session on Wednesday will be key for him.
Miles Bergman
The young gun had a shoulder operation in the off-season and had to again go under the knife during the Christmas break after a screw came loose. He could be back in full contact training close to Round 1.
Kane Farrell
Tore his ACL against Hawthorn last year, Farrell is on the comeback trail and has been running and participating in drills.
Hugh Jackson
Went in for surgery on his hip soon after he was drafted by the Power. Jackson will be in full training soon.
RICHMOND
Dustin Martin
Returned to full contact training this week for the first time since suffering a lacerated kidney in Round 18 last year.
Tom Lynch
Not far off a return to training after recovering from a minor hamstring strain in recent weeks.
Jack Graham
Managing a back/hamstring issue that has slowed him down in recent weeks but is not considered to be a serious injury.
Kane Lambert
Hasn’t been in full training lately as he manages some hip issues.
Ivan Soldo
Has been training fully since returning in January, having overcome an ACL injury he suffered in Round 17, 2020.
SYDNEY
Callum Mills
Progressing in to modified training drills on return from Achilles tendon rehabilitation.
Joel Amartey
Progressing in to modified training drills on return from groin pain rehabilitation.
Marc Sheather
Sustained a navicular stress reaction at the commencement of the pre-season. Has returned to running following a period of rest.
Sam Naismith
Is continuing his rehabilitation from a third ACL reconstruction last June.
ST KILDA
Jade Gresham
Tore his achilles last year. Gresham is back in full training and should be taking part in St Kilda’s intra-club match.
Jarryn Geary
Recovering from shoulder surgery the ex-captain is transitioning back into the main group and could be available for Round 1.
Dan Hannebery
Has trained with the main group this pre-season but given his history of soft tissue injuries, the club are being cautious with the midfielder. But there is hope that he plays Round 1.
Nick Coffield
The small defender went down with a suspected ACL injury in an intraclub match.
WESTERN BULLDOGS
Josh Bruce
The forward took a major step forward in his recovery from an anterior cruciate ligament injury when he resumed running last week. Bruce hurt his knee on the eve of the finals last year.
Toby McLean
Also on the comeback trail from an ACL injury he suffered in July, midfielder Toby McLean is about a month ahead of Bruce in his recovery and started running before Christmas.
Cody Weightman
The electric small forward, who faced a delayed start to his pre-season after undergoing surgery on a foot injury he carried into the Grand Final, is on target to rejoin the main training group in the next two weeks.
Sam Darcy
The father-son draft pick has started doing some light running in the past two weeks as he continues his recovery from a foot stress fracture. It is anticipated the No.2 selection and 205cm key position prospect will be able to integrate into the main group before Round 1.
WEST COAST
Luke Shuey
Captain Luke Shuey was a welcome sight at West Coast training, just four days after sustaining a hamstring injury.
Coach Adam Simpson revealed yesterday the midfielder won’t require surgery and should re-join the main squad in the coming weeks.
Shuey started the session walking laps before getting into a light jog, but didn’t look in too much discomfort in a positive sign.
There’s hopes his latest soft-tissue setback is on the minor end of the scale.
But there will no doubt be extra caution with the 31-year-old’s comeback timeline and return to full training given his age and history.
Jack Redden
The yellow hat is off and the contact drills are back for Jack Redden in a significant step after shoulder surgery.
Jack Redden’s left shoulder was still heavily strapped in match sim but he was able to absorb some tackles from Campbell Chesser and others.
The premiership midfielder now looks a realistic chance to feature in the pre-season matches starting late February.
West Coast’s modified training program contingent looks much larger than their cross-town rivals Fremantle at this point of the pre-season.
Liam Duggan
Duggan was restricted to running laps and kicking drills as he works his way back from knee surgery.
THE REST
Fellow premiership players Liam Ryan, Luke Shuey and Josh Kennedy also didn’t take part in match sim, while Elliot Yeo started there before finishing with some running.
Young talls Callum Jamieson, Jack Williams, Rhett Bazzo and second-year midfielders Luke Edwards and Zane Trew were others training away from the main group on the outer oval.
Jamieson had an operation to fix last month to fix an iliotibial band (ITB) issue.
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