Orazio Fantasia ready for JLT Series after finger injury, Joe Daniher progress toward Round 1

Essendon goalsneak Orazio Fantasia has declared he will play in the JLT Series after suffering a finger mishap before Christmas and is confident Joe Daniher will join him.

Essendon goalsneak Orazio Fantasia has declared he will play in the JLT Series after suffering a finger mishap that has hampered his pre-season.

The 23-year-old got his finger caught in a teammate’s jumper in a tackling drill at training before Christmas and was forced to wear a splint and be heavily restricted in training drills since.

But despite still wearing a glove at training, Fantasia said he was confident he was on the final stretch.

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“It’s healed really nicely, which is what the specialist thought it would,” he said.

“I’ve just got to wear a bit of protective gear still, which is why you saw the glove the other day and back into training now, which is good.

“I was reaching for a tackle and got it caught in a jumper and just felt a sort of pop, and knew it was something pretty significant straight away.”

Orazio Fantasia at Essendon training. Picture: Michael Klein

Joe Daniher at Essendon training. Picture: Michael Klein

Fellow forward Joe Daniher played just seven games last season after an ongoing groin complaint but Fantasia said he welcomed a steady approach to any return.

“Joey’s back into training … and is running quite well,” he said.

“Especially with Joey – a Rolls Royce-type player – you’ve got to be careful and you don’t want to bring them back too fast or re-injure them or whatever. Slow is probably the better with Joey.”

Essendon also announced its new strategic partnership with the Australian Grand Prix Corporation, with Supercars star Mark Winterbottom and a Formula 1 car on hand at Tullamarine.

But Fantasia admitted while he loves his motorsport, he would not be rushing for a hot lap.

“I love the Grand Prix myself, and I’ve been most years that I’ve been in Melbourne,” Fantasia said.

“I know ‘Frosty’ (Winterbottom) really well, as well. We’ve worked out together a few times.

“Definitely not (rushing for a hot lap), I’d probably crash the car. I’ll definitely go watch them.”

Essendon star Orazio Fantasia has overcome his finger injury and is ready for the JLT Series and is confident Joe Daniher will join him.

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— SuperFooty (AFL) (@superfooty) January 31, 2019