AFL 2023: All the injury news and fallout from round 10
Clayton Oliver was back running, but he is set to spend a stint on the sidelines after scans confirmed the extent of his injury.
Melbourne has confirmed star midfielder Clayton Oliver has a hamstring strain that will keep him out for the short-term future.
But Oliver’s incredible recovery powers which saw him running on Monday mean the Demons are unsure how many weeks he will miss with the injury.
The Herald Sun revealed on Sunday Oliver was set to spend time on the sidelines with a hamstring strain after pulling up sore from the loss to Port Adelaide.
The early indication was he would miss up to a month, with the Demons on Monday listing him as ‘’TBC’’ on their injury list.
But Demons high performance boss Selwyn Griffith said the club would be guided by Oliver, who has missed a single game in six and a half seasons and often played through injuries that would sideline other players.
“Clayton had some soreness at the end of the game and following a clinical assessment from the physios and the medical team, scans have shown that he’s got a hamstring strain,” Griffith said.
“At this early stage, we anticipate Clayton won’t be available in the short term.
“His return to play will ultimately be guided by his ability to deal with increased loads and reconditioning. As such, we will have greater clarity as Clayton progresses through his program.”
The Demons take on Fremantle at the MCG on Saturday then Carlton and Collingwood before their bye.
While they will hope he only misses one game at worst he should be back after their bye to continue the finals charge.
The Demons would not clarify the exact nature of Oliver’s hamstring strain or whether he has sustained any tendon damage.
Jake Bowey will be ready to take on Fremantle after being subbed out with a corked calf.
“We tried to get him going (during the game), but he just felt like he couldn’t perform to his role,” Griffith said.
“He’s worked incredibly hard over the last 48 hours to get on top of that and was able to train with the group today.”
SAINT KO’D IN SICKENING SCENES
St Kilda young gun Mitchito Owens has suffered a sickening head injury that has halted play in the Saints’ clash against GWS.
Owens was knocked out cold in the second quarter at Giants Stadium, with the medical cart required to attend to him.
The Saints young gun, the third favourite in the Rising Star award, was caught by teammate Anthony Caminiti’s knee after he was pushed into his path.
As play continued Owens did not move as medical staff rushed to his aid.
Play was stopped and Owens was attended to for several minutes, with a stretcher and neck brace rushed out to the young Saint.
Once he was fitted with a neck brace, Owens was loaded onto the medical cart and taken off the field.
DASHING DOG SET FOR EXTENDED BREAK
The Western Bulldogs fear in-form half back Jason Johannisen could miss two months with hamstring tendon damage after being subbed off in the win against Adelaide.
Johannisen has slotted back into half-back in recent weeks and made a real impact but pulled up and grabbed at his hamstring during the Mars Stadium encounter.
The Dogs are hopeful that he will not need surgery for the injury but the early expectation is that the hamstring damage does involve his tendon.
It means he could be out for between 6-10 weeks, which might mean Caleb Daniel has to slot back into the backline.
Marcus Bontempelli received a knock to the knee against Adelaide which required treatment and while he looked sore in the second half, he played out the game.
The Dogs are confident he has avoided any structural damage and will be fit to take on Gold Coast in Darwin next weekend as they try to continue their march up the ladder with a 7-3 win-loss record.
CATS COULD REGAIN THREE FLAG STARS
Geelong coach Chris Scott says Patrick Dangerfield is a strong chance of returning from a hamstring injury against GWS next weekend.
But the Cats superstar will still need to pass a series of tests at training this week that could delay his return by another week.
The Cats are hopeful Sam De Koning (facial fracture) and Gary Rohan will return from injury after a second consecutive loss to put the Cats at 5-5 in their premiership defence.
The Cats said after round 10 that Dangerfield’s hamstring injury was low-level, and if he takes on GWS it will be 21 days after the injury.
A three-week absence would be in line with the club’s more cautious approach to senior players and put him on track to play the Bulldogs in round 12.
Coach Chris Scott said he believed the cavalry was about to return after Tyson Stengle (broken arm) and Jack Henry (foot surgery) took to the field against Fremantle.
“It’s a big group. We are really optimistic on Dangerfield, Rohan, De Koning. Mitch Duncan might be a little longer, Cam Guthrie is close. (Sam) Menegola and (Rhys) Stanley will be a bit longer. It was good to see Henry and Stengle back. Jack Henry hasn’t played a game at any level all year.”
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