AFL injury, team news: All the latest updates from around the competition
Jason Horne-Francis and Zac Williams sent scares through their respective camps on the weekend, but their outlook is much better than feared.
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Port Adelaide is confident young star Jason Horne-Francis has avoided a hamstring injury, as Lachie Jones awaits the extent of his injury sustained in the bruising loss to Collingwood.
Horne-Francis finished the Power’s 42-point loss to the Pies at the MCG on Saturday on the interchange bench after appearing to hurt his hamstring.
After the game Power coach Ken Hinkley said he believed it was just cramp for Horne-Francis, who was one of the best for the Port, but he wasn’t completely sure.
Horne-Francis was not on the Power’s list of players who needed a scan after getting back into Adelaide, in a hugely positive sign for Port Adelaide as it seeks to put the disappointing loss in the past when it takes on St Kilda on Friday.
Horne-Francis missed the Power’s Round 2 win over Richmond and Round 3 loss to Melbourne with a minor hamstring strain, the first time he’s missed due a soft tissue injury.
Young defender Jones will have scans on his hamstring on Sunday after he suffered the injury in the final quarter against the Pies.
Jones has a history of hamstring injuries, so the Power will be hoping his latest setback isn’t a serious one.
Miles Bergman is expected to be fine after he suffered a rolled ankle.
The Power will get Charlie Dixon back for its Friday night clash against the Saints after he was managed for the trip to Melbourne.
In his place the Power went with a dual-ruck combo of Ivan Soldo and debutant Jordon Sweet.
But Sweet was subbed out of the game in the third quarter and Soldo was played forward, after an excellent start to the year as the Power’s solo ruckman.
Star Travis Boak is also expected to be available for the Friday night clash after he has missed the last two games with a back issue.
Meanwhile, Carlton captain Patrick Cripps says rebounding defender Zac Williams could be available against unbeaten Geelong as he backed the club’s high performance staff despite a spate of hamstring concerns.
Cripps was dominant as the Blues knocked over unbeaten Greater Western Sydney on Saturday as Carlton prepares for the challenge of taking on the ladder leader at the MCG.
He said Carlton’s ability to tinker with its game-plan in game had helped to overrun GWS in a clash in which Williams was subbed off after a knock to his achilles.
Cripps is hopeful Williams will take on the Cats alongside Jacob Weitering (corked thigh) amid an injury list that has at least 10 best-22 players on the sidelines.
“I think he has actually pulled up really well,” Cripps said.
“It was a cork and with his injury history having an achilles before, it was precautionary.
He was in good spirits after the game. I think that one is pretty minor. He will be a chance this week depending upon his recovery but he won’t miss much footy.”
Of particular concern to Carlton fans is the spate of hamstring issues and players who have been injured on the training track with Mitch McGovern, Adam Saad, Jesse Motlop, Jack Martin and Adam Cerra all hamstrung.
“That’s the million dollar question,” Cripps said on 3AW Radio when asked about the reasons for the hamstring crisis.
“Sometimes footy challenges you in different ways, whether it’s coaches, high performance or players. Sometimes you get an unlucky run. We feel like we have got a lot of depth and we will get a lot of those guys back in the next four to five weeks. We have got a lot of trust in our high performance staff.
“The most important thing is we have faced challenges like this before. When Zach went down Matt Kennedy moved to half back, Jack Carroll goes forward and has an impact. The way the coaches set up our game plan is that it’s role based.”
Carlton won games from ball movement early in the season and then bashed GWS at the stoppages, with Cripps thrilled the Blues are finding ways to regain momentum mid-match.
“I feel like in a lot of games this year we have found a way to adapt in game to not only change the momentum but change how we are playing in game to favour us and what the opposition is throwing at us. They have been the form side of the competition so to come away with a win is a big confidence booster for the group.”
LIZARD SHEDS ANKLE KNOCK
— Sean Teuma
Sydney is hopeful Nick Blakey has nothing to worry about after a nasty incident in the third quarter of its win over the Gold Coast.
Blakey was chased down by Will Graham and brought to the ground, where he got up limping before being taken from the field with a suspected ankle injury.
He returned to action in the fourth term in an encouraging sign for the Swans, and coach John Longmire
“I quickly walked past him, I said how are you and he said good,” Longmire said.
“He was able to keep playing which is a good sign.
“I think it was an old ankle injury that might’ve flared up a bit. Hopefully he’s okay, but we won’t know until tomorrow.”
Blakey turned in another outstanding performance in the midfield, collecting 20 possessions and a game-high 611 metres gained.
The last thing the Swans want is an injury to another key player, with Luke Parker and Dane Rampe still sidelined.
Longmire remains hopeful the star pair will come back into the side sooner rather than later.
“They’re training well,” he said.
“Parks will be a surgeon’s call. They’ll make that decision.
“Ramps is running and doing all that. It will just get back down to this week and what it looks like.
“We’d love to have them back in the team sooner rather than later. We’ll see how they pull up during the week. We don’t want to rush them, but we’d like them back in the team at some point.”
Sydney’s depth has been called upon throughout the season but has stepped up to the mark, with the Swans closing out the round in second spot on the ladder.
SHIEL MAKES COMPELLING CASE FOR ANZAC DAY RETURN
— Josh Barnes
Dylan Shiel has put his hand up to break into Essendon’s firing midfield on Anzac Day after getting through a full VFL game on Saturday.
The 4-2 Bombers claimed back-to-back scalps against the Western Bulldogs and Adelaide thanks to excellent midfield showings, winning the contested possession count by 13 and clearances by seven when combining both weeks.
Jye Caldwell had possibly his best game at AFL level in the win over the Crows, while Sam Durham continues to grow.
But a 20-disposal first half from Shiel in a one-point loss on Saturday should put his name up for selection for Thursday’s blockbuster clash with Collingwood.
Shiel time forward in the second half to end with 24 touches but played full minutes.
He hasn’t played an AFL game yet this year amid a slow return from a foot injury.
The VFL Bombers led for most of the match before Southport’s Keegan Gray soccered a behind to put the Sharks in front with five seconds to play.
Ruck Nick Bryan was the best big man on the ground in the VFL clash with Southport, collecting 22 disposals and 33 hitouts, as Todd Golstein and Sam Draper combined for 14 disposals and two marks against Adelaide.
Spearhead Peter Wright is also due back from his four-game suspension next week.
The Dons will monitor a corkie picked up by Mason Redman late in Friday night’s thrilling win over Adelaide, with the defender playing out the match.
Essendon may face a six-day break before the traditional Anzac Day clash but Collingwood will hit the MCG having had just five days off.
TIGERS GUN COULD MISS TWO MONTHS, STARS SET TO RETURN
— Jon Ralph
Richmond’s reigning best-and-fairest winner Tim Taranto could miss up to eight weeks with his broken wrist, but the Tigers will recall Jacob Hopper and Dylan Grimes for Wednesday’s Anzac Eve clash.
Richmond will be desperate to secure a bumper crowd for the marquee home clash against Melbourne, despite their indifferent start to the season, after 83,985 attended in 2023.
Richmond has been smashed by injuries this year and it caught up with them as they were run over by West Coast at Optus Stadium last Sunday.
Jayden Short injured his calf in that clash and will miss the Demons game, with Taranto breaking his wrist in the final drill of Friday’s training session in the lead-in the Eagles game.
Richmond had not put a date on Taranto’s return, but on Friday fitness boss Luke Meehan revealed it could be up to eight weeks for the broken radius.
“It was a pretty unfortunate accident at the end of training last week on Friday, in the last play of the last drill. He had surgery that day, we were lucky enough to get him in, and he actually went home that night,” Meehan said.
“He has pulled up really well, hopefully he won’t be out for too long, but at this stage, we’re looking at a six to eight week period.”
Hopper has recovered well from his knee surgery and according to Meehan is “expected to play on Wednesday”, assuming he gets through training across the weekend.
Grimes (wrist) has been out since the round 3 loss to Port Adelaide, but Meehan said he expected him to play if he had no setbacks in the next two sessions.
Meehan said scans showed Short’s calf injury was minor, and was hopeful he would miss a fortnight at worst.
Richmond has smashed attendance and membership records in recent seasons, but will face challenges to pack out the MCG across the winter given their 1-5 start to the 2024 season.
The Tigers drew 30,254 fans to their home game against Port Adelaide at the MCG and a crowd of 45,112 against Sydney in round 4.
Richmond does have a home Dreamtime at the ‘G game against Essendon in round 11 and a home game against Carlton at the same venue, and will hope those traditional rivalries will help drag fans through the gate.
But with Tom Lynch still out for eight to 12 weeks with a torn hamstring and Noah Balta still three to four weeks away, the Tigers will be undermanned, given the horrific injury toll.
Richmond has still hit 90,394 members despite their early-season struggles and while the Tigers might fail to break the six-figure barrier again, they made a $2.3 million profit last year and continues to diversify its revenue from non-football streams.
Originally published as AFL injury, team news: All the latest updates from around the competition
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