R1 Injury Recap: Ward & Darcy updates, Berry shoulder knock, SDK concussed, Hayes no lock to hold
Stay up to date throughout the round with our rolling injury report from the coaches post-game. With the nine-game round extending from Wednesday night through until Sunday night, these snippets of info will be key.
West Coast v Gold Coast
Neither side picked up any injury concerns. Eagles coach Adam Simpson indicated they may regain Luke Shuey, Tim Kelly, Liam Ryan, Jack Darling and Alex Witherden next round which may impact the job security of others.
On debutant Brady Hough (AF $239k SC $117k MID), Simpson said: “Brady Hough playing his first game tonight, he wasn’t miles off. He’s pretty raw and he was under the pump a bit.”
Adelaide v Fremantle
Adelaide lost Andrew McPherson (AF $465k SC $307k DEF) to a hamstring injury but gun draft pick Josh Rachele (AF $327k SC $184k M/F) impressed.
Crows coach Matthew Nicks said: “When given an opportunity, he’s pretty deadly in front of goal. Josh has had a real impact right throughout pre-season. He’s a complete footballer. He works hard off-field, he’s competitive and he has that polish.”
Fremantle had no new injuries, although coach Justin Longmuir offered an update on Nat Fyfe (AF $709k SC $546k MID) and Sean Darcy (AF $786k SC $642k RUCK) who both missed the game.
He said: “The other guys (Fyfe and Darcy) will be touch and go. Sean completed a good session yesterday. He’ll put his hand up for selection if he gets through training.”
Longmuir also offered praise to Will Brodie (AF $409k SC $224k M/F), when he said: “Will does a lot of his work unnoticed because he’s so in and under and tough, like a few of his tackles out of centre bounce. We’ve got two young men (Brodie and Clark) who fitted in well and they’re going to be around for a while.”
Hawthorn v North Melbourne
Josh Ward (AF $278k SC $180k MID) went off late with what was reported as an ankle issue or cramp. Hawks coach Sam Mitchell said: “A lot of our guys were cramping and struggling. If you can find an edit of Josh Ward tripping over when he was cramping as he was running towards the bench, it’ll get a laugh. But his run was outstanding.”
Max Lynch (AF $392k SC $207k RUCK) was subbed out due to concussion and Mitchell said he wasn’t part of the song and left for home early, as he was unwell.
Ben McKay suffered a concussion and was subbed out for North.
Brisbane Lions v Port Adelaide
Jarrod Berry (AF $725k SC $268k MID) hurt his shoulder late but Lions coach Chris Fagan wasn’t sure on the extent of the issue. Fagan said: “I think he got a bit of a knock on the shoulder. It was right at the end of the game so I don’t know if there’s any damage there.”
Dayne Zorko (AF $913k SC $595k MID) was injured early and did not return. Fagan added: “He felt something pop in the back of his calf area. His Achilles is fine and he’s got strength. We’ll wait and see… we won’t really know until earlier in the week.”
Xavier Duursma (AF $586k SC $391k MID) went off with a collarbone injury while Trent McKenzie (AF $599k SC $456k DEF) got a knee injury although Ken Hinkley said it was unlikely to be an ACL.
Connor Rozee (AF $567k SC $400k FWD) played on through injury. Hinkley added: “He rolled his ankle which he had to carry throughout the game. He was out there with some help.”
GWS Giants v Sydney
Jake Lloyd (AF $823k SC $586k DEF) missed the game, reportedly having entered COVID protocols, but Sydney coach John Longmire said he was likely to return in Round 2.
Justin McInerney (AF $583k SC $411k D/M) was seen limping late. Longmire added: “He just had a knock to the knee in that last 30 seconds. I’m just hoping that’s OK. The initial diagnosis is that’s OK. Hopefully he’s fine.”
Geelong v Essendon
Sam De Koning (AF $190k SC $123k D/F) went off in the third term after a headclash. Geelong coach Chris Scott said: “There is a concussion issue with Sam De Koning, that will put him in protocols.”
Jeremy Cameron (AF $548k SC $441k FWD) was subbed out with a hip injury but was seen later being taken from the stadium in an ambulance stretcher.
Kyle Langford (AF $726k SC $472k MID) was subbed out for the Dons due to a right hamstring injury.
St Kilda v Collingwood
All the talk was Jack Hayes (AF $190k SC $102k F/R) after a stunning Saints debut but coach Brett Ratten didn’t offer any assurances that he’d regularly hold his spot.
Saints coach Brett Ratten: “For him to perform the way he did for a big man who in the ruck is a bit undersized, he competed and did what he had to do to and showed everybody that he’s up for AFL level.”
On selection when Paddy Ryder returns, he added: “That’ll be interesting. It’s great to see Hayesy perform that way. He’s still working really hard. We’ve got to see where Paddy sits next week as well, so we’ll wait.”
On Paddy Ryder (AF $627k SC $455k RUCK), Ratten added: “Each session for him is going to be really important. We’ll wait and see because it’s his Achilles, we’ve got to make sure he ticks every box in every session. If there’s a hiccup, we’ll just take it easier. (Throughout the year) we’ll have manage to it. There’s always management with a tendon.”
Jade Gresham (AF $509k SC $299k M/F) returned from a long-term Achilles injury with good impact. Ratten said: “I thought he played pretty well. Him and Sinclair’s second half, he really got us going in the third. He’s going to take a bit of time but it was really encouraging.”
Pies coach Craig McRae said Taylor Adams (AF $846k SC $516k MID) had been winded late on.
Carlton v Richmond
Richmond lost Dion Prestia (AF $769k SC $463k MID) to injury. Tigers coach Damien Hardwick said: “It’s a hamstring. How severe? We’re not too sure. He’ll obviously have scans possibly tomorrow.”
Jack Riewoldt (AF $539k SC $380k FWD) also has a suspected fractured thumb and may miss several games, which could help Josh Gibcus’ (AF $274k SC $171k DEF) job security if Noah Balta gets moved forward.
Melbourne v Western Bulldogs
Marcus Bontempelli (AF $905k SC $651k MID) will be touch and go prior to Round 2 after an ankle knock. Dogs Head of Sports Medicine Chris Bell said: “Like any ankle sprain, he has some pain and swelling that we are managing in the early part of this week.
“We will work through a process with Marcus into next week to determine his availability to play against the Blues on Thursday night.”
Christian Salem (AF $779k SC $514k DEF) went off early with a knee injury and has since undergone a minor procedure. GM Football Performance Alan Richardson said on Friday: “Thankfully, Christian did not sustain a ligament injury on Wednesday night and has instead chipped cartilage in his knee.
“He will undergo surgery today to clean up the damage to his cartilage and following the procedure, will commence rehab with our medical team. At the moment we don’t have a specific timeframe for when Christian will return, but we will know more post-op.”
