Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge says Marcus Bontempelli will “probably” play on Friday night against Port Adelaide despite a sore knee and bruised heel.
Bontempelli has been limited to light duties this week, days after Beveridge suggested he could be rested.
But when asked if Bontempelli will play against Port, Beveridge said: “Probably yeah. I know it’s obvious he’s had a sore knee, he’s had a bruised heel that he’s been dealing with, that’s the main thing I’ve been worried about.
“It’s the main reason he was limping a bit in the game just gone. But he’s been able to deal with that and manage it with our medicos, and he’s pretty confident he should be available.
“You don’t run on your hands, so if you’ve got a bruised heel it can cause some issues, but we think that’s improving.”
Hawthorn pair James Sicily (ankle) and Jai Newcombe (soreness) were both named despite limited training this week.
On Sicily, Hawks coach Sam Mitchell said: “He’ll be fine. He just rolled his ankle. Technically, I will say he has to get through training, but we expect him to play.”
Gold Coast coach Damien Hardwick revealed Matt Rowell will probably miss their upcoming Round 9 game due to his ankle injury.
“He’s probably doubtful,” Hardwick said. “We’ll probably look to pencil him in against Port Adelaide in a week-and-a-half’s time.
“He’s a tough lad, but we just want to make sure when we get him back he’s not missing another week after that. We’d rather be a little more conservative this week to make sure he’s right next week.”
Melbourne coach Steven King floated Max Gawn’s name among other options when discussing how they replace Brody Mihocek.
King said: “We’ve got options with the two Maxes that can play ruck/forward, Luker Kentfield played well (in the VFL), there’s an opportunity for us to go smaller maybe with a Bayley Fritsch playing taller. We’ve got options.”
