Tuesday’s injury reports are starting to trickle out with key updates across the board to help guide your Round 4 trade targets and trade-outs.
North Melbourne have declared Tristan Xerri likely to be available for Saturday night’s clash with Sydney, following hamstring tightness on Sunday.
North head of performance Kevin White said: “Pleasingly, Tristan returned to the field and finished the game without apprehension. He went for precautionary scans yesterday which were reassuring, and he’ll look to recover well across the short turnaround to be ready to play.”
North’s George Wardlaw is a test to return from a hamstring injury to play VFL this weekend.
Melbourne rookie Xavier Lindsay’s knee injury isn’t as bad as first feared, with hopes he could play next week.
Dees GM of AFL Football Performance Alan Richardson said on Sunday: “In positive news, Xavier has been cleared of any major damage to his left knee, with scans instead showing a sprain of his medial ligament.”
Melbourne followed up on Tuesday with another update, from AFL High Performance Manager Selwyn Griffith, who said: “He still has a low-grade injury to his medial ligament.
“This week is more around progression from that, he’s still quite sore and stiff following that incident. He was able to get moving today but he’ll be unlikely for this week and then we’ll just keep progressing him as each day goes by.”
Geelong remain non-committal on Tom Stewart’s return, but he does seem likely to get up after a knee concern despite being a late withdrawal on the weekend.
Cats Executive General Manager of Football Andrew Mackie said: “We decided to withdraw Tom before the game on Saturday as a precaution and we are optimistic on his availability ahead of Friday night. With two sessions remaining for the week, we will continue to monitor him ahead of Friday.”
St Kilda’s report said that Jack Steele (knee) “will also need to get the tick at training to make (himself) available” after being a late withdrawal in Round 3.
Essendon’s Jye Caldwell looks set to miss some footy with the Bombers revealing he has “undergone scans on his hamstring after a suspected strain suffered at training today”.
The Dons also confirmed Elijah Tsatas has returned to training after sustaining a broken hand, while Darcy Parish is “tracking positively” with a view to a playing return after the bye. Essendon rookie Tom Edwards will miss the rest of the 2025 season due to an ACL injury.
Collingwood declared Dan Houston available to play this weekend after an injury in training. The Pies update said: “Houston has returned to full training today after sustaining a broken nose during the side’s training session on Sunday. The defender is available for Collingwood’s Round Four match against Carlton on Thursday night.”
Freo could be bolstered by both Sean Darcy (ankle/knee) and Hayden Young (hamstring). Dockers Fremantle High Performance Manager Phil Merriman said: “Exciting news for the Freo fans to see those two players get out and play footy. They’ll be available this weekend.”
Adelaide has confirmed mid/forward Josh Rachele will miss 4-6 weeks after suffering three fractured ribs.
The Crows update said: “He underwent scans in hospital on Sunday night and had further scans on Monday morning which confirmed the rib fracture and cleared him of any other internal injuries.”
Port mid Zak Butters is on the cusp of a return following a knee procedure in pre-season, listed as a test to a return to football this Sunday.
Brisbane defender Tom Doedee is in line to play VFL this weekend following two ACL injuries and could be a cheap option when he returns to play AFL.
Eagles rookie Jack Hutchinson is “progressing well” after a hamstring strain. West Coast High Performance Manager Mat Inness said: “Jack is starting to hit speed and is now being integrated into the high-speed drills in main training. We are looking to see him back playing in the next week or two.”
Josh Smillie looks set to be available for Richmond after a hamstring injury. Tigers HP manager Ben Serpell said: “Like last week, Smil’s got through a good body of work. He’ll continue to train and we’ll make him available for selection this week. We will leave it up to the coaches to have the conversation at the table.”
