AFL injury news: All the latest injury updates across the league

The Giants will be missing both recruit Jake Stringer and Coleman Medallist Jesse Hogan in Opening Round as injuries take their toll on GWS and Sydney. FULL INJURY UPDATE

Meanwhile, the Giants have suffered a further injury headache with reigning Coleman Medallist Jesse Hogan set to miss the opening rounds of the season with a broken thumb.

Hogan played the entirety of the Giants’ final pre-season match against Carlton in Canberra. However, he got his thumb stuck in a door after the game, and scans later revealed a fracture.

He saw a specialist on Monday morning, with GWS expecting Hogan could miss up to three weeks as he deals with pain management from the break.

It’s another huge blow for the Giants’ forward-line stocks after Jake Stringer was also ruled out for the club’s opening match of the season against Collingwood.

The star recruit played the opening minutes of the Giants’ VFL practice match against Southport last Saturday before coming from the field with hamstring tightness. Scans confirmed a slight issue with Stringer likely to miss the clash against the Pies, and GWS’ trip to Melbourne the following week to take on the Demons.

In better news for the Giants, midfielder Tom Green has made a strong recovery from his calf strain. He is now listed as potentially only missing one more week of footy, with hopes he can return to take on Melbourne in round one.

Kieren Briggs will be available for the club’s opening round clash against Collingwood, as will forward Callum Brown, who kicked five goals against the Pies in the corresponding fixture last year.

Promising forward Phoenix Gothard remains a test to play as he looks to overcome an ankle sprain to make his AFL debut. Josh Fahey (foot) and Ryan Angwin (ankle) both remain on the club’s long-term injury list.

Jake Stringer’s GWS debut is on hold. Picture: Phil Hillyard

Meanwhile, Sydney’s dual All-Australian Errol Gulden is set to spend the next two weeks in a cast after successful surgery on the ankle injury he suffered against the Gold Coast last weekend.

There is still no clear timeline on Gulden’s exact return, with the Swans’ winger required to meet with the surgeon again in five weeks.

Gulden is one of 11 players on the Swans’ injury list as the concerns continue to pile up ahead of Dean Cox’s first match as an AFL head coach.

Callum Mills is set to return in four weeks as he continues to manage his plantar fascia tear. The Sydney captain is currently focusing on gym-based strength work while he allows the foot to heel.

Robbie Fox has also returned to the rehab room after he suffered a recurrence of his calf strain. It is expected to keep him out for six weeks.

Harry Cunningham is still recovering from a Lisfranc injury and is expected to be out for at least another month of football.

In much better news for the Swans, Brodie Grundy and Tom Papley remain tests to play against Hawthorn in their opening match of the season on Friday night. Grundy is battling knee soreness but has progressed well in the past few days after sitting out the Suns clash, while Papley’s ankle sprain has improved, and he has recommenced team training.

Sydney will also look to welcome back key forward Logan McDonald within the next month after he finally returned to team training. McDonald had off-season ankle surgery which took longer than expected to settle, however, the Swans believe he could return after their round three bye.

LALOR, LYNCH PUSHING ROUND 1 CASE

- Lauren Wood

Much hyped Richmond draftee Josh Smillie will miss until at least round 3 with a hamstring injury.

But No. 1 pick and midfield bull Sam Lalor remains on track for a potential Round 1 debut after returning to training on Monday.

Smillie, 18, suffered what had hoped to be a minor hamstring injury in an intraclub hitout in late January but recent scans revealed the healing process has not progressed as had been initially hoped.

He trained lightly with the rehab group on Monday morning but the No.7 pick will be conservatively managed in coming weeks and sidelined for at least the first few rounds.

Richmond first-round draftee Josh Smillie during Monday’s training. Picture: Michael Klein

“We’ve just got to temper how fast we get him cracking,” Richmond senior coach Adem Yze told this masthead.

“He won’t be available for Round 1, just with his training load. But he would have been one that would have been knocking the door down.”

Lalor, 18, fractured his jaw and was concussed in a heavy collision during the Tigers’ pre-season hitout against West Coast in February and had surgery.

Two of Lalor’s wisdom teeth were removed and a plate inserted in the operation, with the young gun returning in a non-contact capacity at Punt Road.

The young gun completed some match simulation drills in the almost three-hour session and could yet stake a claim to face the Blues in the team’s season-opener next Thursday, though Yze said there is a balance to strike.

“He’ll come out of the concussion protocols and it’ll be about what has his training load been,” Yze said.

Sam Lalor wearing the no-contact hat at training. Picture: Michael Klein

“Up until he got hit, he hadn’t missed a beat. He’s such a talented kid and there’s obviously going to be a lot of scrutiny around when he does play.

I want to make sure that he’s ready to play physically and not coming in 80 per cent. I don’t think that’s going to be fair on the kid, so we won’t take any risks with him.

“But at the same time, if he’s ticked enough boxes that there’s physically no reason why we shouldn’t play him, he’ll be available. I’ll never take that away from them.”

Key forward Tom Lynch — who was also concussed in a match simulation at the end of January — also wore a non-contact hat on Monday morning, completing kicking drills before some wrestling.

“The plan is (that he will play Round 1),” Yze said.

“Once you go into the concussion protocols, you have to drop your training load … right now, if he ticks all of those boxes and does enough training up until Round 1, he should be OK. “But if he misses a session here and there, it might be touch and go.

Tom Lynch runs solo laps in February. Picture: Mark Stewart

“But right now, he’s in a good spot. Knowing Tom, he’s going to come and knock my door down before Round 1. But he’s too important.

“If we’re taking too much of a risk based on his last month of training, and if he hasn’t done enough, then we’ll look to Round 2, but he’s ina great spot.

“It’s not like he’s managing some issues that have lingering like his foot was last year.”

Both players will have into next week to make their case to play.

“Our fitness staff will let us know a few days before and say who’s available after that last main training session,” Yze said.

“I’m hoping those two names will be available, for sure.”

GOOD NEWS FOR SAINTS AFTER INJURY SCARE

St Kilda has finally been given some good injury news after weeks of bad news with Mitchito Owens still a chance to play in his team’s season-opener against Adelaide.

Owens hurt his shoulder in Sunday’s horror showing against Port Adelaide but he’s been cleared him of major AC joint damage after consultation with experts on Monday.

He won’t require surgery and with 12 days recovery time before the clash round 1 clash with the Crows could take his place in a line-up already missing several key players.

“It was a great result to get the all-clear from specialists this morning,” St Kilda football boss David Misson said.

“Mitch is already feeling much better, but we’ll still have to monitor his progress over the next two weeks as we lead into the start of our season.”

Ruckman Rowan Marshall and All-Australian star Jack Sinclair will also both train fully this week and could yet take their places in the first match of the year

Marshall has been recovering from a stress fracture in his pelvis while Sinclair has overcome a hamstring issue.

The Saints could also be without star forward Max King who underwent an exploratory arthroscope on his right knee last week while young gun Mattaes Phillipou will miss the first month of the season with a stress fracture in his right leg.

Cooper Sharman hurt his hand against Port while defender Dougal Howard also dislocated his shoulder during a pre-season training session and remains sidelined.

Mitch Owens won’t require surgery. Picture: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images.

TEST FOR SUNS TRIO

— Callum Dick

Gold Coast will wait until after its main training session on Thursday to make a call on whether Mac Andrew, Charlie Ballard and Lachie Weller will face Essendon in Saturday’s Opening Round clash at People First Stadium.

Star midfielder Sam Flanders has been ruled out, with the club anticipating he will need another 1-2 weeks to recover from the back injury that has kept him to limited duties since Christmas.

But Andrew (chest), Ballard (ankle) and Weller (hamstring) are all still a chance to face the Bombers, despite the trio being subbed out of last Friday night’s Community Series defeat to Sydney.

Mac Andrew is in doubt. Picture: Getty Images

Andrew and Ballard both departed before quarter-time and Weller after halftime on a brutal night for the Suns that was compounded by a knee injury to veteran David Swallow.

Swallow is expected to be sidelined for eight weeks with a posterior cruciate ligament injury, joining rookie Leo Lombard in the rehab room to start the season.

Lombard dislocated his shoulder in the February 20 practice match against Brisbane. He has since had surgery and will be sidelined for 10 weeks.

In some much-needed good news, vice-captain Touk Miller has overcome a knee injury and been given the green light to face the Bombers.

Originally published as AFL injury news: All the latest injury updates across the league