Get the latest injury news from across all 18 clubs and their relevant AFL Fantasy and SuperCoach, with Honeyball’s summary of the Tuesday injury reports.
Lachie Whitfield appears set to return this round following one game out in concussion protocols.
The Giants update said: “Whitfield is required to complete the final stages of the AFL’s concussion protocols over the coming days before being cleared to play.”
John Noble appears to be in the clear following a hefty collision saw him bench late in Gold Coast’s loss to Adelaide. Noble wasn’t listed in the Suns’ injury list, meaning he’s likely good to go.
Bulldogs backman Bailey Dale will be sidelined for 5 weeks with a shoulder injury. Dogs Head of Sports Medicine Chris Bell said: “In the final three minutes of the match, Bailey landed awkwardly in a marking contest, causing an acute injury to his shoulder.
“Scans have confirmed that he has a minor fracture that was caused by the injury mechanism. Having consulted specialists, Bailey will not require surgical management for this injury, however a conservative approach will be taken to allow the fracture to heal. Bailey will miss at least the next five weeks of football.”
Tim English (back) is listed as a test along with Riley Sanders with a hand injury.
Richmond provided an update on Jayden Short who missed last week’s game with a corked quad. The Tigers medical staff said: “Short did not quite get up last week, given how restricted he still was from a corked quad.
“He took part in our light session today, and if he continues to get through the rest of the week of training, he will be available to play.”
Jack Ross remains TBC in concussion protocols but will miss this round. Richmond’s update said: “It was his second concussion within six weeks, so we are taking a cautious approach, and he is going to have a second week off.
“The doctor will continue to monitor him, and we will give an update on his availability for Round 20 next week. But we are really pleased to update that he is feeling good and progressing well at this point in time.”
Adelaide has ruled out Rory Laird for the “next several weeks” with a low-grade syndesmosis injury in his left ankle.
“While Lairdy will miss some footy, there is some sense of relief in that it could have been much worse,” Crows General Manager High Performance Ian McKeown said.
“We expect him to be running again later this week and following that, we’ll be able to put a more definitive timeline on his return. We’ll take a conservative approach in his rehabilitation.”
St Kilda ruckman Tom De Koning will be back in the short term, potentially impacting Rowan Marshall’s role. Saints General Manager of Football Lenny Hayes said: “Tom and Max (King) have both been handling increased training loads as they continue to tick off their required milestones.
“They’re both tracking well, but as with every player returning from injury, we’ll continue to prioritise their health as we manage their returns in the short term.”
Geelong’s Tanner Bruhn (neck) will face a test to prove his fitness for Thursday’s clash with St Kilda, while Jeremy Cameron (AC joint) is out for the next 4-6 weeks.
Fremantle Director of Performance Adam Beard provided an update on Hayden Young (groin). He said: “Youngy had that groin which saw him miss Round 18. He trained really well on Saturday, did some game loads, and then did full training today, including an 18v18. He’ll be a test for this week.”
Port Adelaide confirmed Zak Butters will undergo surgery this week for a syndesmosis injury, ruling him out for at least 5 weeks, while Mitch Georgiades is in concussion protocols and will miss the clash with Freo.
Carlton has ruled out Marc Pittonet for this round, meaning youngster Flynn Riley likely gets another game. On Pittonet, the Blues said: “Experienced a minor hamstring strain last week, will aim to be available for selection next week.”
George Hewett faces a fitness test on his back problem. The Blues said: “Experienced a back spasm in first quarter against Hawthorn which has since settled: will aim to train later this week to be available to play.”
West Coast revealed young gun Josh Lindsay will miss this week’s clash with Brisbane due to a “minor quad injury”.
Eagles high performance manager Phil Merriman said: “Josh experienced quad tightness last week, and we will continue to manage that this week. We expect him to be available for selection next week.”
Noah Mraz’s job security might be in jeopardy with Hawthorn set to welcome back Josh Battle (appendix). Hawks high performance manager Peter Burge said: “He was able to get going over the weekend. We did quite a bit of conditioning on the weekend with him.
“He’s resumed training today, and he’ll do full training on Thursday this week. Then we would expect he would be available on the weekend, but we do have to still get through Thursday’s main training session with full contact.”
Youngster Jack Dalton will miss 5-6 weeks with an MCL injury, while Karl Amon has undergone surgery and been ruled out for the near future. The Hawks said: “While his exact timeline is yet to be determined, Amon’s surgery was successful and the club expects him to be available for selection before finals.”
North Melbourne confirmed Tom Blamires had entered concussion protocols. North Melbourne head of performance Kevin White said: “Tom completed a controlled running and kick session this morning. We expect him to transition into full training as of next week.”
Melbourne are hopeful on Max Heath’s (shoulder) availability this round. Dees AFL High Performance Manager Selwyn Griffith said: “He has made some good progress from his shoulder. He’ll look to fully train this week,” Griffith said.
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Ben Somerford
