THE LATEST on three key Demons, a superstar Eagle and more.
Check out your club's injury updates ahead of round one.
PLAYER INJURY ESTIMATED RETURN Matt Crouch Leg 2-3 weeks Billy Dowling Foot 4 weeks Josh Worrell Hamstring 3-4 weeks
Updated: March 14, 2023
Early prognosis
Scans revealed a minor fracture in
Crouch's right leg after an incident at training last Friday. The club expects him to resume running next week and be available for round three.
Worrell's hamstring injury has been frustrating, with the defender still up to a month away.
Dowling is out of a moonboot after a joint-related foot injury and should resume training ahead of round three.
Paul Seedsman will not be available this year after being placed on the inactive list.
– Nathan Schmook
PLAYER INJURY ESTIMATED RETURN Cal Ah Chee Quad 1-2 weeks Darcy Gardiner Ankle 1-2 weeks Dayne Zorko Hamstring 1-2 weeks
Updated: March 14, 2023
Early prognosis
Zorko trained well on Tuesday but is still not right to play. There's no need to rush him back, so expect another week or two before he sees his first action of 2023.
Gardiner and
Ah Chee were both restricted to light running on the same day, with the latter expected to return to skills training later this week. The club has listed each as returning shortly.
- Michael Whiting
PLAYER INJURY ESTIMATED RETURN Jordan Boyd Foot TBC Matt Cottrell Foot TBC David Cuningham Shoulder TBC Caleb Marchbank Calf TBC Sam Philp Foot Season Sam Walsh Back TBC Zac Williams Knee Season
Updated: March 15, 2023
Early prognosis
The Blues will be without
Walsh,
Marchbank and
Boyd for the first parts of the season, while
Williams and
Philp are long-term prospects after being placed on the inactive list over the summer. In better news,
Marc Pittonet (knee),
Jack Martin (calf) and
Mitch McGovern (back) all played VFL last week and should be available for selection.
– Riley Beveridge
PLAYER INJURY ESTIMATED RETURN Charlie Dean Foot Season Harvey Harrison Hamstring 2 weeks Nathan Kreuger Shoulder 6-8 weeks Patrick Lipinski Shoulder Post mid-season bye Fin Macrae Back 2 weeks Brayden Maynard Infection Available
Updated: March 14, 2023
Early prognosis
The Pies will start the season without
Lipinski after he underwent a shoulder reconstruction following a dislocation against Hawthorn in the practice match.
Dean has already been ruled out for the season due to another long-term foot injury, while
Kreuger is a couple of months of returning from shoulder surgery.
Maynard is set to return on Friday night after missing the clash against the Hawks with an infection caused by an abrasion.
- Josh Gabelich
PLAYER INJURY ESTIMATED RETURN Jye Caldwell Ankle Test Nik Cox Back 4-6 weeks Jayden Davey* Knee Season Dyson Heppell Foot Test Ben Hobbs Calf Test Zach Reid Back 6-7 weeks James Stewart Foot 4-6 weeks Jake Stringer Hamstring 1-2 weeks Elijah Tsatas Knee 3-4 months
Updated: March 14, 2023
Early prognosis
While
Stringer has been ruled out of round one, there was some positive news for the Bombers, with
Caldwell,
Heppell and
Hobbs pushing to be available, while
Matt Guelfi (calf) and
Kyle Langford (back) got through a VFL practice game on Saturday.
Cox,
Stewart and
Reid are still weeks away,
Tsatas will miss at least the next three months and
Davey is out for the season. –
Dejan Kalinic
PLAYER INJURY ESTIMATED RETURN Travis Colyer Knee TBC Michael Walters Achilles tendon Test
Updated: March 14, 2023
Early prognosis
Colyer underwent arthroscopic knee surgery earlier this week that will sideline him for at least six weeks. Otherwise, the Dockers are close to a clean bill of health after
Michael Frederick (quad),
Corey Wagner (hamstring) and
Luke Ryan (back) overcame recent setbacks and re-joined main training. Even
Nathan O'Driscoll, who has been hampered by a hot spot in his foot, appears ready to go.
Walters is the player in most doubt for round one, with Fremantle open to easing the forward back through the WAFL this week.
– Nathan Schmook
PLAYER INJURY ESTIMATED RETURN Toby Conway Foot TBC Mitch Duncan Calf Test Tom Hawkins Foot Test Jack Henry Foot TBC Jake Kolodjashnij Concussion TBC Sam Menegola Knee Medium term
Updated: March 14, 2023
Early prognosis
All eyes will be on
Hawkins this week to see if the five-time All-Australian recovers in time to face Collingwood on Friday night.
Duncan has returned from a training block in South Australia but might not recover in time to play in round one.
Menegola has undergone further knee surgery following another setback.
Kolodjashnij is in concussion protocols after a hit in the practice match.
- Josh Gabelich
PLAYER INJURY ESTIMATED RETURN Connor Budarick Knee TBC Brandon Ellis Calf TBC Bailey Humphrey Foot 1 week Sean Lemmens Calf 2 weeks Wil Powell Hamstring 2-3 weeks Lachie Weller Knee 1 week
Updated: March 14, 2023
Early prognosis
The calf injury that has dogged
Ellis the past three weeks still hasn't healed and he'll miss the opening round, at least.
Lemmens is not far away with the same problem, while
Humphrey was unlucky with a foot infection and is also close to a return.
Weller has made an incredible return from a ruptured ACL and is just a week away from playing again after suffering the injury last June.
- Michael Whiting
PLAYER INJURY ESTIMATED RETURN Toby Bedford Hamstring 7-8 weeks Brent Daniels Hamstring Test Darcy Jones Quad 2 weeks Nick Madden Foot 7-9 weeks
Updated: March 15, 2023
Early prognosis
The Giants are hopeful
Daniels will play this week, having recently re-joined main training.
Bedford is the only other major concern as he recovers from a significant hamstring injury.
– Riley Beveridge
PLAYER INJURY ESTIMATED RETURN Emerson Jeka Hamstring 5-6 weeks Mitch Lewis ACL 5-6 weeks Josh Morris Shoulder 5-6 weeks Harry Morrison Hamstring Test Cooper Stephens Concussion Available
Updated: March 14, 2023
Early prognosis
Lewis is the big injury at Waverley Park right now. The Hawks will start the season without the key forward, after he strained his ACL at the end of January. Lewis could be back in the second month of the season, but there is no concrete timeline around his return.
Morrison missed the practice matches with a hamstring strain and didn't feature in the VFL practice match due to a back issue.
- Josh Gabelich