Fears Saint Paddy McCartin could miss remainder of season with foot injury

ST Kilda fears forward Paddy McCartin could miss the remainder of the season after suffering a “tricky injury” that coach Alan Richardson says has been slow to respond to treatment.

Paddy McCartin clutches at his ankle after colliding with Tom Jonas during the Saints’ Round 16 clash with Port Adelaide. Picture Sarah Reed

ST KILDA forward Paddy McCartin could be out for the remainder of the season with his foot injury.

McCartin is still in a moon boot and Alan Richardson said his recovery progress from a dreaded Lisfranc injury has been slower than expected.

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Paddy McCartin clutches at his ankle after colliding with Tom Jonas during the Saints’ Round 16 clash with Port Adelaide. Picture Sarah Reed

“He’s still in the boot, we were hoping that he might be out of that by now but it’s not far off what the doctors thought,” Richardson said.

“It’ll then depend on once he’s putting complete weight on it, how he responds.

“Lisfranc, that’s a tricky injury so we’ve just got to wait and see how he responds, but it’s probably a little bit slower than we hoped.”

A comeback date for McCartin remains unknown and the St Kilda coach admitted they will be taking a cautious approach with the forward.

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“If there’s any risk then we wouldn’t take that risk,” Richardson said.

“We’re not going to rush him back and potentially risk injury given that we’re not playing finals.

“These remaining games are really important to us … but no, we won’t take a risk if we think there’s any chance of further damage that would compromise his pre-season.”

McCartin has struggled to make an impact for the Saints, even when healthy. Picture: AAP

Richardson has urged the AFL not to rush into decisions surrounding drastic rule changes which could effect the game.

Starting positions for players could be implemented as soon as next season in a bid to reduce congestion, but Richardson says extensive trialling must be completed first.

“We trialled it in the pre-season and I thought it was interesting, it was challenging, it certainly achieved what the AFL are after in terms of minimising some of the density around the ball,” Richardson said.

“But I think it’s really important that we trial it extensively before we make such a significant change.”

Trials could be conducted in leagues such as the VFL or NEAFL, but Richardson doesn’t believe that will be sufficient.

“I think it needs a bit more than just that,” he said.

“Using AFL players, athletes (is important), not wanting to be disparaging at all to lower levels, but there is a difference.

Saints head coach Alan Richardson wants the AFL to trial rule changes at senior level before setting them in stone. Picture: AAP

“I think there needs to be a lot of trialling at AFL level through JLT, through the AFL liaising with footy clubs … to get as much information as they can to make a really thorough decision as opposed to rushing something.”

Richardson isn’t concerned about teams adjusting to the rules, but says the visual effect starting positions will have on the game remains unknown.

“Coaches will adapt pretty quickly, my only concern or reservation and the reason I’m pushing trials is we’ve got to get it right,” Richardson said.

“We don’t want to do something that puts us in a worse place in terms of the look of the game, that’s why I’m suggesting really significant trialling.”

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