AFL 2025: Essendon suffer further blows, Gold Coast star to miss a month
Essendon will front GWS will almost a full side of unavailabilities after another luckless weekend.
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Essendon will have a staggering 16 players unavailable this weekend after an another cruel bout of injuries.
Ben Hobbs and Nate Caddy have been added to the injury list for one week with respective hamstring and groin setbacks, while Nic Martin and Will Setterfield have joined the group of players out long term.
The Bombers have nine ruled out for the season and a further three with a timeline still yet to be determined.
Gold Coast will push towards an inaugural finals berth without Touk Miller after the star midfielder was sidelined for almost a month with a hamstring injury.
Miller was substituted out of the Suns’ statement win over Collingwood on Friday night with the concern.
The Suns managed to hold off the fast-finishing Magpies without Miller to announce themselves as a September contender.
Gold Coast physio Lindsay Bull said Miller would miss 3-4 weeks on Tuesday morning.
“Scans have confirmed that Touk sustained a hamstring strain on Friday night which will see him miss the next 3-4 weeks,” Bull said.
In more positive news for the Suns, key defender Sam Collins is poised to return from two weeks out with a calf injury, while Caleb Graham will also be available.
The week at Punt Rd just got better as Richmond released a pair of players from the rehab room.
Harry Armstrong will be available for selection after recovering from a long-term hamstring tear – a welcome setback for the Tigers without spearhead Tom Lynch.
Jasper Alger, meanwhile, has also made a miraculously swift return.
Alger was last week listed as 3-4 weeks away but recent scans revealed the ankle issue less worrying than the initial diagnosis.
“We scanned Jasper’s ankle last week after the injury report and realised the injury wasn’t as severe as what we thought originally,” Richmond performance manager Ben Serpell said
“Happy to say that he has pulled through training last week and is available for selection this week.”
Brisbane forward Lincoln McCarthy is eyeing a miraculous return less than six months after tearing his ACL.
McCarthy has moved from TBC to 4-6 weeks away, meaning he will be available for September selection.
At Carlton, Mitch McGovern has been officially ruled out with a hamstring injury.
His time on the sidelines is yet to be determined in another blow to the Blues and coach Michael Voss.
Hawthorn superstar Will Day is set to miss just one more week with his troublesome foot.
Day lit the start of the season up but was sidelined for four months with a season-hindering setback.
He will be a welcome addition for the Hawks, who need to win key games on the run home to make the top four.
“He’s been on a really specifically tailored program and built around how he’s going to return and the way we’re going to train him from week to week once he returns, based on the injury he’s had and the surgery, and some of the things we’ve reviewed with his program as well,” Hawks performance manager Peter Burge said
“But he’s had a fantastic block of training and we expect to see that same progression this week into next week, so it’s quite exciting.”
Originally published as AFL 2025: Essendon suffer further blows, Gold Coast star to miss a month
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