By Shayne Hope
Gold Coast defender Wil Powell has suffered another injury setback and will miss the start of the AFL season because of a torn hamstring.
The 23-year-old missed the second half of last season following a horrific ankle injury in June and returned to training over the summer.
Wil Powell of the SunsCredit:Getty Images AsiaPac
But the hamstring injury, suffered while Powell was preparing for his first match-simulation session of the preseason, has thrown up another hurdle.
Scans revealed a grade-three tear that will sideline the 2017 first-round draft pick for six weeks.
“He’s done a fairly bad hamstring … he starts running in a little while but it’s a fairly substantial one,” Suns football boss Wayne Campbell said.
“We were amazed how well he was going. He’d put in a power of work.
“With some of those gruesome ones they can take quite a bit of time, but he’d been training really well.”
Ben King.Credit:Getty Images AsiaPac
In better news for Gold Coast, Ben King and Lachie Weller are on track for an early season return as they ramp up their programs following serious knee injuries.
Highly-rated key forward King missed the entire 2022 season but is on track to be available for the practice match against Greater Western Sydney on March 4.
Meanwhile, Collingwood have breathed a sigh of relief after scans revealed only a minor hamstring strain for Darcy Cameron.
The ruck-forward was injured at training on Wednesday as the Magpies confirmed Darcy Moore as their new captain.
Cameron completed some running exercises at training on Friday and could yet feature in practice matches against Carlton (February 24) and Hawthorn (March 2).
Moore suffered a bone infection – known as osteomyelitis – in his leg in December and has gradually increased his training load over the summer.
The star defender expects to be back in full training next week.
“Signs up to now have all been pretty smooth and the management of my loads and my program has been pretty smooth,” Moore said this week.
“If we can keep it that way, I’m pretty optimistic that I’ll be playing some part in some practice games in the next few weeks.”
Essendon’s Matt Guelfi has suffered a calf strain that the club says will sideline him for “the next few weeks” of preseason training.
– AAP
