AFL round 9: All the latest injury and MRO news
A luckless Hawk will miss the rest of 2023 having been placed on the club’s long-term injury list as he looks to overcome his issues with concussion.
Hawthorn has put ruckman Max Lynch on the long-term injury list as he attempts to overcome his latest concussion problem.
The former Collingwood big man is still suffering concussion symptoms following his third head knock since he joined Hawthorn at the end of 2021 and has been ruled out of action for the rest of the season.
While the move will allow the Hawks to take two players in the mid-season draft, the club has vowed to put Lynch’s wellbeing first in a bid to help him make a full recovery.
Lynch, 24, suffered head trauma in his career at Collingwood and has copped high knocks in brown and gold in Round 1 and 10 last year and again this year in Round 6 against Adelaide.
He is the latest player to take an extended period away from the game because of concussion as Sydney Swan Paddy McCartin weighs up his future after another worrying head knock.
Hawthorn head doctor Liam West said the club was mindful of Lynch’s history of head knocks.
“We have adopted an incredibly cautious approach with Max’s recovery timeline given his concussion history, and this move affords him the best chance to return to full health,” West said.
“While we’ve seen some good improvement from Max and he had resumed gentle exercise, our focus is fully centred around him becoming symptom-free.
“Max is 100 per cent on board with this decision, and by removing the pressures of attempting to progress through the return-to-play protocol, it provides great comfort for him and his family.”
Football manager Rob McCartney said it was best if Lynch’s footy career took a back seat while he recovers.
The man who has traded to Hawthorn for a future third and a future fourth-round selection has played senior matches over his career, and will hope to make his comeback next year.
“Max is a popular figure at our club and everyone here at Hawthorn is behind him,” McCartney said.
“We all know the challenges that are associated with this type of injury, and Max is showing great positivity and patience through the process.
“Max will be given all the time and support he needs in his recovery – his safety and wellbeing is our absolute priority – football now becomes secondary.”
Saints skipper’s huge relief after ACL fears
St Kilda captain Jack Steele says Max King proved his fitness for next week’s clash against GWS with a monster training session last Sunday.
But the Saints inside midfielder admits he is doubtful for that contest after suffering a medial ligament sprain against Adelaide that could have been so much worse.
King still has to get through training this week to make his season debut but will replace the concussed Tim Membrey after overcoming a shoulder reconstruction and a hamstring strain.
He is back in the nick of time given St Kilda’s 52-point loss to Port Adelaide, with Steele saying coach Ross Lyon had continued his mood of positivity despite the heavy nature of that defeat.
Saints captain and Kayo ambassador Jack Steele told the Herald Sun on Monday King had clearly done enough to push for selection on Thursday.
“He is right to go. He got through a big session on Sunday. So he has ticked the box and he has put his hand up for selection. So that will be a decision that Ross will make during the week. I am sure I know which way it will go. We need big Maxy back, it will be good to have him back. We are all excited to have a big tall target to kick to. He needs to get through the week but he got through that last session so I can’t wait.
“We have had to learn how to play without him for the first part of the year. Last year we were maybe relying on him too much. When we got the ball outside 50 we would bang it in to him which was predictable. So it will be interesting to see how it comes together and how we use him.”
Steele will attempt to train this week but says he dodged an injury bullet given he could so easily have torn his ACL as he attempted to tackle Rory Sloane but instead got his leg caught in that collision.
“It’s just a little medial strain. Tomorrow we will go in for a review and do some skills so that will give us an idea. If we can get through that I will try to train Friday but if it feels a little uncomfortable I don’t (think) we are going to push it too far. At this stage it feels all right so I feel like I would be able to get through a bit of a light flush (session) and jog around tomorrow so we will see how we go.
“I fell to the ground and tried to pick the ball up and almost tried to tackle him from the ground which put me in a position where my legs were in between his legs as he was trying to kick the footy. I have had a look at the vision and it could have been a lot worse. So I am grateful that it is what it is. I have found it hard mentally just dealing with a sore knee the last few days. I couldn’t imagine what 12 months out would do for me.”
NORTH TO BLOOD TOP PICK IN SIGN OF THE FUTURE
North Melbourne will delay an official decision on a priority pick request until later in the season as it prepares to blood No. 4 draft pick George Wardlaw against Sydney.
The Roos will be forced to make six changes to their side, with Cam Zurhaar (facial fracture) expected to miss the clash after a collision in the loss to Port Adelaide.
Tarryn Thomas officially returned to the AFL program yesterday and has not yet been ruled out of AFL selection.
The Roos will make a decision on his eligibility later in the week but he is more likely to play VFL given his lack of training with the AFL squad.
Wardlaw impressed in his latest VFL game with two goals and 18 possessions and is set to be named alongside No. 3 pick Harry Sheezel in the clash against the Swans.
The Roos have lost the past seven games – the past five by at least five goals – as the bottom falls out of Alastair Clarkson’s debut season.
The injury-ravaged Roos are third-last on the ladder with two wins and a percentage of 62.9.
Last year after their official priority pick request they secured two extra rookie list spots and 2022 second and third-round picks that they used to secure Fremantle pair Griffin Logue and Darcy Tucker.
It is understood the Roos will wait until later in the season to assess whether they make a request, hopeful they might turn their season around in a manner that disqualifies them from contention.
But the Roos record is disastrous since the start of 2020, with season tallies of three wins, four wins, two wins and this year’s 2-7 record.
Of more concern is whether there is enough talent on the list to bounce back in coming seasons.
No. 3 overall pick Will Phillips has not had the breakout season he would have hoped for, Thomas has become a significant distraction while not playing football, and recruits including Callum Coleman-Jones have not worked out.
Last year the Roos asked for a range of assistance, pointing out their long list of heavy defeats and a percentage that was 13 per cent worse than the next-best side over the previous three seasons.
If the club’s streak of losses continue the Roos will likely have a compelling case to push to the AFL given last year’s picks have not stemmed the bleeding.
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