Correct, didnt play the last two games due to AC Joint soreness. Not sure if he is expected back next week, they were talking down the injury as more soreness and preventive. Others will see it as his ability to create injuries, rather than having a weakness (like hamstrings).
Don't go chasing preseason points. Time on ground for rookies, role changes and a good block of preseason training is all we should be looking at.
I think the preseason is really useful for two main things.
1. Confirming roles for players at new clubs.
2. Confirming late season role changes have stuck.
Everything else is very noisy and can be heavily influenced. That said, it's always nice to see your players looking sharp and playing well and definitely a good sign for rookies to be playing at all.
I do wonder if anyone has ever tried to correlate preseason scoring with breakout seasons to see if there's anything there.
They should leave the ruck split the way they did between Darcy/Jackson, but will they? I think their coach said it'll be a weekly proposition what they go with.
Definitely will be a flexible thing. If Darcy can put up 110+, he's probably going to have got the job done this year, there's scenarios for 120+ for about 4 other guys but Darcy can also do it and his scenarios (Jackson injury or just this role being a true indication) are as likely as the Gawn/Grundy injury to one scenario and probably more likely than the Marshall and/or English overcoming durability scenario.
I agree dont get carried away with preseason games even if he gets 35 touches it can be inflated due to other mids out weak opposition etc. But 50 touches is just insane and the fact that he is capable of getting 50 even in favourable circumstances probably still puts him in the 1% of players in the comp that are actually capable of doing it in the same circumstances. I think there's unjustified preseason hype and then there's performance that can't be ignored and 50 touches is one of them. The other one in recent memory was 2020 preseason when Petracca pumped out a 200! He then went on to average 117 after averaging 81 the season before.
Yes it's a great achievement but I'd hazard there's a significant portion of AFL mids that could do it in that scenario.
Worrell with a hamstring injury in Q1.
Cheers, sucks to hear, hopefully very minor, really liked him last year.