Tired of the clickbait headlines?
“Key Tiger to miss games”
“West Coast star injured on track”
It happens every day; big news publications tease you with the headlines to get a click and pay the advertisers. But wait… aren’t you just the same, Mongrel?
Shut up… this post is free, so I am slightly different, and I don’t want to hear a bad word about myself. Not today, anyway… I’m a bit fragile.
When it comes to matters like injuries and how your club is shaping, I like to just lay it all out there like a rug and allow you all to pile onto it. Watch out for The Slugger’s busy hands, though… he’s a sneaky one.
So, without further ado, join as a member to access… haha, just kidding. This freebie is all yours. Here are the players under a cloud at your club in 2023.
ADELAIDE
Paul Seedsman – Sadly, the Seed appears to be done, after being placed on the inactive list for 2023. It is such as shame, as he was playing career-best footy when he incurred the head knock that seems will ultimately end his career.
Other than that, the Crows seem to be up and running well at this point of the year. The only other concern will be how Rory Sloane goes recovering from his ACL injury. As mentioned in our season preview, more of a pinch-hitting role, akin to that of Trent Cotchin at Richmond, should be on the cards. If Sloane can become a big moments player, as opposed to one of the centrepieces of the Crows’ midfield, that’s good enough for me.
BRISBANE
Marcus Adams – Geez, just after reporting on Seedsman, we have our second concussion-related injury. Adams was also playing great footy as backup to Harris Andrews when he suffered his head knock. That he had not been on the track was the alarm bell, and the Lions confirmed in January that Adams was not going to be taking part in season 2023, placing him on the inactive list, as well.
CARLTON
Sam Walsh – I really hope there is no temptation to rush him back. Really, the bloke will be a dominant midfielder for the next 8-9 years; no need to throw caution to the wind and get him back early from an injury that could have dramatic ramifications if aggravated. I’d like to see Walsh given as much time as possible to overcome his back ailment and the medicos completely discount what he thinks and feels about his body, in this case. He’s a freak – he’ll want to play as soon as possible, but this may be a case of having to save him from himself.
Matt Cottrell – Not a huge loss in terms of his wing role, particularly with Blake Acres now onboard, but a foot injury looks to have slowed him, putting his availability in doubt for Round One.
COLLINGWOOD
Darcy Moore – Had a bone infection earlier in the pre-season and has only just resumed running, which is a real worry for someone with a history of soft tissue injuries. The Pies would be very wise to be cautious with him and not push for him to be cherry ripe for Round One, particularly as it is worth just as many points as every other game f the year. Give Moore all the time he needs to be 100%.
Jordan de Goey – Came back to preseason training and went in for surgery… some people are all for it, and others wonder why it took so long. Strikes me as a player that needs to be at every session in order to have a big year.
Nathan Kreuger – Had surgery on his troublesome shoulder in January… yep, January. It was popping out of place last year, but yeah, let’s leave it til January to operate. Has not had the first year and a bit at the Pies he would have liked. Hopefully, this surgery aids in setting him up for a better run at it last in the year, as he will likely miss a few early-season games.
ESSENDON
Elijah Tsatas – You hate to see a draft pick sidelined before they can even get on the park, but that is where the Bombers are at with Elijah Tsatas after he went in for some surgery on his knee.
Peter Wright – The foundations at The Hangar also buckled a little when the Dons’ only real marking forward, Peter Wright, limped off the ground a week or so ago. Lots of headlines about it at the time with the doom and gloom forecast – not so many reporting that he is fine and the injury was nowhere near as bad as was speculated. Expected, really.
Interested to get a first-hand look at Nik Cox in the coming weeks, as well. His 2022 did not go as planned after a solid rookie season. He will be pretty damn determined to make up for lost time this year.
Good news is that Jake Stringer and Mason Redman got into a bit of an altercation at training and had to be separated by teammates. I don’t know about you, but I love a bit of feeling amongst the group – shows they give a shit!
FREMANTLE
When all the news surrounding your club is about whether Nat Fyfe will play forward or in the middle, I reckon you can be pretty content with how things are travelling.
I don’t want to jinx anything here, particularly after how injury ripped the guts out of this team in 2020/21, but with nothing of significance emanating from the club on the injury front, Freo seems to be in a bit of a sweet spot with their list. I know, things can change quickly, but with the team firing on all cylinders at this stage of the preseason, Justin Longmuir would be thrilled with how they’re tracking.
One you’d like to keep an eye on is Matt Taberner. A good preseason from him may be the difference between a very potent Freo attack, and an average one.
GEELONG
Tom Hawkins – Had surgery in either late November or early December (reports are unclear) and will likely miss the start of the season. Given his size and age, I could see Hawkins missing a bit longer as the Cats attempt to get him cherry ripe for the second half of the season. The good news is that they have ample backup in the form of Jeremy Cameron, Gary Rohan, and now Ollie Henry. Hell, maybe we even get an Esava Ratugolea sighting as Hawkins recovers and works into shape.
GOLD COAST
Mac Andrew – Not an injury, but the second-year player will miss the first couple of rounds after being done for drink driving. The hope here is that a lesson has been learnt and Andrew is able to put this idiotic decision behind him.
Ben King has now had over 12 months since his knee reconstruction, so the Suns will be hoping that he is ready to pick up where he left off in 2021 as their number one forward.
Will Powell is on the way back, as well, but his ankle injury was a pretty bloody gruesome one and will take a lot of work to get him back to the level he was at prior to it. He has a plate and six screws in that ankle at the moment.
And Lachie Weller will be one to watch as he strives to overcome his ACL injury from last year.
GWS
Shhhh… they’re not making any big, big sound at all, are they?
To me, that would indicate they have no pressing injury concerns, and after an early end to their 2022 season, the players may just be ready to turn a page and start afresh. New coach, new gameplan, the return of the Tsunami… and no injuries.
Looking good!
Of course, both Brent Daniels and Jack Buckley coming back from hamstring and knee injuries, respectively, will be something to keep an eye on.
HAWTHORN
Mitch Lewis – They are saying this is a minor injury, but whenever I hear the letters A, C, and L combined, I feel you have a bit of a problem.
The club is stating it was a strained ACL – not a tear of any sort, so the Hawks and Lewis may have dodged a bullet on this one, Still, I expect a delay to the start of his season, which is exactly what Hawks fans did not want.
Sam Frost is one to keep an eye on after missing the end of 2022 with a knee injury.
Harry Morrison had his preseason interrupted with a hamstring issue just today and it looks as though it will sit him out for a while, as well. He was good at times in 2022, playing mostly on the wing, but I am not too sure Hawks fans will lose too much sleep over this one. He’ll be out about four weeks.
MELBOURNE
Max Gawn – Again, big concern when he limped off the track with a hamstring injury. Not so much in the way of fanfare when it was reported that it was minor and he was back running (albeit lightly) within days.
Tom McDonald continues to recover from his ankle (Lisfranc) injury that sidelined him last year, and really screwed with the Dees’ forward set up. He is gaining fitness and The Carnivore should be ready for Round One.
Quietly, the Dees looking very healthy at the moment.
NORTH MELBOURNE
Tarryn Thomas – Another that isn’t an injury, but a concern, nonetheless. Charged with threatening to distribute an intimate image, Thomas has a string of incidents over the last year that will be setting off alarm bells.
The hope is that these (the last apparently being in October) are behind him and that the new coaching regime at North is able to help him become the player he threatened to be back in 2021. *edit* just saw a release regarding this… definitely not behind him. Some substance will hit the fan shortly.
All eyes will be on Will Phillips as he returns from glandular fever. Robbed of an entire season, he will be itching to get out there. He could probably get some cream to help with that.
The only other concern sits with Darcy Tucker, who had some off-season knee surgery, but if we’re being honest, I didn’t genuinely see him as a best-23 player right off the bat.
PORT ADELAIDE
Ollie Wines – Had knee surgery after the season but is recovering well (he had it early… imagine a player doing that instead of running off on holidays?) and will be good to go, despte the surgery finding more damage than anticipated.
Mitch Georgiades – Had ankle surgery in December but was back on the track doing light work before the end of the year, so that’s a great sign.
Jason Horne-Francis – Had surgery on both legs to relieve pressure on “compression in his arteries”… far out, that doesn’t sound fun. He returned to training in December.
The three listed here all had their work done early – I like that the players committed to getting it over with, giving them the best chance at being right for Round One. It bodes well for where their heads are at.
Scott Lycett will be an important one to watch. His shoulder injury forced Jeremy Finlayson into the ruck with results that go from excellent to horrid, depending on who’s telling the story.
On a more serious note – thoughts and prayers go out to Finlayson and family with the news his wife’s cancer has been diagnosed as terminal. Just a tragic situation.
RICHMOND
Josh Gibcus – A big hamstring tendon injury in the pre-season with Ivan Soldo hot on his tail. Has gone in for surgery, but will require a decent rehab period and a heap of conditioning work (mini preseason?) before he gets back out there for the Tigers. A damn shame, too, as he looked fantastic in 2022.
Other than that, the Tigers seem fighting fit, which is exactly what you’d like to hear if you’re a Richmond fan.
ST KILDA
Max King – A big blow for the club, with a shoulder reconstruction for King likely to see him sit out the first couple of months. I was initially bullish on the opportunity this would afford others at St Kilda to step up and take more responsibility, but the injury to the next bloke has dampened that enthusiasm a little.
Jack Hayes – I was pulling for Hayes to make an impact, coming back from his ACL surgery, but he has broken a toe (metatarsal, if you’re being a little pedantic) and will also miss the start of the season. I hope they keep Cooper Sharman healthy – this is his time!
Olli Hotton – The 35th pick will miss the first half of the year after developing a stress fracture in his back. Far out… get well soon, mate.
The Saints also have a couple returning from long-term injuries, such as Jack Billings (back), and Nick Coffield (ACL last year and hamstring surgery before Christmas after a setback), both of whom will have track watchers keeping a close eye on them. Ditto for Jade Gresham, who is just so important to this team. Tom Campbell is also struggling wit an Achilles issue.
SYDNEY
Sam Reid – Yet to resume full training after sustaining the adductor injury in the finals and aggravating it in the Grand Final. That’s a pretty significant injury to have risked, don’t ya think? Luckily, the Swans have a plethora of other options up forward, with Logan McDonald, Peter Ladhams, and Joel Amartey all capable of slotting in. Oh, they also have this other bloke.. the old fella… he’s handy.
But that seems to be all the problems at Sydney. Their list is right in the premiership window and to have them all fit and ready for the season… they’ll be looking to buck the recent trend of those receiving Grand Final hidings. I reckon they’re the team that can do it, too.
WEST COAST
The Eagles seemed to have all their injury bad luck last season. This year is more about who they’re getting back.
Shuey, Sheed, McGovern, Yeo, Allen, Naitanui, and Chesser are all on the track and doing well. That’s +6 into a team that was all over the shop last season as they attempted to put bandaids on bullet wounds. The less you hear from the Eagles camp, the better you feel at this time of year.
Particular focus will be on Allen as he gears up to attempt to fill the boots of Josh Kennedy, right?
Wrong.
Jack Darling can do that – he has been the number two forward for years. Time to be number one. Oscar Allen can slot in as the number two forward for a while before he takes the torch.
WESTERN BULLDOGS
Adam Treloar – A slow recovery from ankle surgery is delaying Treloar from being at his preseason best, but the club is confident he’ll be right for Round One. He’d want to be – with Josh Dunkley and Lachie Hunter out of the picture, there is more midfield time available, and Treloar has been one that has been squeezed out at times over the last couple of years. He’d be pretty eager to cement one of those spots.
Rory Lobb – No, not because he got hit in the face with the footy – classic Rory, though. Rolled an ankle and limped off the park about a week or so ago, but has resumed training pretty quickly and will find new and amusing ways to ensure he is not forgotten.
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