Hurt locker: Round 3 injury news at your club
Fans will be waiting a little while longer to see a prized signing and a skipper is 50/50 for Round 3. Check out your club’s injury issues and possible inclusions.
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It’s only early in the AFL season, but already the injury toll is beginning to mount at some clubs.
See who is in doubt for each team heading into Round 3.
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ADELAIDE
Gun key defender Daniel Talia has suffered a minor setback in his recovery from knee surgery and will miss an extra one to two weeks.
Talia was ramping up his training loads, but reported soreness in his foot on his other leg.
Adelaide senior assistant Scott Burns said on Tuesday that it was nothing serious and Talia would come back through the SANFL.
New recruit Mitch Hinge’s season is done after the club decided to send him in for reconstructive shoulder surgery.
Hinge came on as the medical sub in the Crows stunning Round 1 win over Geelong and dislocated his shoulder twice in the match.
The Crows have decided to send the former Brisbane player under the knife for the long-term health of his shoulder and he joins Wayne Milera (knee) on the sidelines for the rest of the season.
Gun midfielder Matt Crouch is two to three weeks away from re-joining main training with the onballer requiring a block of modified training after reporting groin soreness.
Luke Brown (achilles) and Jake Kelly (concussion) looked to have gotten through the Crows training session on Tuesday OK and should play against the Gold Coast on Friday night.
Veteran David Mackay experienced some tightness in his lower back/glute area during the session.
No. 2 Draft pick Riley Thilthorpe was removed from the Crows SANFL match against Port after an accidental head clash but has been cleared of any concussion.
Jackson Hately (groin) and Luke Pedlar (abdominal) will be assessed ahead of this weekend.
Young forward Lachie Gollant is out for eight to 12 weeks after he ruptured a flexor tendon in his finger in the SANFL match and will have surgery.
Brayden Cook is on track to return to football in three weeks from a shoulder reconstruction over the off-season.
BRISBANE
The major concern for Brisbane leading into their clash with Collingwood is for their No.1 ruckman Oscar McInerney.
He suffered an ankle injury against Geelong last Friday night and will have a fitness test on Wednesday afternoon to see if he is fit to play on Thursday night.
Experienced ruckman Archie Smith is also ruled out of Thursday’s clash because of Achilles and shoulder injuries.
Jarrod Berry is also likely to be available for selection after being a late withdrawal to last week’s clash with hamstring soreness.
Nakia Cockatoo is continuing to recover from a hamstring concern and is a test, while Connor McFadyen (7 to 8 weeks) and Dan McStay (3 to 4 weeks) are also on track to recover from their knee injuries.
CARLTON
Just as the Blues are eyeing the returns of some solders from injury, they have lost a couple of others unexpectedly.
Small forwards Zac Fisher and Jack Martin will miss the next six weeks, after suffering injuries in the final quarter of last week’s loss to Collingwood.
Martin suffered a PCL knee injury, while Fisher reported bone stress in his ankle.
“Jack Martin was your classic PCL mechanism of knee-on-knee. Initially, he wasn’t too bad coming out of the game but he’s had some swelling,” Blues director of high performance Andrew Russell said.
“That’s going to require him to be on the sidelines for somewhere around six weeks.
“Fisher’s is the opposite to his syndesmosis ankle last year … he’s got some bone stress. We think he’s at this stage he’s going to miss around six weeks of footy and then we’ll see him back out there.”
However, Patrick Cripps has been declared available for selection after having some soreness.
“Patrick’s had some soreness in the first couple of rounds. It’s not uncommon for players to play with soreness,” Russell said.
“He’s been able to train more this week than he has in the last couple of weeks.
“We’re very confident that after the 10-day break, we’re going to see a really good Patrick Cripps on Sunday versus Fremantle.”
Defender Caleb Marchbank (calf) and forwards Mitch McGovern (back), Jack Silvagni (shoulder) and Sam Philip (hip/groin) will all have fitness tests to prove themselves this week.
Charlie Curnow (knee), Nic Newman (knee) and Tom De Koning (back) remain longer-term prospects.
COLLINGWOOD
Forward Jamie Elliott has had surgery and will miss 10 to 12 weeks after fracturing his fibula against Carlton last week.
The sniffles which Jordan De Goey and Brodie Grundy contracted earlier in the week have cleared and they will be all good to go against Brisbane on Thursday night.
Youngster Will Kelly (collarbone) has made quicker than expected recover and got through full contact training unscathed last week while veteran Chris Mayne is ready to return after concussion.
ESSENDON
The Bombers’ trip to Adelaide last weekend could hardly have been more disastrous with a trio of key injuries to keep Sam Draper (syndesmosis, 10 weeks), Jye Caldwell (hamstring, 6-8 weeks) and Dylan Shiel (PCL, knee, 6 weeks) out for extended periods.
Dyson Heppell (back spasms) is only rated a “50/50” chance to take on the Saints.
A glimmer of good news is David Zaharakis playing some game time in the VFL last week as he looks to make an AFL return in the coming weeks.
Patrick Ambrose (foot) is still out, Dylan Clarke (ankle) and James Stewart (hamstring) could be a month and six weeks away respectively, and the club hasn’t put a time frame on Michael Hurley (hip infection) as he begins the slow process back to full health.
FREMANTLE
Nat Fyfe will miss at least one game after he was concussed by a Sam Reid bump in the Dockers win over GWS.
Dockers senior coach Justin Longmuir said while his captain was recovering well he would put no timeframe on his return.
Star forward Michael Walters might be back for the Dockers this week to lessen some of the blow with his recovery from a hamstring injury ahead of schedule.
Rory Lobb is also tracking better than anticipated from his knee injury but is still three to four weeks away.
Young forward Sam Sturt will play in the WAFL after recovering from an ankle injury while Tobe Watson (hamstring) and Liam Henry (calf) are also in the mix for this weekend.
It is still a lengthly injury list for the Dockers with Griffin Logue (hamstring) still a week away, Bailey Banfield (ankle) two weeks, Mitch Crowdwn (calf) two to three weeks and Darcy Tucker (hamstring) three weeks from returning.
Brett Bewley (groin), Joel Hamling (ankle), Alex Pearce (knee) and Stephen Hill (hamstring) are still some time away from returning.
GEELONG
Boom recruit Jeremy Cameron (hamstring) has been ruled out of the Easter Monday blockbuster against Hawthorn, and may still miss a few more.
It’s a long season and the Cats will be conservative in their approach with the spearhead.
Fellow forward Esava Ratugolea (leg) has now missed five weeks and is still one to two away from a return.
Mitch Duncan (calf) is on the edge of a return, and so is Sam Menegola (shoulder).
Both could come in to face the Hawks.
Both Oscar Brownless (shoulder) and Brad Close (foot) have returned to VFL level.
GOLD COAST
The Suns have suffered another huge blow with scans revealing young defender Connor Budarick ruptured his ACL in last week’s game.
The youngster will undergo surgery in the coming days and will likely miss the rest of the season.
Sam Day also picked up a knee injury in their Round 2 match but has not been given a timeline to return.
Suns recruit Jacob Townsend copped a facial fracture in their VFL practice match last weekend and has been ruled out of selection for this weekend.
Meanwhile, Zac Smith is recovering well from a PCL injury to his knee and will return to running early next week for the first time since the incident.
GWS
Second-year midfielder-forward Tom Hutchesson sustained hamstring tendon damage in his practice match return from a less-serious hamstring setback.
He’s now facing about eight weeks on the sidelines as the Giants’ sole fresh injury.
Jake Riccardi made it through three quarters of the same game and is on track for senior selection this week.
There isn’t a practice match this weekend, but Jesse Hogan (quadriceps) plans to take part in an extensive training hit-out on Saturday.
Lachie Whitfield remains out indefinitely, but GWS chief executive Dave Matthews said late last week he was aiming to be back in Round 5 or 6.
Daniel Lloyd (quadriceps) is still as many as eight weeks off, while Adam Kennedy and Braydon Preuss will be out until mid-season or beyond after respective shoulder surgeries.
HAWTHORN
Chad Wingard could be available to take on Geelong on Easter Monday as he returns from a pre-season calf injury.
Will Day has a fractured right ankle and will go under the knife and will be out for a fair chunk of the season.
Thankfully, Denver Grainger-Barras only hyperextended his knee in the VFL and while he will miss some time while it settles down he won’t be out long term.
Jack Gunston (back) is three to five weeks away.
MELBOURNE
Three Demons will return through a VFL practice match for Casey this weekend, having done enough on the track to get back on the field.
Mitch Brown (calf), Jay Lockhart (groin) and Joel Smith (finger) will all have a run to push their cases for Round 4 AFL selection.
Sam Weideman (leg) and Ben Brown (knee) remain at least two or three weeks away from playing in the VFL but are progressing well in their recoveries.
James Harmes (wrist) is expected to miss another five weeks, while Aaron Nietschke (knee) and Marty Hore (knee) will miss the season.
NORTH MELBOURNE
A bit of relief on the Roos long injury list with gun midfielder Ben Cunnington to return on Friday against the Western Bulldogs after a long absence because of concussion.
Youngster Kyron Hayden (hamstring) could also return but Trent Dumont (calf) and Luke McDonald (quad) are considered unlikely.
Curtis Taylor (concussion) may struggle to with back-to-back six day breaks.
PORT ADELAIDE
The Power will have a huge inclusion for a big trip to Perth to take on West Coast with Connor Rozee back from his foot issue which required surgery.
It adds to a bit of a selection squeeze at Alberton with Todd Marshall (back) a late withdrawal for the Power’s comfortable win over Essendon - with Mitch Georgiades kicking four goals in his place.
First round draftee Lachie Jones will resume full training this week after picking up a slight hamstring injury and should play in the SANFL this weekend.
Riley Bonner was in a leg brace after suffering a hamstring tendon injury in Round 1 and a plan is being prepared for his return.
Young key defender Jake Pasini is out for the next three months after suffering a dislocated shoulder in a SANFL trial match and will have surgery.
Development coach and rookie-listed player Tyson Goldsack is out for five to seven weeks with a knee injury.
RICHMOND
Just imagine being the reigning premier and being prepared to welcome back two flag stars.
Richmond’s extraordinary depth and good run with injuries is putting pressure on the selectors, but that’s a bonus.
Nick Vlastuin will return against the Swans after overcoming a hyperextended knee.
Bachar Houli has recovered from his calf issues, with the club to decide on whether to bring him straight in or ease him back through the VFL.
The COVID-breach suspensions of Callum Coleman-Jones and Sydney Stack will end in Round 5.
ST KILDA
The good news for Saints fans is Jimmy Webster has been cleared of a broken jaw.
The bad news is he did suffer concussion last weekend against Melbourne, which means he’ll miss Saturday’s clash with Essendon.
Ruckman Rowan Marshall played a half in the VFL last weekend as he edges closer to a return from a foot injury.
Although, coach Brett Ratten told Fox Footy on Monday night he’s still a “couple of weeks” away from an AFL return.
Fellow tall Paddy Ryder (personal leave) has been doing a fair bit of running in his time away from the club and is considered two to weeks away.
Boom recruit Brad Crouch will play his first game in St Kilda colours this weekend after serving his off-season suspension.
Dan Hannebery (calf) is likely to miss another week, while Ryan Byrnes (hamstring) is two to three weeks away.
SYDNEY
Young midfielder James Rowbottom is still dealing with bone bruising in his injured knee and will miss a second-straight match.
Lance Franklin (calf) pulled up well from his first match in 19 months, but the Swans are yet to announce if he will back up on Saturday against Richmond.
Jordan Dawson (hip) is also expected to be fine.
Sam Naismith has completed all his ACL testing and will resume training, including a return-to-play program in the next four weeks.
Ben Ronke (kneecap) is doing change-of-direction work, while Robbie Fox (finger) will see the surgeon in a fortnight and is on track to return within the original eight-week timeline.
WEST COAST
Captain Luke Shuey should return for the Eagles big match against Port Adelaide if he gets through main training.
The skipper has been out with a hamstring strain but got through a significant body of work on the weekend and is primed to return.
Oscar Allen hurt his shoulder late on in the thrilling loss to the Western Bulldogs but is expected to play against the Power.
Jake Waterman will play in the WAFL on restricted minutes as he recovers from a back complaint.
Jarrod Cameron (groin) is two weeks away, as is Mark Hutchings (knee), while Bailey Williams’ ankle injury should only keep him out for one more week.
Timeframes on returns for star midfielder Elliot Yeo (groin) and Daniel Venables (concussion) are still to be confirmed.
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WESTERN BULLDOGS
Jamar Ugle-Hagan hasn’t been ruled out yet with a thumb injury.
He was said to have dislocated it in the VFL and while scans cleared him of any ligament damage and only a cut finger, the club won’t rush him, given they are keen to ensure he makes methodical progress and doesn’t play with early injuries.
Hayden Crozier is 3-5 weeks away with his shoulder injury while Easton Wood is ready after two games in the VFL coming back from a six week hamstring injury.
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