AFL injury and selection news: Tom Green hopeful of early return, Brodie Grundy limps off track, Bailey Smith to play Cats’ opener

Tom Green has revealed when he hopes to play his first game of the year after injury. Plus, Sydney’s latest update on Brodie Grundy. Get all the injury and selection intel here.

Star Giants midfielder Tom Green is holding out hope he could be back by the club’s second game of the season as he leaves no stone unturned in his recovery from a calf strain.

Green came from the field early during the club’s intra-club match a fortnight ago, with the Giants confirming the strain would keep him out for between four to six weeks.

The initial timeline suggested that the 24-year-old would return for the Giants’ clash against Hawthorn in Tasmania in round three. And while that is still the safe bet, Green hasn’t ruled out an earlier comeback, potentially in their round one match against Melbourne.

“It’s coming along really well,” Green said. “It’s a bit disappointing timing-wise…but it certainly could be worse.

“I think I’ll only probably miss our opening round and round one, barring some setbacks. So touch wood on that.

“If there’s any opportunity for me to get back before that, I’m not going to be leaving any stone unturned. But worst-case scenario if it’s missing two games, it certainly could be worse.”

BALLARAT, AUSTRALIA - AUGUST 25: Tom Green of the Giants celebrates kicking a goal during the round 24 AFL match between Western Bulldogs and Greater Western Sydney Giants at Mars Stadium, on August 25, 2024, in Ballarat, Australia. (Photo by Daniel Pockett/Getty Images)

Green was one of the Giants’ most important players last season as they finished inside the top four.

He ended the year with 27 Brownlow votes – the most ever by a Giants player – after averaging 30.8 disposals and 6.2 clearances a game.

Without their midfield general, the Giants are set to lean heavily on Josh Kelly and Finn Callaghan for the first two weeks of the year around the stoppages.

Stephen Coniglio is also set to make his long-awaited return from injury in Friday’s Community Series match against Carlton.

GRUNDY UNCERTAINTY LINGERS AFTER TRAINING SCARE

Brodie Grundy will be a test for the Swans’ opening-round clash against Hawthorn after sustaining a knock to his right knee at training on Wednesday morning.

Grundy came from the ground during the Swans’ matchplay session after landing awkwardly in a marking contest. Sydney’s physios then examined his right knee. Despite looking in some discomfort, he appeared to get through some running tests. However, he was taken back to Swans HQ for more testing.

The Swans confirmed on Thursday that Grundy suffered “no structural damage” to his knee but will be rested against the Suns in their final pre-season match on Friday night.

“Sydney Swans ruckman Brodie Grundy left training early in yesterday’s session after sustaining a knock to his right knee,” the statement read.

“Scans have revealed no structural damage to his knee, but as a precaution, he will not play in Friday night’s Community Series match against Gold Coast.

“Grundy will be a test to play in opening round against Hawthorn.”

Grundy came from the track early on Wednesday morning, and moved gingerly after an incident which caught his right knee. Picture: Phil Hillyard

Swans CEO Tom Harley was also optimistic about Grundy’s long-term outlook.

When asked on SEN Breakfast on Thursday about the injury, he said the end result was “positive for Brodie”.

It means Grundy has joined Tom Papley, with the small forward also in doubt for the Swans’ opening clash of the year as he manages an ankle sprain.

The Swans are already set to be without both captain Callum Mills and Harry Cunningham, while key forward Logan McDonald is still some weeks away.

Jake Lloyd is expected to return to the line-up for Friday’s match against Gold Coast, while Robbie Fox and Hayden McLean both continue to build-up their workloads in a bid to be fit to take on the Hawks.

Grundy’s injury opens up an opportunity for Peter Ladhams and Will Green to share the ruck duties in Friday night’s clash against the Suns.

The pair will be looking to impress new coach Dean Cox, especially if Grundy is not fit in time for their opening-round match against the Hawks.

New coach Dean Cox has already suggested that important role players like Grundy will be managed more carefully this season. Grundy played 26 matches last year, but many at the club expect that number to be lower in 2025, with fellow ruckmen like Pete Ladhams and youngster Will Green given more opportunities.

The concern follows confirmation from the Swans on Tuesday that captain Callum Mills will miss the opening month of the season after scans showed he had a tear of his plantar fascia.

The Swans are likely to rest a few star players for Friday’s game against Gold Coast given their opening-round clash comes only seven days later. However, Jake Lloyd is set to return after overcoming some bone bruising on his foot.

Taylor Adams will likely get the first crack at winning the spot in the midfield vacated by Mills’ plantar fascia tear. Adams impressed on Wednesday morning, kicking the first two goals of the session and looked strong brushing off tackles.

Dean Cox may be forced to turn to Pete Ladhams once the club confirms the severity of Grundy’s injury. Picture: Phil Hillyard

Tom Papley did not participate in Wednesday’s session with the Swans still hopeful he will be ready to take on the Hawks on March 7.

Friday’s clash against Gold Coast will be another chance for the Swans to work on their new forward line structure. Joel Amartey and Tom McCartin look set to take the reins, the former coming off an impressive six-goal haul against the Giants in last week’s practice match.

Amartey is looking to find his form quickly after coming off a career-best year in 2024. He played 25 games and finished as the Swans’ leading goal-kicker, and the 25-year-old is confident he can find even more areas to improve on this season.

Taylor Adams continues to impress this pre-season and potentially has the inside running for a spot in the side against the Hawks in opening round. Picture: Phil Hillyard

“It was good after a long pre-season,” Amartey said. “It was nice to get the ball rolling early.

“I have a lot of confidence in my body now. It’s my seventh or eighth year in the system, so you get a bit bigger, a bit stronger and full of confidence.

“For me, a lot of (improvement) revolves around my body. There are always little forward nuances that pop up, leading patterns, bodywork, and contested marking. All those things go into it … and if you’re two per cent better every year, it ends pretty well.

“You train a lot but everything gets proven in games. There’s no way to practice better for games than in games. You learn things when you play on really good defenders and good teams.”

Amartey is set to spearhead the new-look Swans forward line at the start of the season with Logan McDonald still on the comeback trail and Hayden McLean working his way back into full training.

The Amartey-McCartin forward line combination is set to be Plan A for the Swans to start the season. Picture: Phil Hillyard

But he’s confident McCartin, who he lived with during their first few years at the club after getting drafted together, will add a different element to how Sydney has traditionally looked ahead of the ball.

“He’s as good (as a forward) as he is when he’s a defender,” Amartey said. “He works hard and loves to compete and never gives up.

“He has a massive aerobic tank. He runs all day and leads so hard. But as we’ve seen as a defender, he’s a ridiculously good contested mark and crashes the pack.

“So, as long as me and him are competing and bringing the ball to the ground for smalls and you mark a couple, that’s what the team needs.”

SMITH KNEE LATEST, CATS’ RUCK DILEMMA

- Dan Batten

Geelong assistant coach Steven King believes Bailey Smith will “definitely” play in the Cats’ season opener as he left the door open for veteran Rhys Stanley to face Brisbane.

Smith missed the Cats’ 21-point loss to Essendon on Tuesday night with knee soreness on the opposite knee to his ruptured ACL and King said the club held him back as a precaution.

“He will definitely play. Tweaked his knee a little bit, it was very minor, he was sitting up there tonight going ‘I could have played’,” King said.

“We just thought he has missed so much footy, he got through really well against Hawthorn last week and let’s just give him two or three really good sessions for Brisbane. So he will definitely play.”

Fellow off-season recruit Jack Martin played a half in their VFL curtain raiser against the Bombers, where he showed no signs of the soft tissue injuries that had plagued him in recent seasons, before he completed running at the main break.

Bailey Smith watches on during Tuesday night’s pre-season match. Picture: Michael Klein

The 30-year-old took a soaring hanger in match simulation last week and King reiterated that the Cats were looking to build him for a sustained block of games rather than a sugar hit.

“(He is) very close, because you see what he does in training in glimpses at the moment in patches, and it is high class,” King said.

“He is a very talented player, he is hard, he is smart, so we want to get him in the team. But we want to be there when the whips are cracking at the right time of the year.

“So we’ll sure we don’t set Jack up just to come in and have an impact for a week, we want it to be sustained.”

Geelong’s ruck dilemma continued as the Bombers smashed the home side in clearances 28-41 with Sam De Koning in the number one spot.

The Cats are confident Smith will feature in Opening Round. Picture: Michael Klein

De Koning (16 hitouts, 15 disposals, and seven contested possessions) with Mark Blicavs (13 disposals, nine hitouts, and a goal) switched between the ruck and defence but were soundly beaten by Essendon duo Sam Draper (25 hitouts, 15 disposals, 11 contested possessions, and five clearances) and Nick Bryan (17 disposals, 14 hitouts and nine marks).

The ruck duel in the VFL clash boasted 539 games of experience as Stanley went up against 36-year-old Todd Goldstein, with the Bomber taking the points.

But King maintained that Stanley would come into selection calculations and that his VFL run was more to give him a full game in the ruck.

“I think (De Koning will) work well with Blitz. Rhys Stanley played four quarters at the VFL game earlier tonight as well, so all those three players are options for us to go through the middle,” King said.

Nick Bryan wins a hitout against Sam De Koning. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images

“Sam gives us flexibility obviously behind the ball as well at times, which he did tonight.

“I think Rhys is here for what he can do for us. He hasn’t missed a training session really so we know what he’s got, he’s highly reliable for us.

“We just feel like at this time it’s not a fluid decision. He’s best prepped, instead of playing a half and waxing with someone else tonight, it was, ‘You can get four quarters, DK (De Koning) can get four quarters as well so they’re both available for this week’. ‘

“As a match committee, there’s five or six really hard decisions we’ll have to make over the next week.”

King also said Dangerfield had spent more time up forward in the pre-season games to build cohesion with the other Cats forwards.

“I think the temptation every time is put him in there (the midfield), and I think there’s a certain role for him to play at midfield level, but we love what he can do in front of the ball for us as well,” King said.

Originally published as AFL injury and selection news: Tom Green hopeful of early return, Brodie Grundy limps off track, Bailey Smith to play Cats’ opener