AFL 2023: Tarryn Thomas cleared of injury after practice match return
A strong return VFL return from Tarryn Thomas looked to be soured by an injury. But the club’s formal assessment is good news for the under-fire Roo.
Tarryn Thomas looks certain to continue building his match conditioning through the VFL this week after his injured ankle received the all-clear on Monday.
The North Melbourne midfielder soured what had been a strong return to competitive football on Saturday when he launched high for a pack mark in the final minutes, only to fall awkwardly on his left ankle.
While Thomas lay on the ground in pain for some time, and was slow to hobble off Arden St, the immediate prognosis on Saturday was positive.
That was supported by Monday’s formal assessment. The Kangaroos said Thomas would be monitored as the week goes on, but that he was almost certain to play in Saturday’s practice match against Williamstown at Arden St.
The VFL Kangaroos will then play their first three home-and-away games of the second-tier season at Arden St, where Thomas will remain if he is not made eligible for AFL selection.
Thomas was impressive in Saturday’s VFL practice match win against Footscray as he predominantly played out of the centre square.
While Thomas was a little rusty – and during the second quarter he kicked the ball straight into the man on the mark, who turned around and set up an easy goal for Western Bulldog Mitch Hannan – he moved with supreme class around the ground.
Thomas was stood down on February 1 and required to complete a respect and responsibility training and education program after allegations were levelled against him by multiple women.
Thomas lights up Roos hitout
Tarryn Thomas showed he was ready to bolt into coach Alastair Clarkson’s midfield as teammates declared their unwavering support for the troubled 22-year-old.
The Kangaroos have not officially declared when Thomas will be made available for AFL selection, but after lighting up Saturday’s VFL practice match against Footscray the only potential barriers appear to be off the field.
Thomas sent a scare through the Kangaroos’ camp when he launched for a spectacular mark and landed awkwardly on his ankle at the 26-minute mark of the final quarter.
But the early prognosis was positive and Thomas was spotted casually chatting to a friend outside the rooms about 10 minutes after the final siren.
Thomas will be assessed by medicos on Monday, however the injury appears to be minor.
While it was feared a lack of conditioning would inhibit Thomas after he spent almost four weeks away from the club in February, the prime mover played a full VFL match until that late ankle injury.
Recruit Daniel Howe said Thomas was already back at AFL level.
“I thought he was pretty outstanding. You can see what sort of talent he brings to the side,” Howe said.
“He didn’t miss a beat. He showed why he’s such a class player and he didn’t look like he’s come off a layoff or anything.
“He’s a special talent and we’re going to support him in whatever way we can and hopefully he can return to the field as soon as possible.”
Thomas was stood down on February 1 as the AFL integrity unit probed fresh allegations of inappropriate behaviour.
He appeared to be spared any sledging from opponents or spectators during his onball onslaught on Saturday.
Howe said Thomas returned to Arden St “in as good a spirits as he could be”.
The potential star was used at most centre bounces before drifting forward in the last quarter to kick the sealing goal.
Wearing No.54 – not his usual No.26 – Thomas’s ball use was rusty at times, but he looked and moved like a player who was a class above VFL standard.
Thomas’s best moment came in the second quarter when he smothered a Footscray player on the wing, gathered the ball, stepped past an opponent and threaded a pass to Ben Bath in front of goal.
His burst out of stoppages was impressive, and while he often placed his hands on his knees to take a breath, Thomas played big minutes in hot conditions.
Aidan Corr, playing his third consecutive match, starred behind the ball to show he is ready to step into injured full-back Ben McKay’s shoes against West Coast next week.
Aaron Hall was among North’s best as a rebounding defender along with Howe and Curtis Taylor.
Howe put his hand up to play round 1 after his first hitout against an opposition team in Roos colours.
Clarkson missed the match due to a trip to Adelaide, however backline coach John Blakey, list manager Brady Rawlings, club legend Brent Harvey and football boss Todd Viney were all at Arden St.
Premiership Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge appeared hands-on for Footscray despite goalkicker Mitch Hannan being the only AFL-listed player in the line-up, while Melbourne recruiter Tim Lamb also cast an eye over the VFL contest.
Howe, who was coached by Clarkson at Hawthorn for seven years, said Clarkson was as passionate as ever.
“I think he’s come off an 18-month break with some real energy and some real drive,” Howe said.
“It’s been good to see him back at the helm and directing training.”
Top Roo says Thomas in a ‘better place’
– Lauren Wood
North Melbourne co-captain Luke McDonald has revealed Tarryn Thomas recently addressed the playing group in the wake of explosive allegations surrounding his treatment of women.
Thomas, 22, will return to the field this weekend where he is set to play two quarters of a VFL practice match.
The Kangaroos player was charged in January with a single count of threatening to distribute an intimate image which is yet to be heard, with further allegations levelled from multiple women in relation to threatening behaviour.
In February, he stepped away from the club before returning later that month with the club ordering he complete an extensive education program.
McDonald said to have heard directly from Thomas in relation to the issue was a significant step.
“He’s spoken to the group. He got up and it was good to hear from him,” he said.
“There’s obviously not too much I can say, but it was good to hear from him and it is good to have him around. He’s had a program that he’s had to do over the last couple of months that he’s followed and he seems in a better place.”
The league is still monitoring Thomas’ charge which is still before the courts.
McDonald said to see his teammate back playing was a result of dedication to the respectful education process put before him.
“As a teammate, you’re there to support him and to support all your teammates,” he said.
“Tarryn’s been through a lot over the last few months and probably a couple of years. But the club’s put a really strong program in place to help him and he’s followed that to a tee and that’s why he’ll be playing VFL this week. It’s good to have him back around the club.”
McDonald said players felt “lucky” to be developing under the tutelage of new coach Alastair Clarkson, who himself was in the headlines last month after a confrontation with a journalist.
“The thing with Clarko is throughout his whole time in footy is he’s so loyal to his players,” he said.
“And just protects his players. There’s no doubt he addressed that (issue).
“But I love his loyalty as a coach. At the end of the day when you’re a player, other than your other teammates the one you want most to have your back is your coach. There’s no doubt about that with Clarko. We’re lucky to have him as a coach.”
McDonald said the anticipation and excitement he felt for the season ahead was the strongest he had enjoyed in 10 years playing AFL, despite not one AFL captain tipping the Roos to make the top eight this season in a survey conducted on Thursday.
Tigers bolter to debut, star Roo sidelined
– Sam Landsberger
Richmond is poised to blood a former soccer star who only returned to football four years ago to help combat Carlton’s decorated forward line in front of 90,000 fans at the MCG next Thursday night.
Rookie Tylar Young – a 196cm, 97kg defender from Albury – has shot into contention for triple-premiership coach Damien Hardwick’s backline after a super summer as a versatile stopper.
A whirlwind debut would see the little-known defender join high-profile recruits Tim Taranto and Jacob Hopper as fresh faces in Richmond’s line-up.
Young, 24, lined up on megastar Dustin Martin in match simulation at Punt Rd recently and played 91 per cent game time in Saturday’s practice match against Melbourne at Casey Fields.
Young and Robbie Tarrant played in the same backline against North Melbourne in the previous week’s match simulation to show there was room for both in the same team.
However with Tarrant (hip) ruled out of the start of the season, Young’s chances of being this year’s round 1 bolter have soared as the Tigers plot to stop Charlie Curnow and Harry McKay.
The Tigers are sweating on Jayden Short (calf) for round 1 but are hopeful Dion Prestia will recover from a pectoral injury.
Young is expected to be spared a baptism of fire on one of Carlton’s Coleman Medallists, with Noah Balta and Dylan Grimes the obvious match-ups for McKay and Curnow respectively.
But that could leave 203cm target Tom De Koning in Young’s sights in the annual blockbuster to open the season.
Young is seen as playing in more of Grimes’ mould than the hulking Tarrant, given he has attributes to play tall or small.
Young prioritised soccer, cricket and even table tennis over footy during his teenage years as a frustrated Brisbane Lions supporter whose team was rarely shown on free-to-air TV.
In 2018 Young was playing as a soccer centre-back for Albury City before North Albury convinced him to kick the Sherrin in 2019.
That kickstarted a rapid rise, where Young signed for VFL outfit Frankston and played some games for Northern Football League club Bundoora in 2021.
Young manned AFL-listed forwards including Hayden McLean (Sydney), Mitch Brown (Melbourne) and Buku Khamis (Western Bulldogs) across his 14 VFL games for Richmond last year and Tiger scouts loved his rapid improvement rate.
“When I was playing against blokes in the AFL and holding my own, it was like, ‘Well this is what I want to do now. I can do it and it’s my goal’,” Young recently told CODE Sports.
Tigers recruiter Matthew Clarke said: “Predominantly playing as a key defender, he showed an ability to blanket a variety of opponents while also developing his intercept game”.
Highlights packages of Young show his golden fists – both left and right – often spoiling high balls to safety. He averaged 4.1 spoils per game.
Young’s swift rise into the selection frame continues the remarkable success of Richmond’s VFL program elevating players to AFL standard.
In recent years Sam Durham, Massimo D’Ambrosio, Garrett McDonagh (all Essendon), Jake Aarts (Richmond) and now Young have all been drafted through the VFL Tigers.
Young has been chosen by just 2 per cent of SuperCoach teams despite his strong selection claims and price tag of $102,400.
Clarko’s round 1 plans cop huge injury blow
– Jay Clark
North Melbourne has suffered a huge blow on the eve of the season with star full-back Ben McKay out with a serious foot injury.
The gun defender has suffered a stress reaction injury in his right foot and reported soreness on Saturday.
McKay, 25, has been placed in a moon boot and will be out for an indefinite period with the club reluctant to put a timeline on his recovery.
However, News Corp understands initial estimates suggest he could miss the opening month of the season, pending his recovery.
It is a massive setback one-and-a-half weeks out from the Kangaroos’ season-opener against West Coast on Saturday.
McKay is one of the best defenders in the league and one of North’s most important players as the club prepares to start a new chapter under new coach Alastair Clarkson.
He is also out of contract at the end of the year and is one of the competition’s leading free agents.
McKay’s absence makes Griffin Logue’s addition even more important to hold up the back line after making the move from Fremantle last year.
Before the injury North Melbourne was favourite to win the Round 1 clash against the Eagles for only the second time before a game since the start of last year.
Blues trio in for potential baptism of fire
– Jon Ralph
Carlton is weighing up playing three first-gamers in front of 90,000 MCG fans against Richmond as the club’s reinvestment in the national draft looks set to pay immediate dividends.
The Blues took four national draft picks last including Ollie Hollands (pick 11), Lachie Cowan (pick 30), Jaxon Binns (pick 32), Harry Lemmey (pick 47) and then summer rookies Hudson Keefe and Alex Cincotta.
Wingman Hollands and defenders Cowan and Cincotta are all in the frame to take on Richmond in a clash that the league will hope could eclipse the arch rivals’ best round 1 attendance of 90,151 in 2018.
Running machine Hollands has shared the wing responsibilities with ex-Fremantle veteran Blake Acres and left-footer Lochie O’Brien and is closing in on a round 1 debut.
O’Brien has been trialled at half forward at times given Hollands, an elite-running inside mid as a junior, looks to have a long-term future on the wing.
But the surprise packet has been the impressive Cowan, a Tasmanian Carlton supporter who the Blues acquired after giving up a future second-rounder in a live draft night trade.
The unflappable 187cm defender has always had a superb right boot and strong overhead marking for his size.
In match simulation and again in the loss to Sydney the 2022 Morrish Medallist displayed a rugged aggression that has quickly endeared him to Carlton supporters.
Nic Newman is set to return to the Carlton defence against Richmond and Mitch McGovern is fit and available after playing a VFL intra-club this weekend as his partner gave birth to a son Hamish.
So Cowan will have to wait until next week to see whether he is displaced against Richmond.
Carlton reserves best-and-fairest winner Cincotta will also hope to hold his spot in the side although the return of Patrick Cripps, Harry McKay and potentially Jack Martin will make him nervous.
Carlton had taken only three live picks in the last two drafts (pick 27 Jesse Motlop, pick 37 Corey Durdin, pick 41 Jack Carroll) and was determined to again stock up on young kids.
Regardless of how many debut against Richmond, the Blues believe Cowan and Hollands add critical pieces to their list build.
They have long attempted to find a strong-bodied mid-sized tight-checking defender to compliment Adam Saad and Sam Docherty with 144-gamer Lachie Plowman, Brodie Kemp and Liam Stocker all filling that role in recent years.
The Blues will draw some heat for not attempting to lure new Bulldog Liam Jones back to the club after his Covid dramas, but believed they already had enough key defenders.
The Blues added Lewis Young and Sam Durdin to their stocks which include Jacob Weitering, Caleb Marchbank and Mitch McGovern so were happy to let him move to the Dogs.
He was also offered a three-year deal they would not have been able to match, having secured Young as a 23-year-old in a move that will allow him to mature with their side.
In return for Jones they secured the No. 47 pick as free agency compensation and took 199cm SANFL forward Lemmey as a long-term prospect.
Lemmey has already drawn the admiration of McKay and Weitering for his early progress.
Pies star out until mid-season, two tigers in doubt
– Rebecca Williams
Collingwood has suffered a significant injury blow ahead of the start of its 2023 campaign with midfielder Patrick Lipinski to miss the first half of the season after undergoing shoulder surgery.
In a major setback in the build-up to Collingwood’s season-opening blockbuster against premier Geelong, the Magpies confirmed Lipinski would be sidelined until after the mid-season bye period after he underwent surgery on his left shoulder on Monday.
It is the second shoulder surgery Lipinski has faced in the past six months after the former Bulldog underwent a postseason shoulder reconstruction last October.
The latest injury is to the same shoulder operated on last year.
Lipinski dislocated his left shoulder in the final quarter of the Magpies’ practice match against Hawthorn in Launceston last Thursday.
“We are disappointed for Pat who has undergone his second shoulder surgery in six months,” Collingwood general manager of football Graham Wright said.
“The expectation is that he will be out of the selection frame until after the mid-season bye.
“In the meantime, his welfare remains paramount and we will continue to support Pat as he begins his rehab.”
Lipinski was among the best in the Magpies’ final tune-up for the season proper with 22 disposals and two goals before he hurt his shoulder midway through the final term.
He left the field clutching his already heavily-strapped shoulder after attempting to lay a tackle on Hawthorn’s Sam Butler.
After the match, Magpies’ assistant coach Brendon Bolton said the club had its fingers crossed that the injury was on the “lighter side”.
Lipinski played every game in his first season at Collingwood last year after crossing from the Western Bulldogs during the 2021 trade period.
The 24-year-old finished sixth in the Magpies’ Copeland Trophy count in his debut year at the club.
The Magpies face the Cats in their season-opener on March 17 at the MCG.
Richmond remains hopeful midfielder Dion Prestia is still a chance to be available for its opening round clash against Carlton, but the Tigers are also sweating on the fitness of Jayden Short ahead of the round 1 blockbuster.
The Tigers revealed on Monday scans had confirmed Prestia had suffered a strained pectoral muscle in Saturday’s practice match against Melbourne at Casey Fields.
But the club said the premiership star remained a chance to take on the Blues in the season-opener at the MCG on March 16.
Scans also revealed midfielder Short had suffered a left calf strain against the Demons.
The Tigers said his availability would be assessed closer to the round 1 clash next Thursday.
Meanwhile, North Melbourne forward Cam Zurhaar is under an injury cloud after scans revealed he suffered a calf strain in Saturday’s pre-season match against the Western Bulldogs at Ikon Park.
Zurhaar reported what the club described as “awareness” in his left calf and he did not return to the field after halftime.
“Cam will be on light duties and monitored closely over the next week,” North Melbourne’s general manager of football Todd Viney said.
“It will be a matter of waiting to see how he responds, then progressing his rehab as his symptoms allow.”
North ruckman Callum Coleman-Jones also suffered a partial tear of his left plantar fascia in the VFL on Saturday and will now be in a moon boot for a short period before commencing his rehab program.
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