The injury news came through on Tuesday afternoon/evening with updates on Jy Simpkin, Colby McKercher, Darcy Jones, Stephen Coniglio and more plus big Tribunal news for Zak Butters.
TRIBUNAL
Firstly, Port Adelaide successfully overturned Zak Butters’ one-game suspension for striking at the AFL Tribunal on Tuesday, meaning he’s free to play this weekend.
INJURY NEWS
North Melbourne declared rookie Colby McKercher is “set to return to play this weekend” although they haven’t yet confirmed if that’s the AFL or VFL, following a bone stress issue in his foot.
North head of performance Kevin White said: “It’s a great result for Colbs. There’s probably a little bit of uncertainty at the start with these types of injuries. You’ve got to get that rest period at the very start.
“That’s why it was a TBC for Colby – until it was safe enough to load that bone properly with running, then into football boots and into football function. He’s had two really good weeks of football conditioning on-field.”
North also offered an update on Jy Simpkin who was a late out on the weekend due to a low grade hamstring injury, with the co-captain facing a fitness test this week.
White said: “He felt really good during the week but when we had main training on Friday he felt some general awareness in his hamstring.
“We scanned that which showed a really minor hamstring strain … we envisage that it came directly out of the West Coast game. It being so low level he’s down for a test this week … he’s making good progress but we’ll have more information once we get through training on Thursday.”
North also confirmed Wil Dawson underwent shoulder surgery, with coach Alastair Clarkson stating last week he’ll miss 4-6 weeks.
GWS rookie Darcy Jones is back in the mix to return after a hamstring injury, listed as a “test”. The Giants update said: “Jones will also be a test this week to progress to limited minutes in the VFL as he recovers from a significant hamstring injury.”
The Giants have also listed Stephen Coniglio (shoulder) as a test for the upcoming round.
Gold Coast are expecting Jarrod Witts to be available for their Round 15 clash with Fremantle. The Suns update said: “Witts missed both the Round 12 and Round 13 matches with a hamstring complaint but is in contention to make his return to action in Perth on Sunday.”
Essendon have confirmed Mason Redman (hamstring) is set to be available this round, while Will Setterfield is a test after knee soreness in their last game which will impact their midfield mix.
Carlton have Adam Cerra (hamstring) as one week away, having returned back to full training, while Melbourne have listed Marty Hore (calf) as 1-2 weeks off.
Patrick Dangerfield is set to be available for Geelong after a hamstring injury while Cam Guthrie is still 2 weeks off due to an Achilles issue.
Brisbane mid Will Ashcroft is expected to be “available for selection next week” having ruptured his ACL in July last year. He could be Draft relevant.
