GWS news: Sam Taylor ruled out indefinitely with ruptured testicle, Adam Kingsley away from club with Covid
GWS expects coach Adam Kingsley to fulfil his duties this weekend despite being away from the club with Covid. Plus, the latest on star Sam Taylor’s painful testicle injury.
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The Giants have been hit with another blow ahead of the Sydney Derby this week with Adam Kingsley missing their main training session on Thursday through illness.
The club confirmed on Thursday afternoon Kingsley had Covid.
The second-year coach reportedly felt ill earlier in the week and was a late withdrawal from his weekly press conference on Thursday morning.
“He’s just been a bit crook the last couple of days,” Giants assistant Ben Hart said.
“He should be fine for the weekend.
“It doesn’t affect the prep which is really good. We’ll go about it how we normally would. The assistant coaches take a fair lead this time of the week anyway.”
It adds to an already big week of injuries for the Giants after Sam Taylor ruptured his testicle during their win over Port Adelaide.
Nick Haynes also suffered a hamstring injury in the game which means they will need to make at least two changes in defence.
Hart provided a positive update on Taylor but said there was still no confirmed time frame for when he would be back in action. He also suggested that the incident occurred in the third quarter of the game against Port, with the key defender not realising there was an issue until the next morning.
“He’s doing well and we wish him all the best and a speedy recovery,” Hart said.
“I don’t know too much about it, to be honest. I think anywhere from seven to 15 days, to be honest. But when he’s right to go, clearly he’s got to get himself right to train but hopefully not too long.
“He’s a tough player, that’s for sure. They’re still trying to piece it together. But in the third quarter, there was an incident.
“We also feel like we’ve got players to cover what we need there.”
Jack Buckley and Leek Aleer will step up as the two key talls down back, with one likely to get the task on Joel Amartey following his nine-goal haul against the Crows.
It’s not all doom and gloom for the Giants with Lachie Ash set to come back into their defence and provide more run off halfback after his calf injury.
Stephen Coniglio is still a test for the match, but the club is likely to be more cautious about his return. Young gun Darcy Jones is also set to return via the VFL on restricted minutes.
EARLIER REPORT: GIANT SHOCK WITH STAR SIDELINED BY TESTICLE RUPTURE
GWS Giant Sam Taylor has had surgery on a ruptured testicle which will sideline him indefinitely.
The Giants confirmed the gun defender had undergone a procedure to fix the injury after injuring his testicle in the win over Port Adelaide on Sunday.
As of Wednesday evening, GWS were still gathering more information on when Taylor suffered the injury in general play in the third quarter.
Remarkably Taylor, who did not come off with the injury, played out the game.
His soreness worsened the following day, prompting the surgery.
The Giants will consult with medicos and assess how Taylor recovers over the next week before committing to a recovery timeline.
He is expected to miss several weeks at a minimum.
It is a huge blow for the Giants ahead of the Battle of the Bridge against Sydney Swans on Saturday.
Taylor is one of the best defenders in the game and recently re-signed at the Giants on a blockbuster deal.
GWS posted the following statement on social media:
“Sam Taylor will be sidelined after suffering a ruptured testicle during last week’s match and undergoing successful surgery yesterday. Sam’s home and recovering with a timeline for his return to be set after consultation with specialists.”
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Originally published as GWS news: Sam Taylor ruled out indefinitely with ruptured testicle, Adam Kingsley away from club with Covid
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