All the injury news from Round 16 of the AFL

Even on a bye, there’s been no respite for the Bombers on the injury front, and while the club thinks the epidemic of 2023 is behind them, it could be bad news for some big names.

Kyle Langford’s latest quad injury recurrence was suffered while kicking in a setback that could see his season eventually shut down given the sensitive nature of that injury.

The Bombers are awaiting scan results for their trio of injured players, who suffered setbacks in a light Hangar session on Saturday during the mid-season bye.

The Dons are desperately hoping that Darcy Parish’s latest calf concern might only be soreness given he has often reported some calf tightness during a season where he had been plagued by back and soft-tissue concerns.

Darcy Parish. Picture: Paul Kane/Getty Images.

Kyle Langford. Picture: Michael Klein

But a calf sprain would put him out for at least a month given his battles this season in the same area.

Mason Redman now has a hamstring injury after recovering from a calf concern and is also awaiting the results of scans conducted on Saturday.

Sam Durham is ready to return from concussion and Elijah Tsatas might be considered after spectacular VFL form.

But Langford’s latest quad injury is to the same leg as the injury in the Richmond game and was also suffered while kicking, which is a more worrying symptom for the Dons.

He was scheduled to miss six weeks after his late May injury but now will miss at least the same period in the back-end of the season.

Injuries done while kicking are especially concerning given the force put into kicking the Sherrin and the ease with which those injuries can recur.

He had already been out for six weeks with a hamstring injury suffered against Hawthorn so his year is effectively a write-off.

His teammate Jordan Ridley was limited to only nine games last year with quad concerns as he battled to return to the senior side.

The club will have to make an impossible decision on whether their trio of hamstring victims Ridley, Zach Reid and Saad El-Hawli play against the Suns next week.

All three players were touch and go for that contest and while the Dons will make decisions on their availability in isolation, this weekend’s injuries have to be back of mind.

Ben McKay is no certainty to return this year given ongoing foot concerns which have him TBC, while Harrison Jones is also slowly working back from a dislocated ankle.

Mason Redman has a hamstring concern. Picture: Morgan Hancock/AFL Photos/via Getty Images.

The Herald Sun revealed Saturday night the club was investigating the club’s soft-tissue injury crisis that has seen a spate of stars go down with recurring injuries.

In 2023 the club worked with Cricket Australia to investigate the back stress fractures to players like Jones and Reid but this year the concerns have been soft-tissue related.

Having resurfaced the club’s training grounds over summer the club does not believe the hardness of the surface is an issue.

But football boss Dan McPherson and CEO Craig Vozzo, a former football boss at West Coast, are hard at work attempting to work on remedies.

The club’s current fitness boss is Sean Murphy, who joined Essendon in 2019 after stints at organisations including Hawthorn, Box Hill Hawks and Cricket Tasmania.

But simply moving on the club’s fitness boss is not the answer unless the club can make holistic changes to the program that ensure they minimise the risk of soft-tissue concerns.

ROOS YOUNG GUN URGED TO CHANGE HIS WAYS

North Melbourne is confident Harry Sheezel will be fit to take on the Western Bulldogs in the club’s centenary game but Luke McDonald will join George Wardlaw on the sidelines.

In a disastrous outing against Hawthorn, Sheezel injured his shoulder in the last 90 seconds while McDonald hurt his AC joint and Wardlaw was concussed.

Sheezel was to undergo scans on Sunday but the club is reasonably optimistic he has not suffered structural damage.

George Wardlaw has been subbed out of the game following this incident with Conor Nash. #AFLHawksNorthpic.twitter.com/pwpdvFFssb

— AFL (@AFL) June 28, 2025

McDonald hurt his AC joint and while he got back onto the ground he did not last long and was in a sling post-match.

If he needs surgery he could be out for more than a month.

The Roos will have to decide if Wardlaw needs a multi-week break after he suffered his third concussion in 12 months on Saturday.

Wardlaw has developed cult hero status given his brilliant play but has had a quiet six-week patch for the Roos and is now sidelined again.

North Melbourne is keen to extend his contract well past 2026 but the timing of his concussions and his up-and-down form is not ideal for the 21-year-old.

Wardlaw was urged on Sunday to change his game to extend his career on Sunday by Norm Smith Medallist Isaac Smith.

Wardlaw collided with the shoulder of Hawthorn’s Conor Nash and will miss the Western Bulldogs clash in his latest setback.

While teammate Harry Sheezel has barely skipped a beat with 59 AFL games Wardlaw has played only 35 given hamstring and concussion setbacks.

“Everyone in footy loves the way George goes about it,” Smith told Nine.

“The way he trains, the way he plays. I think it gets to the stage where they have to coach him a bit differently but he’s going to end his career early if he is not able to adapt in certain situations. He is one of the best young players in the game. I would love to see him change a little bit of his technique around the stoppage.”

Wardlaw was concussed in training leading into round 16 last year and missed two weeks, then suffered delayed symptoms coming out of round 20 and missed another fortnight.

Bailey Scott was the best-formed Roos mid in the VFL, while Zane Duursma kicked three goals and Cooper Harvey had 24 possessions.

Max Ramsden is likely to hold his spot after kicking three goals in a forward line where Mabior Chol and Jack Gunston (seven goals) were both superb.

Mitchell explained James Worpel’s lengthy absence with a corked leg but didn’t quite guarantee he or Sicily (hip) would be back against St Kilda next Saturday.

“(It’s) a bit of a selection squeeze and that will be a challenge for down the road,” he said.

“James Worpel has had a very nasty corky and hasn’t been able to bend his leg for a couple of weeks. He just started to turn the corner this week just gone so he would be pretty close.

“James Sicily looked a fair bit better in the second half of the week. Mitch Lewis (had his) first game back, Calsher playing for Box Hill was fanatic.

“There were some really good performances at that level so selection will be a challenge which it has to be for teams that want to compete.”

Jake Lever’s seven intercept marks playing in the VFL will likely be enough to see him return to the Demons side that has Harrison Petty and Blake Howes in the concussion protocol.

Lever was dumped by coach Simon Goodwin but Howes was concussed early and then Petty approached a contest head-on and was concussed for the second time this year.

Lever had 13 marks (seven contested), while Jacob Van Rooyen had 13 possessions and kicked a goal, with demoted first-round pick Caleb Windsor winning 17 possessions.

STAR DOG BACK IN HOSPITAL

- Jay Clark

Western Bulldogs’ star forward Cody Weightman has been forced to return to hospital after another issue with his season-ending knee problem.

Weightman, 24, reported more soreness and swelling in his leg and was diagnosed with an infection in the knee which has already undergone three procedures.

The goal kicker required antibiotic treatment in hospital to help flush the knee of the fresh infection which has continued his frustrating and disappointing run in 2025.

The Dogs confirmed on Saturday he is expected to return to the club next week to continue his rehabilitation in a bid to prepare for the 2026 season.

Weightman has not played this season. Picture: Mark Stewart

The club has already pulled the pin on Weightman’s 2025 season after his nightmare year started with a rare congenital condition called bipartite patella.

The issue stems from having a small separate piece of bone in the knee cap.

Weightman had initial surgery on the joint in February and his recovery has not gone smoothly with several complications setting him back this year.

It was a blow for the Dogs as Weightman is one of the best and most exciting small forwards in the competition.

The Dogs are gunning to make a deep run in September without Weightman and number one pick Jamarra Ugle-Hagan who has returned to the club from personal issues.

Ugle-Hagan is keen to make his return through the VFL but the club has made clear he will only play after completing a sustained and significant training block.