In today’s AFL briefing, your daily wrap of footy news:
- Bulldogs’ surprise at omission of star Tigers.
- Brad Scott backs Dyson Heppell.
- Ross Lyon enjoying the buzz around unbeaten Saints.
- Freak training accident results in Darth Vader injury for an Eagle.
Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge said he was surprised the Tigers decided to rest Jack Riewoldt and Trent Cotchin for Saturday’s clash at the MCG, as the Bulldogs aims to continue their recovery from a shocking start to the season.
Richmond opted to manage veterans Cotchin and Riewoldt at team selection on Thursday, while Maurice Rioli jnr was named as an emergency.
Rested: Trent Cotchin and Jack Riewoldt.Credit: AFL Photos
“It was a bit of a surprise, you plan for those guys [Cotchin and Riewoldt] playing, even Rioli,” Beveridge said at Stringer Reserve on Friday.
Beveridge said the Bulldogs had spent Friday morning processing what the changes meant for the side, which is focused on reproducing the same intensity that led to a 14-point victory over the Brisbane Lions, their first win of the season.
“We just take care of our roles and our application. It doesn’t change a lot for us,” Beveridge said.
Despite Richmond coach Damien Hardwick stressing the Tigers would rest some of their veterans this year, there was widespread surprise when Cotchin and Riewoldt were left out.
“We’ve been playing our three key defenders and the boys [Alex Keath, Liam Jones and Josh Bruce] were terrific last week,” Beveridge said.
“Jack’s been really crafty and been such significant threat for the Tigers over a period for time. But now with him out if just means [Noah] Cumberland and the other types become even more important.”
The coach also welcomed the arrival of category B rookie James O’Donnell, the son of Australian cricketer Simon O’Donnell, to training.
The signing of the 21-year-old, who has been playing Premier Cricket for Essendon, was first reported by The Age on Wednesday. “He’s a tremendous athlete, and he’s had a great pre-season with our Footscray program. He’s had to really convince us that we should give him a spot, and it’s really exciting that we’ve got a young fella in,” Beveridge said.
Beveridge said the club was not sure when the rookie could potentially break into senior ranks, but would be assessed after his first VFL game in three weeks’ time.
“He’s not coming from a long way back as far as fitness and strength levels go. But he hasn’t played any footy really for a long period of time … he hasn’t been able to play practice matches – but he’s looked really good in training.”
O’Donnell is an all-rounder at Premier Cricket level, but has a football pedigree, having played for Victoria in the under 12s, alongside North Melbourne’s Will Phillips and Bulldog Luke Cleary. He concentrated mainly on cricket at Xavier College.
The 21-year-old O’Donnell had a late growth spurt at 18-19 years of age and is 197 centimetres – making him a potential key-position prospect, although the Bulldogs are open-minded about what positions he might fill. He had been a midfield-sized player when he last played the game.
Western Bulldogs category B rookie James O’Donnell at Stringer Reserve training on Friday.
“When you think about the whole history and the lineage in sport …there’s a lot of romance attached to James getting an opportunity in Australian rules football,” Beveridge said. “Our team are doing a great job in helping him achieve what he wants to achieve as an AFL player.”
With AAP
Heppell’s value can’t be measured: Scott
AAP
Brad Scott is adamant Dyson Heppell still warrants a spot in Essendon’s first choice line-up, declaring the former captain an important part of his team’s evolution.
Heppell, 30, will play against GWS on Sunday as the Bombers (2-1) seek to bounce back from their first loss of the season. But his position has been questioned after a slow start to 2023, in which he has averaged 15 disposals across the opening three rounds.
“The value that Dyson brings is immeasurable – his leadership, his sense of calm when things aren’t particularly going well – and with a young and inexperienced group, it’s really important to have seniority around them,” Bombers coach Scott said on Friday.
“The positives that Dyson brings are really hard to see publicly. You certainly don’t see them on the stats sheet.
Essendon’s Dyson Heppell clashes with Gold Coast’s Ben Ainsworth before he was subbed out of the game.Credit: Getty Images
“He’s a really proud competitor and he’s a really important person and player for us.
“He’ll be in the team this week and I understand that there will be a focus on a lot of the more senior players in a lot of teams across the AFL, but what Dyson Heppell has done for this club over a 10-year-plus period has been absolutely critical.
“Right where we’re at in terms of our evolution as a team, Dyson’s a really important player for what we’re doing.”
Asked specifically about whether Heppell deserves a position in the Bombers’ strongest line-up, Scott added: “We pick the team, not anyone else, so the best 22 is what we think.”
Jake Stringer is another Bombers veteran under the spotlight, having made a quiet return from a hamstring injury in last week’s loss to St Kilda.
The 28-year-old kicked one goal from eight disposals and helped curtail the early damage done by Saints defender Callum Wilkie. Essendon would welcome greater impact from Stringer but Scott won’t ask too much of the potential match-winner.
“We really struggled to bring the ball to ground inside our forward-50 at the start of the [St Kilda] game and Jake played that role for us and did it really well,” Scott said. “That’s what we look at a lot more than just pure output on the stats sheet.
“He played the role that we’re asking him to. We’re not asking him to do any more or any less than just his role for the team.”
Lyon enjoying the positive ‘noise’ of unbeaten start
AAP
St Kilda’s 3-0 start is uplifting, unexpected and much-lauded, but to coach Ross Lyon it means nothing.
The Saints are half a game clear at the top of the ladder heading into Saturday night’s clash with Gold Coast at Marvel Stadium.
For all his team’s improvement and ability to cover a rugged injury toll so far, Lyon is paying little heed to the plaudits.
Mason Wood at St Kilda training this week.Credit: Getty Images
He notes Geelong were 5-4 a year ago before going on the 16-game run that took them to the premiership.
“My take is there’s a lot of noise and that’s positive – so that’s nice,” Lyon said. “We’re writing our own story. It’s positive because of the significant injuries we’ve had … that’s been the difference.
“That’s why it’s been recognised, otherwise it’s just three wins. Me – how I think about it? – it really means nothing. It’s three.”
Lyon also is impressed by the Suns, who pushed Essendon before last weekend’s big upset win over the Cats.
“[Matt] Rowell is up and going, Touk Miller has been one of their champions for a long time and their captain [Jarrod] Witts leads them really well.
“Lachie Weller had a BOG … [Jack] Lukosius, he’s a precocious talent, isn’t he. [Ben] King’s back – so lots of threats.
“Our best, we’ll be in the game. It’s going to be an exciting Saturday night game – if anyone had said start of the year, St Kilda-Gold Coast? They’re high, high-end talent. If you let them roll, they’ll get a hold of you. It’s not just tokenism. They’re up and about.”
The question for the Saints is how long they can keep enduring their brutal run with injuries before their players start returning, or it cracks them. Jimmy Webster is the latest victim with a fractured cheekbone, while in-form utility Mason Wood was named despite the shoulder injury he suffered in the win over Essendon.
Freak training accident creates Darth Vader injury
AAP
West Coast coach Adam Simpson says Dom Sheed sounded like Darth Vader after suffering a freak training accident that sent the midfielder to hospital.
Sheed became the eighth Eagles player to be cut down by injury within five days when he copped an elbow to the throat at training on Thursday.
The 2018 premiership hero was sent to hospital, where he was diagnosed with a fractured larynx, ruling him out of Sunday’s clash with Melbourne at Optus Stadium.
Dom Sheed is the latest in a long line of injuries at West Coast.Credit: AFL Photos
He joins captain Luke Shuey (hamstring), Jamie Cripps (broken ankle), Jeremy McGovern (hamstring), Liam Ryan (hamstring), Campbell Chesser (knee), Harry Edwards (ankle) and Alex Witherden (concussion) as casualties from the past week.
“It was a warm-up drill, five v three sort of stuff that we’ve done every week for the past two years,” Simpson said of Sheed’s injury.
“It was an innocuous knock to the throat. I don’t think it’s a significant injury, but you lose your voice and it’s pretty sore.
“I spoke to Dom on the track, and he sounded like Darth Vader. I thought, ‘What’s going on with you?’. He said, ‘I just got a knock’. And he finished training, so it’s not that bad.”
Cripps has undergone surgery and could miss the rest of the season. McGovern and Ryan are also likely to need surgery after suffering serious tendon injuries in last week’s derby loss to Fremantle, ruling them out of action for months.
Chesser could be set for a sizeable stint on the sidelines with his knee injury, but Shuey is expected back in two-to-three weeks.
Sheed and Witherden have a chance of returning for next week’s Gather Round encounter with Geelong.
Defender Edwards would have played this week against Melbourne as McGovern’s replacement, but was ruled out after rolling his ankle at training on Tuesday.
Elliot Yeo will return from a calf injury in a vital boost for the Eagles, with the veteran likely to have stints across half back and through the midfield.
Ruckman Nic Naitanui won’t be back until closer to the mid-season bye due to an ongoing achilles tendon injury. Simpson said he was “optimistic” Naitanui would play again this year.
Keep up to date with the best AFL coverage in the country. Sign up for the Real Footy newsletter.
