Hurt locker: The latest on your AFL club’s long-term injuries and when you can expect them back
The AFL season is fast approaching, so which players are struggling to be ready for Round 1? Here is every club’s key injuries.
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Pre-season matches are barely a month away, so the focus is firmly on who’s fit, who’s not and who’s facing a race against time.
The Herald Sun has checked in with every AFL club to find out how they’re tracking since training resumed, post-Christmas.
ADELAIDE
Key pair Matt Crouch (hip) and Daniel Talia (knee) underwent post-season arthroscopic surgery and resumed post-Christmas training in the rehabilitation group. However, they are progressing well and the Crows plan for both players to be available for the AAMI Community Series, albeit on potentially limited minutes. Wayne Milera returned to full training last week after a foot stress fracture ruined his 2020 season. Luke Brown, Andrew McPherson, Tom Lynch and David Mackay – after arthroscopic surgery on his left knee bursa in November – are fit and completing all activities.
BRISBANE
Untried tall utility Connor McFadyen is the sole player on the injury shelf for the Lions as he works his way back from an anterior cruciate ligament tear sustained in match practice in July. Much of the interest in this department at Brisbane will be whether its highly regarded medical team can get injury-prone recruits Joe Daniher and Nakia Cockatoo playing regularly.
CARLTON
The Blues remain hopeful Charlie Curnow will be available to play in the second half of the season, after undergoing surgery in November to fix a fractured kneecap. It’s the same knee – his right – that’s caused him various issues dating back to 2019. Nic Newman hasn’t played since round two last year because of his own significant knee injury, but is back in skills work and aiming to re-join the main group in about a month. Newman could be available for round one or soon after. Patrick Cripps (shoulder surgery) is doing most of training already, while Sam Docherty (ankle), Brodie Kemp (back) and Caleb Marchbank (soreness) will re-join main training in the coming weeks. The Carlton footballer who was stranded in NSW because of the border closures returned to Victoria last week.
COLLINGWOOD
The Magpies have eased several players back into training, but Darcy Moore (finger), Josh Daicos (hip) and Jeremy Howe (knee) are the ones of note on modified programs. They aren’t planning to rush any of them, but the idea is to increase their training loads closer to the pre-season games starting in mid-February.
ESSENDON
Fast-rising midfielder Andy McGrath is back in full training after overcoming a syndesmosis injury, and there is positive progress for Dyson Heppell and David Zaharakis. Heppell’s wretched 2020 campaign included ankle surgery in June and further foot operations at season’s end, while Zaharakis underwent PCL surgery. Both players are gradually increasing their running loads. Patrick Ambrose (foot surgery) is also recovering well, and son-of-a-gun Tom Hird is joining in training after a navicular setback last year. Irving Mosquito and Lachie Johnson are on individual rehabilitation programs from respective ACL ruptures.
FREMANTLE
Important defenders Joel Hamling and Alex Pearce are back training after troublesome ankle issues ruled them out for the entirety of 2020. In fact, Hamling snuck in some work from mid-December with the first-to-fourth-year players. Pearce started his ‘introduction to football training’ post-Christmas, while Darcy Tucker (hamstring) hopes to do the same in early February.
GEELONG
Sam Simpson underwent post-season shoulder surgery that typically would sideline him for up to five months. Simpson crashed into the Gabba surface in a sickening aerial Grand Final collision that saw him land heavily on his head and left side. He’s on a personalised program away from the main group and is progressing well without any setbacks to date.
GOLD COAST
Defender Rory Thompson hasn’t been sighted at AFL level since 2018 and that drought is unlikely to end this year as he recovers from a partial anterior cruciate ligament tear. This one is on his right knee after he previously suffered a setback to his other knee. Top-10 draftee Elijah Hollands is on a modified program from his own ACL injury 11 months ago. The news is better for second-year sensation Matt Rowell, whose recovery from shoulder surgery is tracking well. Rowell will begin to increase his contact work this month and gradually progress from there.
GWS GIANTS
Former captain Phil Davis is recovering from post-season knee surgery and is still in the rehabilitation phase, but is running and participating in some drills. Fellow defender Sam Taylor has resumed full training after a debilitating case of viral, or septic, arthritis ruined his 2020 season and left him hospitalised. Promising ruckman Kieren Briggs is also making positive progress from off-season hip surgery and is back involved in most drills.
HAWTHORN
Star defender James Sicily will undergo a minor procedure in the next week to aid his recovery from an ACL rupture in his right knee in August. The Hawks say the operation won’t impact the 12-month timeline they’ve placed on Sicily returning. The other injury of note is to Jack Gunston, who could be sidelined for four more months after undergoing surgery on a bulging disk in his back. He is almost five weeks post-operation and will look to resume running in about a fortnight. Tom Mitchell and Conor Nash both had post-season shoulder surgery in October and were expected to require up to four months’ rehabilitation.
MELBOURNE
Angus Brayshaw (foot), Michael Hibberd (ankle) and Harry Petty (groin) are the only Demons to have missed a training session post-Christmas. Brayshaw sustained the injury in the round 15 loss to Sydney and left the club’s hub for surgery not long after. He’s hoping to start reintegrating into training in the next fortnight. Hibberd aggravated an old injury, but will be back in skills training soon, while Melbourne is taking a cautious approach with Petty after he missed the entire 2020 campaign.
NORTH MELBOURNE
Key forward prospect Charlie Comben (tibial stress fracture) is the Kangaroos’ biggest concern, following a back stress fracture ruining his debut season last year. Scans confirmed Comben’s latest fracture after he reported calf soreness. The Roos will again be cautious with the 2019 second-round draft pick. Taylor Garner (hamstring) and Kayne Turner (sesamoid/toe) are easing into post-Christmas training after injury-ravaged campaigns.
PORT ADELAIDE
The Power are in terrific shape at this stage of the pre-season. Hamish Hartlett (arthroscopic clean-out of his right knee), Travis Boak (knee) and Tom Jonas (finger) had post-season surgery. Hartlett’s was considered the only one of note, but he’s already back running and getting involved in training. Boak and Jonas have resumed normal activities.
RICHMOND
The Tigers have two players, Ivan Soldo and Noah Cumberland, on the comeback trail from ACL setbacks. Soldo’s injury occurred in round 17 against Geelong, in mid-September, so there’s some chance he misses all of 2021, but there’s still hope he can return this season. Richmond physical performance manager Peter Burge is comfortable taking it slowly with Soldo, who is yet to resume running on the AlterG anti-gravity machine. Cumberland is more advanced and even having to be held back. He’s more than seven months removed from his knee injury and already doing high-intensity change-of-direction running. The goal, Burge says, is to get to the 10- or 11-month mark before contemplating him doing more. Veteran Bachar Houli (torn calf) is slowly progressing from his injury on Grand Final day, but the Tigers plan to take it easy with him.
ST KILDA
Jade Gresham is the player of most interest. The 23-year-old didn’t play after round 11 last year, because of a stress fracture in his lower back. He skipped the Saints’ post-Christmas time trial – although he completed some running on his own – and will ease his way back. The hope is Gresham will get involved in parts of full training to begin with, then will re-join the main group in the next few weeks.
SYDNEY SWANS
All eyes are on Lance Franklin, who didn’t play a game last season because of a serious hamstring injury and later groin soreness. ‘Buddy’ has increasing his running intensity and is getting involved in skill drills as the Swans slowly ramp him up. Isaac Heeney is on a similar timeline to Franklin after season-ending ankle surgery last year, while co-captain Dane Rampe has resumed full training after recovering from twice breaking his left hand and requiring an operation. There’s also good news for George Hewett, who’s completing skills sessions after back surgery, but without overdoing it. Sam Naismith is progressing well from his latest ACL rupture in late June and completing controlled running, but doesn’t have a timetable to return.
WEST COAST
The Eagles remain optimistic that Elliot Yeo (osteitis pubis) – who last played in round 11 last year – will be available to play early in the season. However, coach Adam Simpson is reluctant to say exactly when they’re targeting for his return. The dual All-Australian is straight-line running, kicking and participating in warm-ups, but will increase his output in the next month. Yeo could progress to change-of-direction work as soon as this week as he gradually reintegrates into training.
WESTERN BULLDOGS
The longest-term injury at Whitten Oval belongs to Toby McLean, who ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in the Dogs’ six-goal win over Hawthorn in September. McLean is making steady progress and completed his first run since on the AlterG anti-gravity machine two Wednesdays ago. He will resume running outside on Monday. Riley Garcia had a knee setback pre-Christmas related to an old issue and underwent arthroscopic surgery that will limit him for six to eight weeks. Ex-Demon Mitch Hannan is working his way back from a persistent groin problem, but hopes to play in the early part of the season.
Tigers fitness boss offers theory on lack of injuries
- Marc McGowan
Richmond fitness boss Peter Burge believes last year’s low-intensity scratch matches are the chief reason for the healthier lists across the competition.
The COVID-19 outbreak pummelled the AFL industry and resulted in mass job cuts, a three-month season suspension, a shorter season and matches, and an October 24 Grand Final.
Within that, League headquarters also ruled that no AFL-listed footballer could play in a second-tier competition, such as the VFL, SANFL, NEAFL and WAFL.
In their place, clubs organised AFL-sanctioned scrimmage games that often saw multiple clubs pooling together to field a team – and often players went weeks without playing a match.
Combine all this with the later start to pre-season, and that’s Tigers physical performance manager Burge’s theory on why there were so few injuries when clubs resumed training post-Christmas.
“I think what we saw was early when we started playing off a short preparation (in June, when round two resumed), there was an increase in soft-tissue injuries,” Burge told the Herald Sun.
“But in the middle-to-later part of the year, all that levelled off.
“A lot of teams would’ve had really healthy lists, and that’s partly because the second-tier scrimmages were either really shortened games or practice-match intensity.
“That’s not being disrespectful, but they were practice-match intensity, so the bottom half of your list was pretty healthy.
“The AFL stuff was assisted by the shorter game, and the total accumulation of game minutes was still the equivalent of only 14 or 15 games in a normal season.”
Burge said he found many of the Richmond players were still “fresh” in October, when the Tigers won their third premiership in four seasons.
The AFL has since reverted to a 22-match fixture for all clubs this year and 20-minute-plus-time-on quarters, as well as slashing teams’ maximum game rotations from 90 to 75.
“It’s almost a complete contrast (to last season),” Burge said.
“There will be a period of adaptation, for sure, but I think we’ll get to a point where everyone gets in a groove again.”
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