A pair of Western Bulldogs stars are set to be available, while there’s mixed news at Arden Street amid Covid chaos.
Plus Jordan De Goey is set to return for Collingwood — and Brodie Grundy is an outside chance.
WESTERN BULLDOGS’ Caleb Daniel is set to return in Saturday’s night’s clash against Geelong, while Adam Treloar is also expected to play after both players trained on Thursday.
Daniel has missed the last four games after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his knee, and Treloar was under an injury cloud after getting subbed out of last Saturday’s win over Melbourne with calf tightness.
But Dogs coach Luke Beveridge on Thursday confirmed both players should line up for the GMHBA Stadium showdown.
“He (Daniel) should be available. We anticipate he‘ll be fine and head down the highway and face the Cats,” Beveridge told reporters.
“We think he‘ll (Treloar) be OK. If there is any doubt at all then we won’t play him, but we think he’ll be fine.”
Like Treloar andDaniel, Taylor Duryea, who hasn’t featured at senior level since Round 14, also faced faced a fitness test this week for his own knee issue.
GEELONG could name recruit Jon Ceglar for his first AFL game as a Cat for Saturday night’s big clash against the Western Bulldogs.
The Cats will be without ruckman Rhys Stanley for the ‘medium-term’ after he was subbed out of Saturday’s hard-fought win over Port Adelaide with a knee issue.
Ceglar, whose 2022 campaign has been hampered by injury, has impressed in his past two VFL games against Casey and Carlton.
However the Cats could also turn to Esava Ratugolea, who’s now played five VFL games after an interrupted start to his season.
Wingman Sam Menegola is a good chance to take on the Bulldogs after missing the Power clash due to a concussion suffered against Carlton in Round 18.
NORTH MELBOURNE forward Curtis Taylor has been ruled out of Sunday’s clash with Essendon, while Ben Cunnington (both HS protocols) has been denied the opportunity play some VFL minutes as both players remain in isolation.
It comes despite Roos caretaker coach Leigh Adams, who himself caught the virus but is expected to be available, saying the club’sCovid outbreak hasn’t majorly affected its preparations for its meeting with the Bombers at Marvel Stadium.
Adams and four players, includingCurtisand former Tiger Callum Coleman-Jones, returned positive results after returning to Melbourne from Hobart.
But in positive news at Arden Street, Nick Larkey (heel) will be available to take on Essendon after being a late out against Hawthorn, while Tarryn Thomas could return as well after missing the past few weeks due to personal reasons.
North will also will be without Flynn Perez, who accepted a one-game ban for rough conduct.
ESSENDON isn’t expected to make too many changes, although defender Mason Redman will be assessed throughout the week.
Redman was subbed out against the Pies with internal bruising, spending a night in hospital after coughing up blood.
Bombers midfielder Andy McGrath on Wednesday said Redman would be a “last-minute call” for Sunday’s clash.
PORT ADELAIDE has its own Covid issues, with Riley Bonner also entering HS protocols ahead the club’s clash with Collingwood on Saturday afternoon.
Dan Houston (concussion) will also miss the Pies clash, however, Port is expected to name Orazio Fantasia for his first full game of the season.
Fantasia was close to facing Geelong last week but was instead held back and played in the SANFL where he kicked three goals.
COLLINGWOOD will regain Jordan De Goey for the MCG match— and he’ll be primed to have an immediate impact, according to coach Craig McRae.
De Goey has missed the past three games after straining his quad at training. He’s played just one game since Round 13, with the off-contract star taking a leave of absence following his Bali mid-season trip that resulted in a $25,000 suspended fine.
“We thought he was touch and go this week (against Essendon) and potentially if it was a final he may have played, but we’ve taken a little conservative route with it,” McRae told Fox Footy’s AFL 360 on Monday night.
“He’s got to work in these three or four weeks — I think you’ll see it. When you see him, you go ‘his body shape looks slightly different’. He’s been boxing and doing other things and training hard.
“There’s an air of excitement of what he could be for us going forward.”
As for who could go out for De Goey, Jack Ginnivan might be on the cusp after a few quiet weeks and the strong showings of mid-season draftees Ash Johnson and Josh Carmichael against Essendon.
McRae on Wednesday wouldn’t rule out the possibility of dual All-Australian Brodie Grundy being thrown straight back into the senior team this weekend.
Grundy has been sidelined for three months after he damaged his knee against Essendon on Anzac Day in Round 6.
While Grundy is more likely to play in the VFL on Saturday, fellow big man Mason Cox has come down with a non-Covid-related virus and may sit out the Power clash, which could open the door for Grundy’s immediate return at AFL level.
“We’ll talk about that at match committee if that is something that may happen, but time will tell,” McRae said at Olympic Park on Wednesday.
“He’s better prepared now to play AFL footy, whether that’s minutes in the VFL this week, time will tell, but we’re pleased with his progression.”
Star defender Brayden Maynard is no certainty to play after he was subbed out during Sunday’s thrilling win over Essendon with a shoulder issue. While the club said it wasn’t a long-term issue, Maynard will undergo a fitness test later this week.
FREMANTLE remains optimistic leading goalkicker Rory Lobb will be fit to face the Demons, but is set to take two rucks to Melbourne.
Lobb missed Friday night’s draw with Richmond due to injury. Initially it was thought he’d hurt his shoulder, but it was described as a chest issue in the Dockers’ injury update on Monday.
The key forward trained on Tuesday with his right shoulder heavily strapped but is awaiting the final tick off to return.
“We’ve got Lloyd Meek who’s in great form. I think Melbourne are a team we probably need two genuine rucks against, so that’s an option if he (Lobb) doesn’t get up,” Dockers coach Justin Longmuir said on Wednesday.
The Dockers will be without skipper Nat Fyfe, whose hamstring injury is expected to sideline him for several weeks.
However midfielder Will Brodie is expected to line up against the Demons, despite being spotted with strapping on his left quad in recent days. Key defender Alex Pearce will also be fine to face Melbourne, despite playing through an ankle issue against Richmond.
MELBOURNE will be without spearhead Ben Brown again for Friday night’s game against Fremantle as it treads carefully with his ongoing knee soreness, but coach Simon Goodwin was “really confident” he would be fit to face Collingwood next week.
Intercept specialist Jake Lever (shoulder) will return and James Jordon, who suffered a knee injury against the Dogs that he was able to play through, is expected to make the trip as well.
Adam Tomlinson would likely make way for Lever.
“A lot of teams have tried to take away some of our intercept (marking) with some of our backs in a whole range of different ways, whether it be through Jake Lever, Harrison Petty or Steven May,” Goodwin said.
“This is one of the few times in the last 10 weeks where we get these three guys back together again, so we’re looking forward to building some consistency and those guys playing together.”
SYDNEY will consider re-calling star veteran Josh Kennedy to face the Giants.
Kennedy, 34, produced another strong outing in the VFL with 37 disposals in the driving rain as the Swans’ reserve side beat Frankston. It was his second week back after a lengthy hamstring injury suffered in Round 10 against Carlton.
But in that time, his side has eclipsed fellow top-four fancies in Fremantle away from home and stabilised on that with a 33-point win over Adelaide at home on Saturday at the SCG.
Swans coach Longmire would not commit to selecting veteran Kennedy for Saturday’s match despite his impressive return.
“Whether he comes in this week, we’re not sure. We’ll go through that (on Thursday),” he said.
“He’s feeling good with his body, he’s in good form and that’s a good spot to be.
“We’re still confident he’s got a role. We’re confident in the back half of the year that he can be really helpful for us.”
GIANTS interim coach Mark McVeigh is hopeful his side will regain a plethora of important players for the Battle of the Bridge against Sydney.
The Giants were without Lachie Whitfield (hip), Josh Kelly (concussion) and Harry Perryman (ribs) in their 36-point loss to Carlton, while Jesse Hogan and Tom Green were both managed — although McVeigh conceded form was a significant factor in him missing the loss to the Blues.
Kelly and Hogan will return, but Whitfield and Perryman will face fitness tests.
McVeigh believes all five should be available for the clash with their cross-town rivals, but said they’ll take a look at the balance of their team and how they could all fit in.
“I mean, you think about Whitfield, Kelly, Perryman, Tom Green, Jesse Hogan, all available next week. You have to argue that they‘re in our best team, clearly,” McVeigh said on Sunday.
“Again, you‘ve got to weigh up the balance and how it looks and you think about Whitfield and Kelly, having them on those loose ball gets probably would have helped us.
“We will have a good week in the match committee for sure this week.”
ST KILDA will strongly consider unleashing luckless veteran Dan Hannebery this weekend against Hawthorn for his first AFL game since Round 23 last year.
Hannebery’s St Kilda stint has been plagued by injury setbacks, managing just 15 games in the near four seasons since he was traded from Sydney.
But the triple All-Australian has now had two impressive outings for VFL affiliate Sandringham — and he could be picked for the must-win clash against the Hawks.
Jade Gresham (knee) and Jack Billings (back) are awaiting medical advice following their respective injuries that meant they were unable to play-out Sunday’s game against West Coast.
Midfielder Zak Jones could be re-called after being dropped for the Eagles game.
HAWTHORN will be hoping to regain dashing defender Changkuoth Jiath from a knee injury to face the Saints, but will be assessed later in the week.
WEST COAST remans hopeful it’ll regain a star quartet for Sunday’s match against the Gold Coast Suns.
Coach Adam Simpson on Sunday said he expected to get back Nic Naitanui (knee), Elliot Yeo (hamstring) and Jack Petruccelle (hamstring) to return from injury, while Willie Rioli was also a chance to return after missing two games following the death of his father.
Naitanui trained well on Tuesday, but an official decision on whether he plays will be made later this week.
The return of Naitanui will give Simpson a slight selection headache, with Josh Rotham and Bailey Williams both performing well in the ruck in Sunday night’s 28-point loss to St Kilda.
GOLD COAST will have to find a replacement for gun defender Charlie Ballard, who’ll miss the rest of the season due to a knee injury.
The Suns could turn to Malcolm Rosas and/or Alex Davies, who both had successful returns in the VFL from their respective hamstring and knee issues.
CARLTON will again be without midfielder George Hewett, but star duo Sam Walsh and Jacob Weitering are both expected to be fit to take on Adelaide in Round 20.
Hewett (back) hasn’t played since Round 18, with the club stating he remains “a week-to-week assessment” as the Blues push towards a finals campaign.
Meanwhile, Weitering (cork) and Walsh (ankle) are both expected to train this week and be available to face the Crows.
Jack Martin (calf) is a test to play, while Matt Owies (calf) is expected to be available. Either one could replace Jesse Motlop or Josh Honey in the small forward brigade.
Ruckman Marc Pittonet could make his highly-anticipated return from injury after his second VFL match back from injury, but defender Caleb Marchbank might be given another week in the VFL.
ADELAIDE could have to find a replacement for small forward Shane McAdam for the match against Carlton.
McAdam was subbed out of his side’s loss to Sydney early with a corked quad.
If McAdam is deemed unfit to play, the Crows’ top pick from last year’s draft Josh Rachele is expected to put his hand up to play, while fellow 2021 draftee Zac Taylor and James Rowe would also be in the mix after strong SANFL outings.
A “frustrated” Daniel Rich will miss BRISBANE’S MCG showdown with Richmond on Sunday due to the AFL’s concussion protocols.
Rich copped an accidental knee to the head from the Gold Coast’s Levi Casboult in the final quarter of the Lions’ 17-point weekend QClash win at the Gabba. Under AFL guidelines, the veteran defender must stay on the sidelines for 12 days.
Fellow half-back Keidean Coleman looms as a straight replacement as he’s expected to return after missing a week with a hamstring strain.
Rich, who had only just returned to Brisbane’s side following a hamstring injury, is expected to be available for the Lions’ August 7 match against Carlton at the Gabba.
RICHMOND should be boosted by the return of key forward Tom Lynch from a hamstring injury to face the Lions.
Interestingly, Ben Miller – subbed out in the dying stages of last week’s game with what was labelled a groin injury along with cramp – was not mentioned in the club’s initial injury report video on the website on Tuesday, but was added in the text of the article later after the omission was noted on social media.
Miller has been listed as ‘probable’ to play this week.
