Hurt Locker: Round 5 injury news and concerns at your club
Two big names have been cleared to line up for Collingwood but the news for the unbeaten Swans is not as positive heading into the Sydney derby. All club injury updates.
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Collingwood will have Steele Sidebottom and Jordan De Goey available for their crucial clash with West Coast in Perth on Friday after both passed fitness tests.
Same cannot be said for Port Adelaide, which loses Zak Butters and Xavier Duursma for its clash with Carlton at the MCG on Saturday.
Connor Rozee, who suffered a quad contusion against the Tigers, is expected to be OK, as is Orazio Fantasia despite rolling his ankle last week.
Sydney have similar problems, with Dane Rampe and Isaac Heeney both to miss the local derby with GWS on Saturday.
Check out all the injury updates from every club heading into Round 5.
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ADELAIDE
All-Australian halfback Brodie Smith and exciting forward Shane McAdam will both be monitored this week after suffering injuries in the Crows’ win over North Melbourne.
McAdam suffered a sternoclavicular joint strain, and has had his arm in a sling, while Smith had his knee assessed during the game.
Captain Rory Sloane has had successful surgery on his eye to remedy a retinal detachment after he complained of blurred vision last week and is anticipated to be back in two to four weeks.
Matt Crouch now has a timeline to return from groin soreness after he resumed running over the weekend, and is expected to be back in three to five weeks.
Key defender Daniel Talia has started his rehab after having surgery on his foot last week and is listed as seven to nine weeks away.
Brayden Cook will play in the SANFL after completing his rehab from off-season shoulder surgery, while Lachie Gollant is eight to 10 weeks away from returning from finger surgery.
Wayne Milera (knee) and Mitch Hinge (shoulder) have been ruled out for the season.
BRISBANE
Brisbane’s key forward Dan McStay is pushing for selection this week after recovering well from a pre-season knee injury.
His return will see the Lions get back to a near full-strength side for the first time this year.
Brownlow medallist Lachie Neale revealed he was suffering a back complaint but was confident he is still fit enough to play.
CARLTON
Midfielder Zac Williams will be a ‘test’ for selection this week after missing last weekend’s win over Gold Coast Suns with calf tightness.
Forward Jack Silvagni, who re-injured his shoulder in that game, has been ruled out of playing this week and the Blues are weighing up whether he will have surgery.
Defender Caleb Marchbank (knee) has been ruled out for the season after rupturing his ACL in his VFL return last weekend.
Oscar McDonald will be sidelined for up to three months with a bone stress fracture in his back, while Nic Newman is another 2-3 weeks away from full fitness.
Small forwards Jack Martin (knee) and Zac Fisher (ankle) are still each about another month away, as is Brodie Kemp (foot).
Fellow forward David Cunningham is a ‘test’ to be available after a concussion, while Tom De Koning (back) is still 1-2 weeks away.
Key forward Charlie Curnow (knee) remains a long-term injury prospect.
COLLINGWOOD
Vice-captain Taylor Adams will miss at least 10 weeks with a serious medial ligament strain, joining forward Jamie Elliott (leg) who faces a similar stint on the sidelines.
Steele Sidebottom (thumb) and Jordan De Goey (shoulder) have been cleared to play against West Coast while Nathan Murphy is ready to return from concussion.
The Pies will have to get clearance from the AFL to have midfielder Brayden Sier available after he was subbed out of the game against the Giants after suffering gastro in the lead-up.
ESSENDON
Defender Mason Redman (hamstring) faces a fitness test to be available for the Bombers’ clash with Brisbane at the Gabba on Saturday night. Patrick Ambrose is off the injury list, while James Stewart is still one to two weeks away from his hamstring issue from pre-season. Dylan Clarke also needs to pass a test on his ankle to be available.
FREMANTLE
Rory Lobb could play this weekend after a rapid recovery from a knee injury.
The forward/ruck will be a test to feature against Adelaide after injuring his knee in the Community Series and will play if he can prove his fitness on the training track.
Darcy Tucker (hamstring), Lachie Schultz (concussion) and Brandon Walker (concussion) are also expected to be available for selection at either AFL or WAFL level this weekend.
Alex Pearce (knee) and Joel Hamling (ankle) are expected to start running on solid ground next week.
Sam Switkowski (finger) and Hayden Young (hamstring) are out for seven and nine to 11 weeks respectively while there is still no time frame on Stephen Hill returning from a hamstring.
GEELONG
Brandon Parfitt’s pre-game withdrawal with hip soreness was Geelong’s only concern on Sunday.
But he should be OK to return this week, while the Cats are monitoring hamstrung goalkicker Jeremy Cameron’s workloads before deciding whether to pull the trigger on their prized recruit.
GOLD COAST
The injury woes on the Gold Coast keep happening, with Sean Lemmens the latest player to be ruled out through injury.
Lemmens will miss this weekend through concussion while Charlie Ballard is pushing for a spot this week following an ankle concern.
Ruckman Zac Smith remains another two to three weeks away as he continues to progress well from a knee injury.
GWS GIANTS
Stephen Coniglio tore the medial ligament in the big toe on his right foot, as well as his syndesmosis injury back in Round 3.
He underwent surgery on both last week and will miss another seven to nine games.
Callan Ward’s elbow ‘stinger’ won’t prevent him playing in Sydney Derby XX, while Jesse Hogan (calf) made a successful return in a VFL practice match last Friday.
Harry Perryman (glandular fever) is out for one more week, while Lachie Whitfield (bruised liver) is expected to be sidelined for another fortnight.
The rest of the club’s injured players are out for the medium-to-long-term, including Phil Davis (calf), Daniel Lloyd (quad), Matt de Boer (hamstring), Tom Hutchesson (hamstring), Adam Kennedy (shoulder) and Braydon Preuss (shoulder).
HAWTHORN
Daniel Howe is listed as a test after his shoulder injury in the loss to Fremantle while Will Day is our indefinitely with a fracture ankle and Denver Grainger-Barras is 1-3 weeks away after his knee hyper extension.
Jack Gunston is listed as 1-2 weeks away with a back injury which is encouraging.
Jon Patton is still out indefinitely, while James Sicily is still listed as our indefinitely after his knee surgery last year.
MELBOURNE
The Demons are in a relatively good spot, with their injury list shrinking by the week and pressure on for spots in a winning team.
Key defender Steven May will, however, miss between two and four weeks with a fractured eye socket in a major blow.
Midfielder James Harmes is still about two weeks away from a return from a broken wrist, but key forwards Ben Brown (knee) and Sam Weiderman (leg) both made successful returns through the VFL last weekend on limited game time.
Marty Hore (knee) and Aaron Nietschke (knee) will both miss the rest of the season.
NORTH MELBOURNE
When it rains it pours for new Kangaroos coach David Noble. He lost another three experienced players over the weekend with defender Luke McDonald (pectoral) to miss three months Jared Polec (hamstring) is passing an extended period on the sidelines.
Midfielder Jed Anderson (ankle) had surgery last week and will miss around 10 weeks.
Forward Cam Zurhaar won’t play against Geelong because of the AFL concussion protocols after being subbed out against Adelaide.
Josh Walker, who was a late withdrawal against the Crows because of hamstring soreness, could return against his old team while Curtis Taylor (concussion) will be available for selection. Trent Dumont (calf) is expected to play in the VFL this weekend.
PORT ADELAIDE
The injuries are piling up at Alberton.
Zak Butters (syndesmosis) and Xavier Duursma (knee) have both gone under the knife for game-ending injuries they suffered against Richmond, and are expected to be out for at least a month and 12 to 14 weeks respectively.
On top of those injuries, there are a number of Power players battling to face Carlton this weekend.
Connor Rozee suffered a quad contusion against the Tigers but it is expected to be OK, as is Orazio Fantasia despite rolling his ankle.
Forward Todd Marshall will also be back for selection after he was a pre-game withdrawal with an ankle injury of his own, while Tom Rockliff has been cleared to play after his mandatory 12-day concussion rest period.
Riley Bonner (hamstring) is running again and is expected to be back in three to four weeks, while Tyson Goldsack (knee) is also three to four weeks away.
Jake Pasini (shoulder) is 10-11 weeks away.
RICHMOND
Kamdyn McIntosh is expected to be available after going through concussion protocols and missing last week’s clash with Port Adelaide.
Dion Prestia remains two to three weeks from a comeback from a hamstring problem. Nick Vlastuin is three to five weeks away from being available from his knee issue.
ST KILDA
Zak Jones and Rowan Marshall are set to push through the pain barrier and front up against Richmond on Thursday night, although if Marshall doesn’t come up then Paul Hunter will step in as ruckman, with Paddy Ryder still not ready to even take part in a VFL match.
Either Luke Dunstan and Ben Long will be called upon should Jones fail to make it to the line.
SYDNEY SWANS
The unbeaten Swans will lose Dane Rampe (broken finger) and Isaac Heeney (broken hand) from last week’s win over Essendon.
Rampe played with the injury on his left hand for the past two weeks, but there was no improvement and he went in for surgery on Monday afternoon.
The star defender will be out for the next three to four weeks.
Heeney’s self-inflicted setback in a duel with Bomber Brandon Zerk-Thatcher will cost him two or three matches.
James Rowbottom (knee) is firming to return for Saturday’s Sydney Derby XX after sitting out the last three games. Sam Naismith (knee), Ben Ronke (kneecap) and Robbie Fox (finger) are Sydney’s other unavailable players.
WESTERN BULLDOGS
Hayden Crozier is set to make a surprise early return after AC joint surgery.
Crozier missed the opening four games after sustaining the injury in their AAMI Community Series clash against Melbourne in early March.
Luke Beveridge all but confirmed the intercepting defender is in line to replace the suspended Caleb Daniel.
“He’s available,” Beveridge said on Friday morning.
“With his experience and how much he contributes to our performances he’s likely to come in.”Mitch Hannan is a test after a concussion in his return through the VFL but the Dogs VFL side has a week off so there are no fresh injuries from the state league team.
WEST COAST
Premiership hero Mark Hutchings is on the brink of a return after the Eagles said he had hit all the benchmarks in his recovery from a knee injury.
This return will come via the WAFL if Hutchings can complete his training program this week, while Jarrod Cameron should also play at state level after a groin injury.
Just how long Shannon Hurn will be out after suffering a calf injury against St Kilda is yet to be determined, but it is expected to be two to three weeks.
Captain Luke Shuey underwent hamstring surgery last week, while Elliot Yeo (groin) is advancing towards a program to return him to action.
Brendon Ah Chee (hamstring) and Ben Johnson (back) should be back this weekend.
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