Stay up to date throughout Round 8 with our rolling injury report from the coaches post-game. With the nine-game round extending from Thursday night until Sunday, these snippets of info will be key.
Adelaide v Port Adelaide
Port coach Ken Hinkley admitted he shouldn’t have played Connor Rozee who came into the game with a hamstring worry and ended up being subbed out at three-quarter time. Hinkley insisted, though, playing hadn’t made the issue worse.
“It’s no worse, but it’s the same issue, which suggests to me that if he had the week off, he would be better next week,” Hinkley said. “I let Connor down by letting him play.”
However, Rozee later underwent scans and Port have since confirmed he’ll miss Round 9. The Port update said: “Rozee was subbed out of the game with hamstring tightness at three-quarter time, with scans on Friday showing a similar injury to the same part of the hamstring as last weekend. The Port Adelaide captain became aware of the issue under fatigue late in the game when he was unable to access his normal power and speed. Rozee will miss next Friday’s Geelong clash.”
Hinkley said Mitch Georgiades copped a knock on the knee but it was “nothing sinister” and said Todd Marshall had a rolled ankle.
Port’s injury update on Friday elaborated that Georgiades has been cleared of any structural damage, while Lachie Jones had suffered a low-grade hamstring strain and is likely to miss Round 9.
Adelaide coach Matthew Nicks praised debutant Dan Curtin for his display despite being subbed out. He said: “Really pleased with how Dan went. I thought early it was really hot. Port’s pressure was right up there. He was involved, he’s one of those defenders I’m talking about, Keane, Worrell, Butts. He was as important. He had some key moments. Simple things but it’s executing them.”
Carlton v Collingwood
Carlton coach Michael Voss revealed Zac Williams was subbed out with a glute issue, not a hamstring injury and was hopeful on his Round 9 availability. He said: “No, he had a tight glute. At this point in the time, we feel that’s all it is. It was restricting his movement, so he had to get subbed… I think he should be fine but let’s wait til we get the scans back.”
Voss also noted that Mitch McGovern, Caleb Marchbank and Jack Martin should be back next round.
Collingwood coach Craig McRae said Jordan De Goey was “unlikely to play next week” having missed the game with a groin concern.
McRae said Tom Mitchell “might be a different story”, having missed with a foot problem, while he confirmed Beau McCreery had entered concussion protocols.
The Pies coach also lavished praise on Nick Daicos, who moved from half-back into the midfield with De Goey and Mitchell out. He said: “When he plays like that, he’s one of the best players in the competition. He was hard to stop tonight. We’ve been playing him across half-back. Jordy’s out, so go do your work Nick. I was really happy with his defensive side of his game, his pressure was the best I’d seen.”
McRae said youngster Harvey Harrison “looks an AFL player” and offered some praise for debutant Lachie Sullivan. He said: “He’s had to wait a long time for this. There’s something to be said for that. He’s been looking like an AFL player for weeks, gets an opportunity, first kick, first goal. That gives a lot of energy.
Sydney v GWS Giants
GWS lost midfielder Tom Green early to an ankle injury. Giants coach Adam Kingsley said: “He’s obviously rolled his ankle and got subbed out. We’ll scan that tomorrow (Sunday), I believe, and get an assessment on what that actual injury is, but I don’t really know what it is and how severe it is.”
The Giants on Sunday confirmed good news for Green. The GWS update said: “Has been cleared of any serious damage to his ankle and will be a test for our clash with Essendon.”
Kingsley said he expected Stephen Coniglio to be available next week. He said: “I expect him will be (available). He was touch and go this week. Ultimately he felt like he needed one more week.”
Tom McCartin was subbed out following a head knock from Callum Brown who is likely to come under MRO scrutiny. Sydney coach John Longmire said he thought Lewis Melican was OK after a back concern. Brown has since been offered a three-game ban.
St Kilda v North Melbourne
St Kilda coach Ross Lyon spoke about Jack Sinclair’s midfield role, hinting it may be permanent. He said: “That’s what we’re chasing in there and we’d like more of it. He worked hard, he just spreads so well, he’s quick and is a great ball user. We’re trying to build that out that area. We love Sincs down back, but it’s won and lost in the midfield so he’ll probably spend more time in there.”
Lyon noted there may be some midfield selection pressure, with Hunter Clark and Paddy Dow to play VFL on Sunday, while Liam Henry would be available next week.
North coach Alastair Clarkson discussed Harry Sheezel’s midfield switch, and the impact that had on the roles for Zac Fisher and Colby McKercher. Clarkson said: “He spent most of the game in the middle of the ground. We want to try Fisher and McKercher across half-back. Sheez started the game pretty well, he probably drifted out of it a bit after half-time. He did some good things for us in the middle of the ground.
“I thought Fisher and McKercher did some valuable things in the back half. We’ve got to get our ball use and overlap a little bit bolder. We thought Sheez was a positive for us in the middle of the ground.”
Melbourne v Geelong
Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin said Max Gawn was fine after a knock, while he added Jack Viney was “all good” after copping a stinger to the shoulder/neck.
On Gawn, Goodwin said: “Clearly, he’s a warrior, Max. He’s copped a lot of treatment, but you do worry when your captain’s down, but it was great to see him get back up.”
Geelong coach Chris Scott said Tanner Bruhn was subbed out after a “knock” to the shoulder but noted it wasn’t structural.
West Coast v Essendon
Elliot Yeo spent the last quarter on the bench with a groin concern. West Coast coach Adam Simpson said: “It’s a little groin (injury), so hopefully not too bad. He did one last year, but he said it’s not as bad as that. Hopefully it’s nothing, but it’s probably something.”
Harley Reid also laboured late in the game, sparking fears of a hamstring injury, but he did return. Simpson said: “I think it was just cramp. He’s still working on his engine. He’s going to have ups and downs because he’s 19.”
West Coast subbed out Noah Long with a knee worry. Simpson said: “It might not be great, so we’re just going to see what scans do tomorrow or Monday. Fear for the worst, hope for the best.”
Essendon subbed out Jye Caldwell in the third term with calf tightness but coach Brad Scott was bullish about his availability next week. He said: “No injury again. He just had some calf tightness. He said ‘I’m absolutely fine, just a bit tight’. But he’s a really important player for us and it’s just a no risk approach.
“He started the third quarter and felt fine. We had a like-for-like player in Hobbs as the sub so out of an abundance of caution we subbed him off. Indications are he’ll be no problem next week.”
Richmond v Fremantle
Fremantle subbed out ruckman Sean Darcy. Freo coach Justin Longmuir said: “We were fortunate we were up on the scoreboard and able to Sean off because he’s had some difficulties with that knee and he’s still on his way back. Giving his lower game time on a five-day break is ideal… He should be right. He’s got a little bit of a tight calf, but the plan was to always get him out of the game, so as soon as he had a little bit of tightness, it’s easy to pull the trigger.”
The Dockers also opted to use Nat Fyfe as their sub. Longmuir said: “We’ve got a five-day break coming up. It’s a balance. We want to be proactive with Fyfey, so we’re not waiting for him to break down before he gets a rest… He’s just getting himself back to his best form where he’s really trusting himself and trusting the work and feeling really comfortable out there again. He wants to keep it rolling but he understands it’s a long season with the amount of injuries he’s had and bumps and knocks he’s had along the way.”
Yze said, all going well, Noah Balta would throw his hand up for selection next week along with Dion Prestia, having been “held back”. He added Jack Graham is a chance to return too.
The Tigers coach noted Jayden Short had an ankle concern. He said: “Jayden Short rolled his ankle but got through the rest of the game which was a great effort. Hopefully that pulls up OK.”
Western Bulldogs v Hawthorn
James Sicily exited the game early with a dislocated shoulder but had it put back in and played on, despite a third-quarter ankle knock too. When asked if he’d be in doubt to play next week, Hawks coach Sam Mitchell said: “I have absolutely no idea. I haven’t spoken to anyone about that. I hope not.”
Tom Liberatore went off late with a nasty head injury, which left him bloodied and stumbling again after a similar incident a few weeks ago. Dogs coach Luke Beveridge said: “It’s something I can’t really comment on because I saw him stumble in the middle of the ground and that’s concerning.
“For it to happen again this afternoon when it was only a couple of weeks ago the same thing happened, it’s a bigger concern than a one-week issue. We’ll take a conservative approach, we’ll look after him.”
Brisbane Lions v Gold Coast
Brisbane had a raft of injury issues, with Lions coach Chris Fagan stating the early indications are that Lincoln McCarthy and Darcy Gardiner have both done their ACLs. He said: “More than likely they are. When I saw them, they just had that look about them. There’s a certain look about ACL injuries, I reckon. The doctors pretty much think that’ll be the case.”
The Lions also lost Brandon Starcevich pre-game with a calf issue and Noah Answerth to concussion.
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Ben Somerford
