Hurt Locker: All the latest injury updates and news at your club
Melbourne has revealed whether Max Gawn will make the trip to Perth to play West Coast as Carlton’s finals dream is dealt a huge blow. Latest injury news.
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Premiership captain Max Gawn has shaken off concerns over his sore knee and will play for Melbourne against West Coast on Sunday.
Demons coach Simon Goodwin confirmed on Thursday morning that Gawn was training fully and would make the trip to Perth.
Despite taking on the last-placed Eagles, Goodwin said his team was “not in the process of resting players”.
The news comes after Carlton’s fairytale start to the season hit a considerable snag with Coleman Medallist Harry McKay set to miss the next six weeks.
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McKay will have surgery on Thursday after scans confirmed a lateral meniscus tear in his knee.
The Blues spearhead had been battling issues in recent weeks but reported increased soreness after Sunday’s victory over Adelaide.
Ironically his twin brother, Ben, also went down with a knee injury this week and will miss at least North Melbourne’s next two games.
McKay and the rejuvenated Charlie Curnow have been a key part of the Blues resurrection under new coach Michael Voss with 45 goals between them.
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Carlton head of football Brad Lloyd said it was quickly established that surgery was the best option after the extent of the damage was revealed.
“This news is obviously unfortunate for Harry, given the really strong start to the season he was having both personally and as a leader for our side,” Lloyd said.
“Harry will have the surgery, he’s the ultimate professional so he will attack his rehab to be in a position to make an impact when he returns to the side, which at this stage we expect to be around three weeks after the bye.”
The Blues have also lost defender Luke Parks for up to 12 weeks with a bone stress injury in his foot.
“We had hoped for a better outcome with Luke but unfortunately we will be without him for an extended period of time,” Lloyd said.
“He is a great character, so we know he’ll put everything he can into getting himself fit and available late in the season.”
Forward Jack Martin is also out for the next two weeks after straining his calf against the Crows but George Hewitt (calf soreness) and Liam Stocker (AC joint) are chances to return this week against the GWS Giants.
Pies livewire in doubt
Collingwood livewire Jack Ginnivan is in doubt for Friday night’s clash against the Western Bulldogs, but forward Jamie Elliott is on the verge of a shock early return from shoulder surgery.
A gastro bug continues to rip through the Magpies, with Ginnivan and teammate Beau McCreery both absent from training on Wednesday.
Jordan De Goey, Nick Daicos and Will Hoskin-Elliott missed training last week with a similar bug, but were able to play in last weekend’s loss to Richmond.
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Coach Craig McRae said the Pies were hopeful Ginnivan and McCreery would both be available for Friday night.
“Jack and Beau are both sick,” McRae said.
“A bit of carry-over again from last week, so it’s gone through the place three weeks in a row and it’s unfortunate, but just like the last couple of weeks we’ll just manage those guys right up until game time.
“Hopefully 24 hours like the last couple of weeks will make a big difference to these guys.”
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Elliott, meanwhile, took part in his first main training session on Wednesday since shoulder surgery.
The club originally thought he would not be back until July, although he is firming to be available for next weekend’s clash with Fremantle in Perth.
“It’s his first main session (on Wednesday) so it’s a massive step forward for him,” McRae said.
“Hopefully next week he’ll be able to put his name up and we’ll see where that sits.”
McRae declared Darcy Moore would go to dangerous Bulldogs forward Aaron Naughton on Friday and backed him to respond this week after coming under fire for his job on Tom Lynch.
The Bulldogs have been hit with another injury blow with ruck Tim English to miss this Friday’s clash against Collingwood with illness.
English hasn’t played since round 5 due to a hamstring injury and was expected to return for the Pies match, but coach Luke Beveridge confirmed on Wednesday the big man had been ill most of the week.
In better news for the Dogs, skipper Marcus Bontempelli is set to return alongside defender Alex Keath.
The Bulldogs also announced another debutant with defender Luke Cleary set to play his first AFL game. The 19-year-old, was selected with pick 61 in last year’s draft, has earned his shot after impressing as a mid-size defender for Footscray in the VFL.
ADELAIDE
Paul Seedsman (concussion) ongoing
Rory Sloane (knee) season
Adelaide forward coach James Rahilly says the Crows were planning to reinstate No.2 pick Riley Thilthorpe into the AFL sideatthis point of the season. But he says a recent bout of Covid-19 and a knee issue for the young gun might delay his return to the senior side.
Thilthorpe hasn’t played at AFL level since Round 1. But the exciting key forward could make his return against Brisbane on Saturday night.
Rahilly said Matt Crouch and Wayne Milera would also come under discussion for the Crows this week as they try to snap a two-game losing streak. Milera has also been in the SANFL after being dropped following round 1.
Darcy Fogarty is in the mix to play after some strong form at SANFL level while Brodie Smith and Ned McHenry should return after exiting the AFL’s concussion protocols.
- Simeon Thomas-Wilson
BRISBANE LIONS
Joe Daniher (shoulder) 3-5 weeks
Kai Lohmann (ankle) 4 weeks
Dan McStay (ankle) 3-4 weeks
Brisbane’s forward stocks have taken another hit with Dan McStay to be sidelined for up to four weeks with an ankle injury. Jarryd Lyons has backed fit-again forward Eric Hipwood to deliver if given the chance to play against the Adelaide Crows on Saturday night. Hipwood hasn’t played since rupturing the anterior cruciate ligament in his knee in July last year.
However, he’s available for selection this week, with the 203cm giant’s potential return extremely timely for a Lions side that has lost tall forwards Joe Daniher (shoulder) and Dan McStay (ankle) to injuries in the past two weeks.
- Marco Monteverde
CARLTON
Harry McKay (knee) 6 weeks
David Cuningham (knee) TBC
Ed Curnow (calf) 3-5 weeks
George Hewett (calf) Test
Josh Honey (Knee) 1-2 weeks
Jack Martin (Calf) 1-2 weeks
Oscar McDonald (Back) Indefinite
Mitch McGovern (Hamstring) 9-11 weeks
Luke Parks (Foot) 3-5 weeks
Marc Pittonet (Knee) 6-10 weeks
Lachie Plowman (Illness) Test
Liam Stocker (Shoulder) 1 week
COLLINGWOOD
Charlie Dean (foot) 6 weeks
Jamie Elliott (shoulder) 2-3 weeks
Brodie Grundy (knee) 8-10 weeks
Ash Johnson (hamstring) 5-6 weeks
Will Kelly (hip) 3-4 weeks
Nathan Kreuger (shoulder) season
Jordan Roughead (finger) 2-3 weeks
Tom Wilson (back) 3-4 months
ESSENDON
Nik Cox (ankle) Test
Tex Wanganeen (ankle) Test
Andrew Phillips (hamstring) Test
James Stewart (calf) Short term
Devon Smith (knee) Short term
Harrison Jones (ankle) Short term
Jake Stringer (hamstring) Short term
Will Snelling (Calf) Medium term
Patrick Voss (Foot) Medium term
Kyle Langford (Hamstring) Medium term
Michael Hurley (Hip) Indefinite
Best-and-fairest winner Jordan Ridley and four teammates who missed last week’s win over Hawthorn after illness swept through the club are back at training and ready to take on Sydney on Saturday night.
Ridley, Jake Kelly, Matt Guelfi and Alec Waterman all fell ill in the days before the epic comeback win over the Hawks, and Sam Durham pulled out in the hours before the clash. But all five are “tracking well” for a return along with ruckman Andrew Phillips and wingman Nik Cox, posing a selection headache for Essendon coach Ben Rutten.
- Russell Gould
FREMANTLE
Joel Hamling (knee) Test
Matthew Johnson (ankle) 1 week
Matthew Taberner (hamstring) 1-2 weeks
Nat Fyfe (back) TBA
Sam Switkowski (concussion) TBA
Joel Western (hamstring) TBA
Fremantle is set to regain Rory Lobb, Blake Acres, Travis Colyer, Michael Frederick, Griffin Logue and Lloyd Meek, who all missed the 78-point win over North Melbourne because of health and safety protocols.
- Mitchell Woodcock/West Australian
GEELONG
Jed Bews (concussion) 1-2 weeks
Jon Ceglar (foot) 5-8 weeks
Toby Conway (hip) TBC
Jack Henry (foot) TBC
Shaun Higgins (general soreness) Test
Max Holmes (ankle) TBC
Sam Menegola (knee) Test
Esava Ratugolea (ankle) 4-6 weeks
Joel Selwood (quad) Test
Sam Simpson (concussion) TBC
Rhys Stanley (ankle) Test
James Willis (knee) TBC
Rhys Stanley is expected to return to face a dual St Kilda ruck threat and he will continue to tag-team with Mark Blicavs after it has become “obvious” the utility plays his best in the midfield.
Blicavs was thrust into the No.1 ruck duties after Stanley and back-up big Esava Ratugolea both went down with ankle injuries before last weekend’s clash against the GWS Giants, and he polled a perfect 10 coaches votes.
He will need Stanley’s big body for support this weekend against dominant Saints pair Paddy Ryder and Rowan Marshall, while Blicavs will also need to help out Sam De Koning’s job in stopping giant forward Max King.
Often thrown around between defence, the wing and ruck, Cats coach Chris Scott said the “evidence is in” that Blicavs plays his best on the ball.
Scott said Stanley was “tracking well” to recover from his ankle injury for Saturday’s top-eight clash.
- Josh Barnes
GOLD COAST
Noah Anderson (illness) Test
Josh Corbett (hip) Test
Ben King (knee) Season
Jack Lukosius (knee) Test
Bodhi Uwland (back) Indefinite
Jack Lukosius is unlikely to play this week’s game after re-hurting his knee against the Swans while Noah Anderson, who missedtheclash with Sydney due to illness, looks to be in the frame for a return after getting through training on Tuesday.
- Tom Boswell
GWS GIANTS
Jack Buckley (Knee) 8-10 weeks
Brent Daniels (Foot) 1 week
Phil Davis (Hamstring) 3-5 weeks
Jacob Hopper (Knee) 6 weeks
Daniel Lloyd (Shoulder) 1-2 weeks
HAWTHORN
Changkuoth Jiath (hamstring) 1 week
Emerson Jeka (hamstring) 6 weeks
Tom Phillips (ankle) 7 weeks
Ned Reeves (shoulder) TBC
Tyler Brockman (shoulder) TBC
Ben McEvoy (neck) TBC
The Hawks will regain key forward Mitch Lewis from injury for Saturday’s crunch clash against Richmond and Chad Wingard has overcome the illness which forced him to miss what would have been his 200th game last weekend against Essendon.
- Russell Gould
MELBOURNE
Michael Hibberd (calf) TBC
Blake Howes (foot) 9-11 weeks
Andy Moniz-Wakefield (concussion) 1-2 weeks
Christian Salem (knee) 1-2 weeks
Joel Smith (ankle) 8-9 weeks
Taj Woewodin (concussion) Test
Captain Max Gawn has been cleared of any structural damage to his knee and will be available to make the trip to Perth to tackle West Coast this weekend.
Gawn played only 83 per cent game time against St Kilda on Sunday and spent significant time forward, with coach Simon Goodwin saying post-match that his skipper was “a little bit sore” after copping “a couple of knocks”.
However, Gawn returned to main training to Tuesday after scans showed no damage.
Key defender Jake Lever will also be available to face the Eagles after pulling up well from a corked thigh he copped against the Saints.
Fellow defender Christian Salem is closing in on a return to the field after having surgery on chipped cartilage in his knee following round 1.
“Salem is recovering really well from his knee injury,” Melbourne club doctor Laura Lallenec said. “He’s integrating back into training this week and he’s likely to be only 1-2 weeks away from playing.”
- Chris Cavanagh
NORTH MELBOURNE
Miller Bergman (shoulder) Season
Aiden Bonar (hamstring) 3-4 weeks
Charlie Comben (knee) Test
Ben Cunnington (illness) Indefinite
Eddie Ford (foot) 5-6 weeks
Aaron Hall (hamstring) 1-2 weeks
Ben McKay (knee) 1-2 weeks
Jared Polec (ankle) Indefinite
Phoenix Spicer (hamstring) 2-3 weeks
Tristan Xerri (foot) 2 weeks
The 1-7 Kangaroos will welcome forward Nick Larkey back from suspension for Saturday’s clash against Port Adelaide at Blundstone Arena, but will lose defender Ben McKay with a knee injury.
“Ben’s out for a couple of weeks, a week or two, maybe three,” coach David Noble said.
The Kangaroos were given a boost on the training track with Ben Cunnington joining his teammates for some drills, but the club does not yet have a timeline on his return after his battle with testicular cancer.
“He will come out and do a bit of training today in one of the drills. He is a very loved member of the playing group, so it will be nice to see him run around a bit,” Noble said.
“He seems to be going well. He is at a stage where he is able to get out and intertwine with a couple of drills here or there. We still don’t (have a timeline). That’s the honest truth. It is very much see how you’re going, do a bit of running, in the gym, head down to the farm on the weekend, just relax and see how things come together.
“We are not in any real hurry and I don’t think he is. So we will just take our time.”
- Rebecca Williams
PORT ADELAIDE
Miles Bergman (virus) Assess
Riley Bonner (ankle) 3-4 weeks
Orazio Fantasia (knee) Assess
Scott Lycett (shoulder) 10-11 weeks
Trent McKenzie (knee) 4-6 weeks
Jake Pasini (knee) Season
Josh Sinn (groin) TBC
Orazio Fantasia will join Charlie Dixon in being available for Port Adelaide’s clash in Tasmania against North Melbourne this weekend, forward coach Nathan Bassett has revealed.
But emerging defender Jake Pasini will be sidelined for the remainder of the season after suffering a serious knee injury at training. Pasini ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament in a marking contest on Tuesday and the Power confirmed he would have reconstructiv esurgerylater this week.
The 21-year-old West Australian is untried at AFL level since being rookie-listed at the end of the 2019 campaign. He was an emergency for the first time in round 7 against St Kilda.
- Simeon Thomas-Wilson and Matt Turner
RICHMOND
Riley Collier-Dawkins (illness) Test
Rhyan Mansell (suspension) Round 10
Matt Parker (ankle) Test
Dion Prestia (illness) Test
Hugo Ralphsmith (ribs) Test
Samson Ryan (Achilles) Test
Nick Vlastuin (illness) Test
The Tigers’ injury list is looking healthy, with Rhyan Mansell the only forced out after copping a one-match ban for striking Jack Ginnivan. Damien Hardwick said Nick Vlastuin and Dion Prestia will be “automatic” inclusions against Hawthorn after missing the win against Collingwood with a cold. Ralphsmith is likely to resume in the VFL after missing three games with a rib injury.
– Al Paton
ST KILDA
Dan Butler (Achilles) Test
Nick Coffield (knee) Season
Dan Hannebery (calf) Indefinite
Jack Hayes (knee) Season
Dan Butler is St Kilda’s most pressing injury concern after he was subbed out of Sunday’s loss to Melbourne because of achilles tendon pain that has troubled him for some time.
The Saints are yet to rule Butler out of Saturday’s clash with Geelong, but coach Brett Ratten hinted they were leaning towards giving him a break after he admitted to doctors at the weekend he “couldn’t push off”.
“Dan’s had an achilles (problem) that we’ve been managing and he was pretty sore during the week and he has been for a couple of weeks,” Ratten said.
“We’ve got a short turnaround next week ... it’s going to challenge him, I think.”
Jack Billings is poised to play his first senior game of the year against the Cats after two VFL games. The 26-year-old midfielder has racked up 53 disposals in the past two weeks for Sandringham in the VFL as he returns from a pre-season hamstring injury.
Hunter Clark (shoulder) played his first game back in the VFL and looks at least another week away from being considered for senior selection
- Marc McGowan
SYDNEY
Harry Cunningham (abdominal) 5 weeks
Sam Naismith (knee) Season
Angus Sheldrick (knee) 5 weeks
Sydney will weigh up the benefits of playing two ruckmen against Essendon this week after Tom Hickey came through unscathed from his VFL comeback game last Saturday.
The 31-year-old amassed 23 disposals, 26 hitouts, 14 contested possessions, six clearances and a goal against Werribee to prove he was ready for a senior return.
But defender Harry Cunningham (abdominal strain) will be sidelined until after Sydney’s round 13 bye in mid-June in a significant blow for the 158-gamer.
- Marc McGowan
WEST COAST
Oscar Allen (foot) TBC
Campbell Chesser (ankle) Inactive
Tom Cole (ankle) Inactive
Tom Joyce (ankle) TBC
Zac Langdon (ankle) 5-6 weeks
Xavier O’Neill (knee) TBC
Nic Naitanui (knee) 7 weeks
Willie Rioli (hamstring) TBC
Dom Sheed (ankle) 3-4 weeks
Connor West (quad) Test
Bailey Williams (hamstring) Test
The Eagles confirmed neither Luke Shuey nor Elliot Yeo would be available for selection against Melbourne this week. But Duggan remains optimistic that the Eagles can keep improving off the back of “inroads” made against Brisbane, despite admitting they had their “backs against the wall”.
Forward Willie Rioli is set to be sidelined for at least another week and he’s been given permission to spend a few days with family.
- Aaron Kirby, Sam Rogers and Jackson Barrett/West Australian
WESTERN BULLDOGS
Marcus Bontempelli (managed) test
Tim English (illness) 1 week
Alex Keath (hamstring) test
Tim O’Brien (calf) 1-2 weeks
Cody Weightman (collarbone) 2-3 weeks
Jason Johannisen (calf) 2-3 weeks
Riley Garcia (knee) 2-3 weeks
Mitch Wallis (foot) 2-3 weeks
Josh Bruce (knee) 4-5 weeks
Toby McLean (knee) 4-5 weeks
Laitham Vandermeer (hamstring) 7-8 weeks
Mitch Hannan (concussion) indefinite
Lachie Hunter (personal) indefinite
Tim English will miss this Friday’s clash against Collingwood with illness.
English hasn’t played since round 5 due to a hamstring injury and was expected to return for the Pies match, but coach Luke Beveridge confirmed the big man had been ill most of the week.
In better news for the Dogs, skipper Marcus Bontempelli is set to return alongside defender Alex Keath.
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