By Marc McGowan, Peter Ryan and Michael Gleeson
In today’s AFL Briefing, your daily wrap of footy news:
- Essendon will be the major player in the mid-season draft.
- Foot injury won’t keep Maynard out for long.
- Swans skipper cops a one-match ban on return to team.
Former Saint Oscar Adams is among the key defenders who Essendon are considering selecting in Wednesday night’s AFL mid-season rookie draft as they try to remain in finals contention amid an injury crisis.
The Bombers are in desperate need of reinforcements after a horror injury run that includes ruckmen Sam Draper (Achilles) and Nick Bryan (knee) sustaining season-ending setbacks, on top of tall defenders Jordan Ridley (hamstring), Zach Reid (hamstring), Lewis Hayes (knee) and Ben McKay (foot) being sidelined.
Former Saint Oscar Adams could be picked up by the Dons on Wednesday night.Credit: AFL Photos
Kyle Langford (quadriceps) is also set for an extended stint out, while Harrison Jones’ return date from an ankle issue is still to be determined and Nik Cox’s future is uncertain due to concussion symptoms.
Neither Reid nor Langford are likely to play before Essendon return from their round 16 bye in early July, coach Brad Scott said on Monday, but star midfielder Darcy Parish could be back to face Brisbane on Thursday night.
The Bombers are so decimated by injuries to tall players that Scott conceded it was “not beyond the realms of possibility” one of their mid-season draftees could make his debut for them at the Gabba only 24 hours later. They can make as many as four selections on Wednesday night.
“Fortunately, we’ve got a mid-season draft to mitigate [our injury situation] somewhat, but that’s far from perfect either, obviously. It’s a different challenge for us,” Scott said.
“We’re in a difficult spot, in terms of availability, but the way I look at these things is it’ll create opportunity for others. If we had a 100 per cent availability list, we wouldn’t have unearthed six debutants this year, [and] Angus Clarke wouldn’t have got his opportunity last week, which he clearly took.”
Scott joked that they might try to recruit a Queenslander to “make it a bit logistically easier”. He discussed the club’s mid-season options with the recruiting team after training on Monday.
“It’s exciting, in a way,” he said. “We’re going to be looking at players who even a week ago, we probably weren’t considering, so our recruiting team is working overtime at the moment.”
Adams, 21, did not play a game in two seasons at the Saints after being the No.51 pick in the 2021 draft, but returned to his junior club Glenelg and was part of their SANFL premiership last year.
The 198-centimetre lockdown backman is also on Gold Coast’s radar, according to three industry sources, but Essendon would be able to swoop on him before the Suns.
St Kilda suspended Adams in his first AFL season after a car accident where he recorded a blood alcohol reading above the legal limit. However, Glenelg’s head of football, Paul Sandercock, said Adams had matured since those days, and he would be “pretty surprised” if the defender was not drafted.
“Oscar’s come back to an environment that’s familiar to him, and we’ve given him every opportunity to develop as a key defender,” Sandercock told this masthead.
“He’s missed very little footy, played in our premiership side last year, and has just got better and better. He’s found a bit of confidence and been a valuable contributor the last 18 months.
“It’s a cutthroat business and he was probably not given enough time to settle into Melbourne and AFL footy life, but he’s working with his dad in the family [concreting] business, and he’s benefited from our strong leadership group and culture.”
The Bombers have also inquired about Adams’ Glenelg teammate, 202-centimetre project Harry Ramm, while 199-centimetre Werribee defender Ryan Eyers is another on their shortlist.
They are among at least five clubs, including Adelaide, Carlton, Collingwood and North Melbourne, who have spoken to 198-centimetre Subiaco key forward Archer May.
The Magpies encouraged May, who has requested an 18-month contract, not to play at the weekend, but he may be gone by their selection.
The 20-year-old ex-VFL Tiger is averaging two goals and more than six marks in the WAFL this season.
Essendon were tracking Coburg ruckman Cooper Keogh until he suffered a navicular injury, but have shifted their attention to Claremont’s Ollie Eastland, GWV Rebels’ Floyd Burmeister and Murray Bushranger Ky Harding.
East Fremantle’s Lachlan Blakiston and Southport’s Brayden Crossley – who trained with the Western Bulldogs in the summer and played 10 games for Gold Coast in 2018 – are other ruck prospects.
Nathan Kreuger, who has been playing in the VFL with Geelong after being delisted by Collingwood, is a ready-made key defender who can also go forward.
Currently eight clubs have at least one list vacancy: Essendon (four), Gold Coast and Western Bulldogs (two each), and West Coast, North Melbourne, Port Adelaide, Collingwood and Carlton (one).
Maynard ruptured foot, Hill still absent for Pies
Michael Gleeson
Collingwood vice captain Brayden Maynard ruptured the plantar fascia in the foot that has troubled him since last year in the win over North Melbourne. But that is good news.
Brayden Maynard’s foot injury is not terrible news for the Magpies.Credit: AFL Photos via Getty Images
The fact he has torn through the foot tendon that has troubled him actually expedites the recovery of the tissue and means he is now likely to be able to overcome the pain he had been managing since late last year.
He will miss one to two weeks, ruling him out of this week’s clash with Hawthorn but leaving him a chance to play against Melbourne on the King’s Birthday ahead of a bye for the Magpies.
Small forward Bobby Hill remains away from the club for personal reasons, and the club is unsure if he will be back this week.
Meanwhile, Lachie Schultz is expected to be available to play Hawthorn if he trains fully on Tuesday and clears the final stage of the concussion protocol. Schultz has missed two games since being knocked out playing against his former club Fremantle.
Scott Pendlebury, who missed last week with gastro, and fellow veteran Steele Sidebottom, who was managed out of the North match, will both return against the Hawks.
Mills cops one-match ban from MRO
Sydney captain Callum Mills was rubbed out for one match by the AFL’s match review officer on Monday, following an airborne bump on Melbourne opponent Charlie Spargo in his team’s loss at the MCG on Sunday.
If Mills accepts the sanction, he will miss te Swans’ home game against Adelaide on Saturday night and be free to return against Richmond in round 13.
MRO Michael Christian graded Mills act as careless conduct, medium impact, high contact. The suspension is a blow for the skipper, who was playing his first game of 2025 and played only seven games last season.
Mills was the only player offered a suspension from Sunday’s three matches, although 12 fines were issued by the MRO, including a $5000 penalty ($3125 with an early plea) to West Coast’s Liam Baker for misconduct against Adelaide. Baker was also fined $3125 for engaging in a melee in that game, which produced total fines of more than $25,000.
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