Injury News: English in the mix, Naughton & Lipinski tests

Tim English has been listed as a test for the Western Bulldogs’ wildcard final against Collingwood following a knee injury.

Dogs Head of Sports Medicine Chris Bell said: “In the Round 22 game against North Melbourne, an opposition player fell across Tim’s knee which caused an injury to the medial ligament on the outside of his knee.

“Tim has been incredibly diligent working with our rehabilitation team since the injury and has made rapid progress in the last seven days. He still has some boxes to tick across this week so we can ensure that he is ready to perform at his best, so we will look to make a decision on his availability later this week.”

Aaron Naughton hasn’t been ruled out yet either, following an acute ankle injury sustained last round. Bell said: “Aaron landed awkwardly in an aerial contest in the third quarter and damaged a ligament in the outside of his ankle joint, and has associated swelling and symptoms.

“With our short turnaround into the Pies on Friday night, we are working around the clock to make sure that his ankle injury improves across the next 72 hours to align his availability for Friday night.”

Tom Liberatore appears set to miss the wildcard game although his season isn’t over. Bell said: “Tom suffered some acute knee symptoms in training last week related to a cartilage issue in his knee – this is the opposite knee to which he had an issue earlier in the 2026 season.

“To best manage this issue, Tom underwent a minor arthroscopic procedure on Saturday afternoon, and is already back at the Club and aggressively attacking his rehabilitation. We will set a more definitive return to play plan in the coming days but remain optimistic that Tom’s magnet will return to the whiteboard for selection at some stage across our final series.”

Collingwood has declared Isaac Quaynor (glute) available for the game, while Pat Lipinski’s (calf) availability will be assessed following Wednesday’s main training. Brayden Maynard, Scott Pendlebury and Harry Perryman are all ruled out.

Carlton pair Will Hayward (ankle) and Nick Haynes (ankle) will both undergo tests to prove their fitness.

Melbourne duo Jake Lever (toe) and Matt Jefferson (knee) are also tests to play, with Daniel Turner (knee) declared available.

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Ben Somerford

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