Bomber Bryce Walsh will be sidelined for weeks after injury put him in hospital

Star Bryce Walsh will be sidelined until at least round eight after cracking his ribs in the Bombers’ shock loss to North Hobart. SEE THE PLAYER OF THE YEAR LEADERBOARD >>

• Dylan Riley takes Glenorchy to the cleaners in TSL masterclass
• Kangas steep learning curve after lesson from the devastating Dees in Hobart

LAUDERDALE star Bryce Walsh will be sidelined until at least round eight after cracking his ribs in the Bombers’ shock loss to North Hobart at Lauderdale Oval on Saturday.

Unable to continue in the game, Walsh ended the day in hospital as North Hobart went on to claim a superb 18-point win _ it’s first in 10 years at Lauderdale.

The tough-as-nails onballer has spent the past two days sleeping in a recliner to ease the pain in his side.

The injury happened in a marking contest in the second quarter.

“The ball was going over my head so I turned sharply and I didn’t realise the opponent I was playing on was closer than I thought,” he said.

Lauderdale's Bryce Walsh. Picture: Zak Simmonds

“I turned straight into him as he was jumping into me to spoil the ball.

“I copped a knee in my ribs. I cracked a couple and damaged the lining between my ribs. It was bloody painful.”

Initially Walsh did not release the severity of the knock.

“I just thought I was winded,” he said.

“I kept playing for a bit after it and I got another knock in it.

“The pain was so much I actually thought I had a cut up my back, like my skin had split because it was burning.

“I reached back and there was no blood.

“I jogged off and took some painkillers. I thought that would fix it.

“I went back on and ran about 10m and thought, no, I can’t breathe and that was my day over.”

Doctors told Walsh it would be a 14-day recovery, meaning after Lauderdale’s bye this weekend he will miss the Bombers’ road trip to face reigning premier Launceston at Windsor Park the following weekend.

“It’s not just how long it takes to heel, it’s how confident you feel after that,” Walsh said.

“I don’t want to put a time frame on it.

“I’ve got to go and have another x-ray in a few weeks to see how it’s going.”

Unbeaten Blues hunt consecutive TFL flags

LAUNCESTON heads into its top-of-the-ladder TSL clash with Clarence at Blundstone Arena on Saturday with premiership star Jay Blackberry confident the unbeaten Blues can get better and that gun forward Dylan Riley can kick 100 goals this season.

The reigning premier sits atop the ladder with four wins from four starts and a mammoth percentage of 330.81.

Its latest outing was a 148-point thumping of Glenorchy at Windsor Park, in which Dylan Riley added nine goals to the 10 he kicked the week before.

Jack Donnellan kicked four and Blackberry three to go along with his best-afield 31 disposals, 11 clearances and six tackles.

Launceston's Jay Blackberry celebrates after scoring a goal. Picture: LUKE BOWDEN

Riley leads the goal kicking with 26. Clarence’s Ollie Preshaw (10) is his closest rival.

Blackberry played for South Launceston in the game when the first and only TSL player kicked his 100th goal _ Launceston’s Brian Finch in 2011.

He believes Riley could match the feat.

“It’s definitely possible,” Blackberry said.

“If we keep giving him the opportunity and ball deep inside 50 there’s no reason he can’t do it.

“He’s getting plenty of opportunity at the moment and he’s converting, which is good to see and good reward.

“The rest of the forward line is looking pretty dangerous we well.”

Clarence be warned, the Blues are hunting for a second consecutive premiership.

“It’s nice to be on top of the ladder but we’re not overly-pleased with the way we have played,” Blackberry said.

“We’ve done what we’ve had to do. We know there’s much further improvement left in us.

“We let ourselves down in the third quarter at the weekend so there are little things we need to fix but we are travelling pretty well.

“We strive for perfection and we challenging ourselves and maybe we are a bit harsh on ourselves but we want to be better for longer.”

TSL PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Votes Round Five

Tigers v Clarence

3. Oliver Davis (Clarence)

2. Zac Buechner (Clarence)

1. William Campbell (Tigers)

Lauderdale v North Hobart

3. Jye Menzie (North Hobart)

2. Thomas Liefhebber (North Hobart)

1. Joseph Salmon (Lauderdale)

Launceston v Glenorchy

3. Jay Blackberry (Launceston)

2. Dylan Riley (Launceston)

1. Jack Donnellan (Launceston)

Leaderboard

Name Club Votes

Jay Blackberry Launceston 7

Jake Hinds Launceston 6

Dylan Riley Launceston 5

Baxter Norton Clarence 5

Oliver Davis Clarence 5

Lachlan Clifford Tigers 5

Elijah Reardon Tigers 5

Jay Foon North Launceston 4

Callen Daly Gle