Dayne Zorko will sit out another game with an ongoing calf injury, while Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir discussed Matthew Johnson’s role along with Caleb Serong’s battle with a minor injury.
THURSDAY TEAMS
Ins: Ah Chee, Hopper, Pickett
Outs: Fort, Lohmann, Prestia (inj), Ralphsmith, Rioli
Key holds: Robertson, Fletcher, Ryan
Emergencies/possible subs: Gunston, Banks
Dayne Zorko didn’t return but Kai Lohmann was omitted for Brisbane in the big selection news from Thursday’s Brisbane-Richmond game.
Fagan said about Zorko: “It’s a long year and we need to take sure he’s right to go, so we’ll just take that one more week. He’s a really important player to us. We just want to make sure he’s right because he’s been on that merry-go-round of soft tissue injuries this year. He trained really well yesterday and he’s absolutely keen, but common sense to prevail at this point in time.”
When asked about youngsters like Lohmann, Jaspa Fletcher and Deven Robertson, Fagan said: “They’ve all had positive impacts since they’ve been in the team. We’re happy with their progress. Every game for them at this young age is an absolute bonus. We’ve learned over the last couple of weeks we’ve got a couple of others guys that can step up.”
UPDATES
Gold Coast coach Stuart Dew indicated it’s unlikely he’ll make any changes to his side for this weekend’s clash with Collingwood, which leaves sub Rory Atkins precariously placed.
Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir discussed the role of Matthew Johnson, with James Aish set to return from a back injury. Johnson filled in on the wing in Aish’s absence last week.
“What I’ve been saying to Johnno is (to play) wherever we need him and where his role fits within the team dynamic,” Longmuir said. “Sometimes it’s mid, sometimes it’s mid / third winger. Last week, he was a little bit more on the wing. I’ve been really happy with the way he’s been able to adapt his game throughout the year and we’ll see what role it spits out for him, but he’ll have to adapt again.”
Longmuir also praised Caleb Serong for playing through a minor injury lately. He said: “He’s a pro. He’s probably been unable to train as much as he would have liked with that leg injury he’s been carrying, but he mentally prepares well for games, and once he gets out there he makes no excuses for his performance and just gets to work. His game last week was superb. He’s continually working to evolve his game, but it’s at a really high level already.”
Essendon coach Brad Scott played down any imminent hype around a potential debut for 2022 AFL Draft top 10 pick Elijah Tsatas after several good games in the VFL, having been out for the most of the year with a pre-season knee injury.
“It’s very, very difficult to put a timeframe on it,” he said. “He’s got enormous capacity and the things he can do are really exciting to us, but we’ve got a pretty even and deep midfield. We’re just not going to rush Elijah. Elijah is one player who, when he comes in, I suspect he’s going to stay there. We want to set him up for that.”
Scott confirmed ruckman Sam Draper “won’t play in the next couple of weeks” due to an ongoing hip issue, while Brandon Zerk-Thatcher would be available after an injury scare on the weekend. He said Dylan Shiel would train on Wednesday but needed to be 100% to be available to play.
GWS coach Adam Kingsley hinted that Isaac Cumming will be a straight replacement for the suspended Lachie Whitfield, while he clarified Nick Haynes had “no issues” after an ankle injury scare and Jesse Hogan would be available after missing their last game with a sore calf.
On Cumming, Kingsley said: “We were happy with the way our backs were performing so there wasn’t a spot that opened. We’ve had to be a bit creative with him. He played on the wing in the VFL on the weekend, had an outstanding game. Whether he comes into the defence or comes in as the wingman or plays another week in the VFL, we’ll talk about that on Friday afternoon but obviously Whitfield is gonna be out.”
Sydney coach John Longmire said Tom McCartin “pulled up really well which is a good sign” following his VFL return from concussion although they’re still to make a call on him playing AFL which may impact Lewis Melican. McCartin did play managed minutes in the VFL, going off at three-quarter time.
