The Western Bulldogs have still listed Tim English’s timeline as TBC but he will be assessed this week to determine his availability to return from a knee injury in Round 6.
The Dogs stated he continues to improve and will be monitored. Dogs Head of Sports Medicine Chris Bell said: “Tim is progressing well from his knee injury from the Essendon fixture, so we will continue to monitor him.
“He’ll be assessed to train on Wednesday before determining availability for the weekend.”
Ed Richards is a test despite a nasty ankle injury on Saturday night. Bell said: “Scans cleared Ed of any serious bone damage to his ankle over the weekend. He still has some swelling and pain associated with his injury. He will train Wednesday and be a test prior to the Geelong game.”
The Bulldogs confirmed Connor Budarick will miss 3-5 weeks with a hamstring injury. “Scans have revealed a low-grade injury to Connor’s hamstring,” Bell said.
“Connor will miss some football and we expect to see him back in the red, white and blue within the next 3-4 weeks.”
Tom Liberatore is a chance to return from a hamstring injury against Geelong. “Tom has progressed well from his hamstring injury, completing a match-like session on Saturday. If Tom gets through training like I expect, he’ll put his hand up for selection,” Bell said.
Gold Coast has revealed gun Christian Petracca has been “cleared to play and will be available for selection” against Essendon this weekend. Jake Rogers is progressing well through concussion protocols.
The news isn’t so good for Noah Anderson who miss Saturday’s match after undergoing an operation to have his appendix removed, with the Suns listing him as “short term”.
Anderson GC SUNS Head Physiotherapist Andrew Weller said: “Noah is now recovering following a successful operation on Monday to remove his appendix. He won’t be available for selection this weekend, and we will continue to monitor his progress over the coming weeks.”
Milan Murdock (hamstring) along with Elliot Yeo (adductor) could both return for West Coast in Sunday’s derby against Fremantle.
High Performance Manager Phil Merriman said: “We made the decision to not play Elliot last week and he is setting himself for this week. Milan is ready to go this week and will look to complete his two main sessions in preparation to play on the weekend.”
West Coast midfielder Deven Robertson was dealt a cruel blow with news that the onballer will miss the season with an ACL injury.
The Eagles revealed the shock diagnosis on Monday afternoon after he picked up a knee injury late in the loss to Geelong.
Head of Football John Worsfold said: “Unfortunately, scans today confirmed Deven has ruptured his ACL and will miss the rest of the season.
“We’re incredibly disappointed for Dev. He has made a significant impact since joining the Club last November and has been outstanding in the way he has gone about his football.”
Brisbane have confirmed veteran half-back Dayne Zorko will miss 2-3 weeks with a left calf strain.
The Lions update said: “Zorko underwent scans on Sunday after he left the field during the second quarter and played no further part in the match. The club expects Zorko to be sidelined for approximately two to three weeks.”
Essendon rookie Dyson Sharp is set to make his return from injury via the VFL following a foot problem. North tagger Finn O’Sullivan will miss another game with a broken jaw.
Melbourne announced Christian Salem will miss 4-6 weeks with a foot injury, while Trent Rivers continues to manage a knee issue and will remain on the sidelines over the next fortnight.
Port Adelaide revealed Jack Lukosius will miss 6-8 weeks with a groin issue. Port’s update said: “Lukosius has been experiencing ongoing groin soreness and will undergo a block of rehab to best prepare him for the second half of the season.”
GWS confirmed Stephen Coniglio has entered concussion protocols, while Fremantle listed Hayden Young as a test with a hamstring injury. St Kilda has listed Jackson Macrae (knee) as a test too.
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Ben Somerford
