Hurt Locker: the latest update on your club’s injured footballers ahead of the AAMI Community Series
Already dealing with a long injury list, Hawthorn could be without its best player for Round 1. Check out the full injury lists at every club.
Marc McGowan
March 3, 2021 - 11:42AM
News Corp Australia Sports Newsroom
Round
1 is fast approaching and that means the clock is ticking for players under an injury cloud.
Here’s how all 18 AFL clubs are tracking with injuries ahead of the AAMI Community Series starting this week.
Adelaide
Wayne Milera’s hardluck run continues,
with the 23-year-old undergoing surgery on a ruptured patella tendon that will end his season before it begins.
Matt Crouch is dealing with groin soreness linked to post-season hip surgery and missed last week’s practice match, but could play against Port Adelaide on Sunday.
Tom Doedee (groin) will return in the reserves this weekend, while fellow defender
Daniel Talia (knee) is still on the comeback trail and a longshot for round one.
David Mackay (concussion) also sat out the practice match with the Power, while draftee
Brayden Cook is aiming to be ready by round five as he recovers from a shoulder reconstruction.
Brisbane
Connor McFadyen is making steady progress from his anterior cruciate ligament rupture in July last year, while
Noah Answerth is training away from the main group because of a groin issue. The only other two Lions who were unavailable for Saturday’s practice match were
Darcy Gardiner (knee) and
Nakia Cockatoo (hamstring), but they’re tracking well and remain in contention for round one.
Carlton
Charlie Curnow (fractured kneecap) won’t be available until at least the second half of the season, while 2019 draftee
Brodie Kemp faces three months out following recent surgery on a syndesmosis setback. Two others who’ve been ruled out for round one are
Nic Newman (inflammation behind kneecap) and
Caleb Marchbank (calf).
Sam Philp (hip flexor) is also aiming to return in the early rounds, and ruck prospect
Tom De Koning (back) has resumed running. On a more positive note,
Mitch McGovern (hamstring),
Levi Casboult (jarred knee) and
Eddie Betts (calf) could play this week.
Collingwood
Star Magpie Jordan De Goey (ankle) will be back in action against the Tigers on Friday night after skipping last week’s practice match as a precaution. Other best-22 members to sit out were
Taylor Adams (hamstring) and
Chris Mayne (concussion). Adams is an outside chance to face Richmond but his round one preparations will otherwise be restricted to the training track.
Jeremy Howe’s been eased into match-play the past fortnight after his serious knee injury in June last year.
Will Kelly (calf) sat out the Geelong practice match, but the issue looks only minor, while
Reef McInnes (finger) and
Mark Keane (finger) are also on the sidelines.
Essendon
The Bombers haven’t set a timeline for defender
Michael Hurley’s return to training as he
recovers from a nasty hip infection that saw him hospitalised.
David Zaharakis (PCL) is increasing his training loads but playing in round one looks unlikely, while
Jake Stringer’s resumed training after managing an Achilles problem throughout summer.
Patrick Ambrose continues to recover from his long-term Lisfranc (mid-foot) injury, and
Irving Mosquito and
Lachie Johnson are on individual rehabilitation programs from respective ACL ruptures.
Andy McGrath (concussion/syndesmosis) will be available for Essendon’s AAMI Community Series clash with Geelong, after
Dyson Heppell’s strong return from a foot issue in last week’s practice match.
Fremantle
Matt Taberner (quadriceps) – who sat out last week’s practice match –
Luke Ryan (back) and
Adam Cerra (calf) are all likely to play against West Coast on Sunday night. Scans cleared Ryan of any damage after a mid-match collision, while Cerra didn’t play in the second half as a precautionary measure.
Sean Darcy (knee) and
Griffin Logue (hamstring) are aiming to be ready for the season opener, and the Dockers also hope
Luke Valente recovers well in the coming weeks after a freak calf injury. The Dockers are easing important defenders
Joel Hamling and
Alex Pearce back into games on limited minutes.
Brett Bewley (quadriceps) is on track to resume full training before round one.
Geelong
Mitch Duncan is in serious doubt for round one after multiple calf setbacks this summer that kept him out of last week’s pre-season clash with Collingwood and likely Saturday night against Essendon. Former Hawk
Isaac Smith (ankle),
Luke Dahlhaus (groin),
Darcy Fort (knee) and
Sam Simpson (shoulder) are others on the injury shelf. Smith should be right for the season opener.
Zach Tuohy withdrew from the Pies game after feeling sore in the warm-up, while
Rhys Stanley copped a knock in the second quarter.
Gold Coast
Key defender
Sam Collins (foot) is back in full training and set to return against Brisbane next Monday night for a potential matchup with Joe Daniher. He was off his feet for the past few weeks with soreness and
was badly missed in last week’s practice game, especially with Rory Thompson (partial ACL tear) out for the long term. Top-10 draftee
Elijah Hollands (knee) is also still working his way back and served as a runner in the VFL practice match at the weekend. Draftee
Rhys Nicholls is going through the concussion protocols after suffering a head knock at training last week.
GWS Giants
Jesse Hogan’s hopes of making an instant impact at his third club are in doubt
because of a quadriceps injury sustained at training last week. The Giants are dealing with several key injuries, including ruck recruit
Braydon Preuss and
Adam Kennedy underdoing shoulder reconstructions that will sideline them for up to five months.
Brent Daniels (hamstring) could also miss round one.
Lachie Whitfield (bruised liver) has returned to training and may be ready for the season opener, while veteran defender
Phil Davis is back in full training but missed last week’s practice game.
Bobby Hill and
Ryan Angwin should be available for Sunday’s AAMI Community Series showdown with the Swans.
Hawthorn
The Hawks have ruled out reigning club champion
Jack Gunston for round one, but are hopeful he will return in the early stages of the season
after back surgery in December. Brownlow medallist
Tom Mitchell (shoulder),
Chad Wingard (calf) and
Jack Scrimshaw (hyperextended knee/bone bruising) are all in a race against time to be fit for round one. Mitchell is completing the full skills program, but his availability will depend on his progress in the coming weeks.
Conor Nash, who, like Mitchell, had a post-season shoulder reconstruction, played in a reserves scratch match last week and is training fully.
James Sicily is building strength in his ACL-repaired right knee – injured in mid-August last year – and has started running, but it’s too early to know when he will play again.