AFL injury news 2021: Follow all the latest and breaking news on your club’s injuries

On Saturday, Power midfielder Jackson Mead had some stomach discomfort playing in the SANFL. Later that day, ‘all hell broke loose’ and he was rushed to hospital.

Star Tiger Dion Prestia is on the sidelines again with a hamstring setback. Picture: Darrian Traynor/Getty Images

Port Adelaide midfielder Jackson Mead is expected to be out for 10 to 12 weeks as he recovers from a stint in intensive care with a lacerated spleen.

Jackson – the son of inaugural Power best and fairest Darren Mead – collapsed at his family’s West Lakes Shore house after playing SANFL for the Magpies against South Adelaide at Noarlunga on Saturday.

The 19-year-old had experienced stomach discomfort in the last quarter of the game, which worsened when he got home and he also became dizzy.

A Port Adelaide club doctor and Magpies coach Matthew Lokan came over to help after Jackson fainted, before he was taken to Calvary Hospital.

Watch the 2021 Toyota AFL Premiership Season. Every match of every round Live on Kayo. New to Kayo? Try 14-Days Free Now >

Port Adelaide midfielder Jackson Mead in hospital for a lacerated spleen. Picture: Instagram

About 11.30pm, a head trauma worker informed Darren that Jackson had bleeding from his spleen and needed to go into intensive care.

“I almost fainted myself – I then knew it was serious,” Darren told The Advertiser.

“Every thought goes through your head – all the bad thoughts.”

Darren had been told four things might happen: the spleen would repair itself, Jackson would require surgery to fix the rupture, his spleen would need removing or he could bleed out and die.

“It was totally scary,” said Darren, who played 122 AFL games and won three SANFL flags for Port Adelaide.

Jackson spent two days in intensive care.

The father-son pick, taken at No. 25 in the 2019 national draft, remained in hospital until Thursday.

“Best-case scenario was for him not to have surgery and he survived that,” Darren said.

“The first 24 hours was making sure he stopped the bleeding himself but the second 24 was another critical part with all the blood that’s around the bowel.”

Darren called the injury “one of those freak things”.

Father-son combinations Darren and Jackson Mead with Trent and Peter Burgoyne. Picture: AAP/Russell Millard

Jackson could not pinpoint any knock against South Adelaide that might have caused it, but had received one to his stomach a week earlier while playing Central District.

Darren originally thought Jackson might have had an appendix issue because he was sore on the right side of his belly.

“As soon as he got home and sat on the couch and stood up, within 20 minutes, all hell broke loose,” he said.

“Once he went to the toilet a second time, he wasn’t looking good and pretty well fainted before he got out.

“I just caught him before he hit the floor.

“It was lucky I was home because it might have been a totally different story.

“I was in the right place at the right time and he’s a lucky boy.”

The Woodville-West Torrens product has been told to stay in bed until Tuesday and is set for three months on the sidelines, including six weeks without football.

“He’s got to rest up for a reasonable amount of time to make sure he doesn’t get his heart rate up too high to reinjure the spleen and make it bleed,” Darren said.

“We’ve got to make sure the spleen scars up and heals.

Jackson Mead training in March. Picture: Mark Brake

“After six weeks we’ll go back to the doctor again, he’ll have a look and make a call on whether he goes back to training.

“It all depends on his health whether he gets back this year or not – we’ll be guided by the docs on that.”

Jackson, who had hamstring problems last year and in pre-season, had been staking his claims for an AFL debut.

Darren said he was just glad his son was on the mend.

“He’s been trying to get a decent crack at it but unfortunately this has come at the wrong time,” he said.

“That’s the way footy goes.

“You can count on one hand the amount of guys who’ve had lacerated spleens at a high level.

“But he’ll be stronger when he gets back and there’s no doubt he’ll get back.

“It’s going to take him a bit of time and he’ll need to get confidence back.

“But he’s a tough kid.”

Darren thanked the medical staff and the club for their support and expertise.

“Great credit to the club doctors and all the heroes that are out there that don’t get acknowledged too much – the ambos and people who looked after him at Calvary,” he said.

“They did a fantastic job and we’re very lucky.”

Saints’ new plan for Hannebery’s nightmare injury run

- Jay Clark

St Kilda is set to change its approach to Daniel Hannebery’s persistent run of soft tissue injuries in a bid to return the midfielder to the game and extend his career.

The Saints on Friday admitted the former Swan was frustrated and hurt by his nightmare calf and hamstring problems which have dogged Hannebery again this season.

The premiership midfielder was brought to the club on a big money deal but the injury issues have limited Hannebery to only 13 games in three seasons.

While time is running out for Hannebery, St Kilda chief operating officer Simon Lethlean said the Saints have not given up faith of the 30-year-old having an impact in 2021.

The Saints are under pressure to lift against Port Adelaide on Sunday to avoid falling to 2-4 in a blow to their hopes of playing finals again this season.

Lethlean admitted the persistent injuries had taken a toll on Hannebery but the club was set to tweak its approach to his program to help get a better result.

“He is certainly very important when we get him out there, but that hasn’t been happening,” Lethlean said on SEN.

St Kilda is changing its approach to Dan Hannebery’s injury issues. Picture: AAP Images

“That is a frustration for the club and it is a frustration for him and our fans.

“He is working his butt off and nothing is working for him right now, so it is disappointing for him and it hurts. It hurts him and we want him out there.

“But rest assured he is working harder than anyone and he is still a few weeks away.

“We are looking at how we can restructure his program.

“He has been having calf complaints on the back of not particularly intense work, so there is something else going on as compared to ripping soft tissue.

“So that’s a work in progress, it is very frustrating.”

Lethlean said Hannebery hasn’t been able to make the contribution he would have liked since departing the Swans.

“He hasn’t had the career he wanted at the Saints but I’m convinced if he can get himself back on track he can have a big impact,” he said.

“If it keeps being that he can’t play, time will start to burn out, but we are not looking at it that way.

“We expect him to get back in a few weeks’ time. It is not working at the moment, so it’s not ideal.”

Dan Hannebery has played just 13 games for the Saints. Picture: AAP Images

WHEN WILL STAR TIGERS RETURN?

Richmond won’t rush back triple premiership star Dion Prestia from his latest hamstring injury, with the 2019 club champion possibly still a fortnight away from returning.

Coach Damien Hardwick told reporters on Thursday morning that Prestia and important defender Nick Vlastuin (knee) were on a similar timeline.

This also won’t be the week that exciting father-son prospect Maurice Rioli jnr makes his much-anticipated AFL debut, even though he’s surprised his coach with his rapid progress.

“Dion’s very important to the way we play. He’s had some history with hamstrings before,” Hardwick said.

“It’s not a significant event but the reality is we have to respect it for what it is and once Dion’s back available we want him available for the remainder of the year, so we won’t rush him in that format.”

The Tigers bared their teeth in an 86-point spanking of St Kilda last week and face a fascinating early season test against unbeaten Melbourne on Saturday night in the annual Anzac eve game.

Richmond coach Damien Hardwick isn’t expecting Dustin Martin and Christian Petracca to go head to head on Saturday night. Picture: Michael Klein

The clash pits competition heavyweights Dustin Martin and Christian Petracca against one another, but Hardwick doused expectations they would face off on the field.

“They both play mid-forward, so they’ll stand next to each other at certain stages, but they won’t be playing on each other at any stage,” Hardwick said.

“They’re both very high-impact players and great players to watch.

“We look forward to a big crowd coming to watch those two boys at work, but they’ll shake each other’s hands at the start of the game and that’s as close as they’ll get, I’d imagine.”

Richmond’s made an art form of peaking at the right end of the season and hasn’t always roared out of the blocks, but Hardwick said the Demons game was “important” for various reasons.

He went out of his way to offer admiration for Melbourne’s 5-0 start and was particularly glowing of its defensive adjustments.

“We’re very fortunate and honoured to play on Anzac eve. It’s growing into the calendar and it’s a big drawcard for people to come and play and start to pay their respects for Anzac Day,” Hardwick said.

“(We also play for) the ‘Checker’ Hughes Medal – a guy who played in premierships for us and coached premierships for Melbourne, so that’s really important as well.

“It’s a big game, so players love that we’re getting to the ‘G and we’re hopefully going to get somewhere near 70,000 people. From my perspective, I don’t have to prod the players too much.”

Originally published as AFL injury news 2021: Follow all the latest and breaking news on your club’s injuries