Hurt Locker: Round 4 injury news and concerns at your club
A pair of St Kilda veterans have suffered new setbacks, including an injury-plagued recruit, while a Carlton star faces a fitness test. See your club’s injury concerns.
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Tough times at St Kilda have been made tougher with injury setbacks for Dan Hannebery and Jarryn Geary but ruckman Rowan Marshall is back to tackle West Coast on Saturday.
Hannebery, who has only played 13 games since joining the Saints at the end of 2018, strained a calf on Tuesday and is sidelined for another four weeks,
Geary, recovering from a broken leg in the pre-season, was sent for surgery on a bone spur in his foot and will be out for at least another six weeks.
The injuries issues have compounded both a tough week for coach Brett Ratten after last week’s capitulation to Essendon and with clashes against the Eagles, Richmond and Port to come.
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Added to that is the poor form of big-money recruit Bradley Hill, who Ratten was adamant would “simplify” things this week and return to his best, much like his teammates after the coach spent two days analysing what went wrong against the Bombers.
“Sometimes you move on quickly and sometimes you sit down and talk about it and go through it. We’ve gone through it over a couple of days,” Ratten said on Thursday.
“Not trying to revisit it too much, but the game starts with contest and effort and if you can’t give that … a sexy game plan is secondary. The game is about winning the ball or putting pressure on the man and we didn‘t do either.
Ratten said Hill, who is believed to be earning more than $800,000 a year at Moorabbin and had one contested possession from his 16 disposals against the Bombers, would find a way to lift.
“Maybe the scrutiny is a little bit hard from last week. There were a lot of players down and he probably had the worst kicking game of his career against Melbourne (the previous week),” he said.
“He’s a player we need to perform well and he can.
“You can try and concentrate on a lot of things in your game, but focusing on one or two points which make you a good player and us a good team .. sometimes simplifying the game is best for everybody and I think he’ll do that this week and respond.”
Ruckman Marshall will play his first game for 2021 after missing the opening three matches with a hotspot in his foot.
“He’s been itching and been asking multiple times ‘can I play, can I play?’,” Ratten said.
“I’ve just been saying ‘hold your horses, big fella’, we’ve got to get you right, but he’s ready to go which is great.”
Fellow ruckman Paddy Ryder is at last three weeks away from playing having returned to the club fore peroneal leave this week.
“He’s got to do a little bit more work, but the good part is he came in with a big smile,” Ratten said.
“That was the real pleasing part for us, to see a happy Paddy and him being back at the footy club.
“To do the things that he had to do at home, he seems in a really good spot and we’ll have to monitor his workload and get him to a point where he’s ready to play.”
Ratten said it was “frustrating” to see players like Hannebery, who was one week off a VFL return, continually have injury setbacks.
YOUR CLUB’S INJURY CONCERNS
ADELAIDE
The Crows will be without All-Australian key defender Daniel Talia for another eight to 10 weeks after it was determined he would have to have more surgery — this time on his foot.
Talia has made a full recovery from post-season knee surgery but as he stepped back his comeback, he developed foot pain in the past two weeks.
Scans have showed inflammation of a tendon in Talia’s left foot and the Crows have decided to send him in for surgery.
Matt Crouch is expected to start running again this week as he begins to build his training loads, but the Crows still have no time frame on when he might play.
No. 11 Draft pick Luke Pedlar will play for the Crows SANFL team for the first time after recovering from an abdominal strain, while Brayden Cook is a week away from games.
Veteran David Mackay will be a test for this week after experiencing a tight hamstring.
Lachie Gollant is out for eight to 12 weeks with a finger injury while Wayne Milera (knee) and Mitch Hinge (shoulder) are out for the season.
BRISBANE
The Lions may be forced to use a weakened ruck outfit again with Oscar McInerney (ankle) no certainty to take on the Western Bulldogs.
Brisbane lost the hitout count 63-4 against leading ruckman Brodie Grundy and will be tested against a centre-bounce pairing of Tim English and Stefan Martin — who did a number on Grundy in their season-opener — if McInerney is unavailable.
However, Chris Fagan’s side is set to be boosted by the return of Jarrod Berry, who has missed the last two matches with a hamstring injury sustained in the warm-up in Round 2.
Key forward Dan McStay could return for the Lions’ Round 5 clash with Essendon after straining his medial ligament last month.
CARLTON
Carlton expects Adam Saad to tackle Gold Coast Suns this weekend, despite the defender being heavily restricted at training on Thursday with knee soreness.
With his right knee heavily strapped, Saad ran laps and completed some light skills work alone during the Blues’ main training session for the week at Princes Park.
The Blues have confirmed Saad will face a fitness test before Saturday night’s clash with the Suns, but is expected to play.
Carlton will fly out to the Gold Coast on Friday.
Saad had finished last Sunday’s win over Fremantle, logging 21 disposals.
The Essendon recruit has averaged 23 disposals and 456 metres gained in his first three games in Navy Blue.
Meanwhile, fellow defender Caleb Marchbank will play a VFL practice match this weekend in his return from a calf injury.
Will Setterfield (illness) should return after missing last Sunday’s win over Fremantle with gastro.
Tom De Koning (back) is still at least a couple of weeks away, while Zac Fisher (ankle), Brodie Kemp (foot), Jack Martin (knee) and Nick Newman (knee) are still all expected to be at least four weeks away.
COLLINGWOOD
Jamie Elliott has commenced early stages of his rehabilitation since fracturing his fibula with the small forward doing some low level inside conditioning work to begin with.
He is still expected to miss nine to 11 weeks.
Youngster Trent Bianco continues to recover from knee inflammation, and is on medication which has seen a decrease in the swelling.
He will look to start running next week and is listed as three to five weeks away.
Nathan Murphy copped a concussion from a shoulder charge to the head during the VFL practice match against Collingwood and will now follow the AFL’s protocols and is expected to miss two weeks, especially given he has history.
ESSENDON
Midfielder Dylan Shiel is in doubt to play again this season after being ruled out for 16 weeks with a knee injury sustained against Port Adelaide in Round 2.
Mason Redman, who was substituted off with a hamstring issue in the win over the Saints last weekend, was set to be managed this week and might not feature versus Sydney on Thursday night.
Skipper Dyson Heppell appears likely to line up in the clash with the Swans after progressing in his recovery from back spasms.
FREMANTLE
Dockers superstar Nat Fyfe will be a test to face Hawthorn, after the dual Brownlow Medal winner made significant strides in his recovery from a concussion.
Fyfe’s comments he made last year about his desire to be conservative when it came to head knocks had many speculating that he would be out for an extended period to fully recover from the concussion he suffered against GWS.
But the Dockers say Fyfe could play against the Hawks, and will make a call later this week.
Forward Sam Sturt is available for selection after getting through the WAFL while Griffin Logue (hamstring), Bailey Banfield (ankle), Mitch Crowden (calf) and Luke Valente (soreness) may also play some form of football this weekend.
Promising young defender Hayden Young is set for a long stint on the sidelines after injuring his hamstring in the loss to Carlton, while Lachie Schultz was concussed and now has to abide by the AFL’s protocols.
Darcy Tucker is a week away from fully recovering from an ankle injury suffered in the WAFL, while Rory Lobb could be back within two weeks from the knee injury he picked up against West Coast in pre-season.
Joel Hamling (ankle), Brett Bewley (groin) and Alex Pearce (knee) could all be back in the next five weeks.
GEELONG
Shaun Higgins faces a long road back as a 33-year-old hamstring victim who will probably miss a month of football, including Geelong’s Round 5 clash against his old North Melbourne mates.
Francis Evans – the VAFA kid who bolted on to the draft radar with a bag of eight goals against Melbourne High in C Grade – has suffered a nasty ankle syndesmosis injury that will likely ruin the first half of his season.
But Sam Menegola (shoulder) should return this week and perhaps Jeremy Cameron (hamstring) the next.
GOLD COAST SUNS
The Suns suffered their second season-ending ACL blow in as many weeks in their loss to the Crows, with ruckman and co-captain Jarrod Witts leaving a gaping hole in their ruck stocks.
Making matters worse, back-up ruckman Zac Smith (knee) will not be available for at least a few weeks as he recovers from his own concern, while rookie big man Matt Conroy (ACL) won’t return this year.
Witts’s injury comes after Connor Budarick (ACL), who has been ruled out for the season, and Sam Day (knee) sustained in-game injuries in Round 2.
GWS GIANTS
The Giants suffered a triple injury blow out of Sunday night’s loss to Melbourne, with Stephen Coniglio, Phil Davis and Matt de Boer all set to miss an extended period.
Scans confirmed Coniglio suffered a syndesmosis setback and he will undergo surgery this week. He’s tipped to be sidelined for about eight matches.
Davis (calf) will miss six games, while de Boer ruptured a hamstring tendon and could be out for 10 weeks.
The illness that kept Harry Perryman out against the Demons has been diagnosed as glandular fever and he will miss another fortnight.
Brent Daniels (ankle) will have to pass a fitness test but is expected to face Collingwood on Saturday night.
Jesse Hogan (quad) is also available, but more likely to play in a VFL practice game against Sydney on Friday instead.
Lachie Whitfield (bruised liver) will resume contact training this week and is aiming for a Round 6 return.
Braydon Preuss (shoulder), Adam Kennedy (shoulder), Daniel Lloyd (quad) and Tom Hutchesson (hamstring) are still a long way from returning.
HAWTHORN
Will Day faces an extended period on the sidelines after fracturing his ankle, with the emerging defender to go under the knife.
Highly touted draftee Denver Grainger-Barras will miss up to a month with a knee injury he suffered in a VFL practice match against Richmond, while Jack Gunston has a similar timeline in his return from a back complaint.
MELBOURNE
Key forwards Ben Brown (knee) and Sam Weideman (leg) are recovering faster than expected and will have a run for Casey in a VFL practice match against Williamstown on Saturday to push their cases for AFL returns.
Mitch Brown, Jay Lockhart and Joel Smith all made their returns from injury in the VFL last weekend, but midfielder James Harmes is still a few weeks away with a broken wrist.
Marty Hore (knee) and Aaron Nietschke (knee) are out for the year.
NORTH MELBOURNE
North Melbourne could be without tough midfielder Jed Anderson for up to two months following surgery on his injured ankle.
Anderson had been a shining light for North since returning from a calf injury in Round 2, but came from the ground late in the second quarter on Friday afternoon after blanketing Dogs’ captain Marcus Bontempelli.
North GM football Brady Rawlings said it was another bump in the road for the Roos.
“It’s unfortunate for Jed and unfortunate for us that he’s going to miss a chunk of the season,” Rawlings told North Media.
“Jed wants to play every week and we love him representing our footy club every week. The way he attacks the ball and the opposition is what we want all our players to stand for so it’s disappointing he’s not going to be in our side for some weeks.
“Jed got the injury on the weekend against the Bulldogs, [we] had a lot of consultation this week around how we treat the injury and we’ve landed on the surgical route.
“It’s obviously disappointing when you get an injury of severity. We’re confident that this is the right approach to take to repair the ligament damage and we should be able to get him back after the bye.”
Defensive recruit Aidan Corr will miss another two to four weeks from his freak foot infection that has reached the toe he injured against Gold Coast in Round 2.
The Kangaroos are yet to rule out Jared Polec (hamstring) who exited the game in their heavy Good Friday defeat to the Western Bulldogs.
A number of other players will need to pass a fitness test to be available at some level this weekend, including Aiden Bonar (adductor), Trent Dumont (calf), Luke McDonald (quad) and Curtis Taylor (concussion).
There is still no return date locked in for Robbie Tarrant (kidney) or Charlie Comben (tibial stress fracture), while Flynn Perez (knee) is out for the season.
PORT ADELAIDE
Veteran on-baller Tom Rockliff needs to go through concussion protocols after copping a knock in the SANFL last week so will unavailable against Richmond on Friday night.
Riley Bonner remains four to six weeks from a return from his hamstring injury.
RICHMOND
Midfielder Dion Prestia could miss as much as a month after suffering another hamstring strain against Sydney last weekend in a major blow.
Wingman Kamdyn McIntosh will sit out at least this week’s clash with Port Adelaide, after suffering a concussion against the Swans.
Defender Nick Vlastuin is expected to miss another month after scans revealed more damage to his knee than was previously thought.
Callum Coleman-Jones and Sydney Stack will be available for selection from Round 5, after serving club-imposed suspensions.
Ruckman Ivan Soldo (knee) should be back late in the season.
ST KILDA
Jade Gresham’s cruel run has continued with a ruptured Achilles tendon ending his season less than three games in.
Doctors were puzzled as to how a man at 177cm suffered a stress fracture in his back last season and this latest blow means Gresham will finish the home-and-away season having missed 27 out of the past 30 games through injury.
Plenty of bruised egos suffered elsewhere as the Saints were called out for their effort – or lack thereof – in a review of Saturday’s shellacking.
Paddy Ryder is back training at the club while Rowan Marshall is looking good after getting through three quarters in the VFL unscathed as the ruckmen build towards AFL returns.
SYDNEY SWANS
Lance Franklin (calf) sat out Saturday’s win over Richmond as part of the Swans’ cautious approach with the 34-year-old, but he will return against Essendon on Thursday night.
James Rowbottom (knee) is a chance to join Franklin back in the side, but will have to pass a fitness test after still being sore last week.
Rowbottom’s missed the past two matches.
In other good news, ruckman Sam Naismith will rejoin full training this week as he reaches the nine-month mark post his ACL operation.
He’s been running since December and moved into change-of-direction and skills work in more recent times.
Ben Ronke (kneecap) and Robbie Fox (finger) are progressing but aren’t ready to play yet
WESTERN BULLDOGS
Tall defender Ryan Gardner will be sidelined for up to two months following a shoulder blow sustained in the opening minutes against North Melbourne, and will undergo surgery this week.
Recruit Mitch Hannan was concussed after a collision in a VFL scratch match in his first appearance of 2021, having overcome a persistent off-season groin injury.
The former Demon will have to follow the AFL’s concussion protocols before returning.
WEST COAST
Captain Luke Shuey will be sidelined for at least the next three weeks, as West Coast awaits scans to determine the full extent of his latest hamstring injury.
Shuey starred in the win over Port Adelaide before his new injury.
Brendon Ah Chee will have a fitness test to determine if he will play against St Kilda on Saturday after withdrawing from the Power game last Friday with a hamstring issue.
Elliot Yeo has taken another step in his return from osteitis pubis, taking part in a light session on Friday.
Mark Hutchings (knee) and Jarrod Cameron (groin) are listed as a week away from being available.
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