Collingwood’s tall brigade has taken another hit, with ruckman Darcy Cameron ruled out of Saturday’s game against Fremantle with back stiffness.
Cameron failed a fitness test on Thursday and left Gosch’s Paddock early, forcing another reshuffle of coach Craig McRae’s magnets.
Darcy Cameron will miss Saturday’s game against Fremantle with a stiff back.Credit: Getty Images
Dan McStay, Steele Sidebottom and Brayden Maynard will all return for the Pies, who will need Mason Cox to shoulder the bulk ruck duties against Sean Darcy and Luke Jackson.
Billy Frampton could hold his spot in the team as Collingwood’s second ruckman. The teams will be revealed about 6.20pm tonight.
McRae said Cameron was given every chance to prove his fitness.
“Darcy won’t play. Unfortunately, after the game he had a bit of a stiff back,” McRae said.
“He trained early in the week, and we were hoping he could progress, and we didn’t get much progression on Tuesday, and we thought we’d go again today, and he’s just not going to be right, so he’s not going to play this week.”
The Magpies are still without key forward Brody Mihocek, but McRae was optimistic he’d be available for the following round’s top-of-the-table clash with Port Adelaide.
The Dockers have their own injury concerns ahead of Saturday’s match at the MCG, with Michael Frederick the latest casualty due to soreness.
Frederick joins Brennan Cox (ankle), Hayden Young (ankle) and Karl Worner (calf) on the sidelines from the Dockers’ team that lost to Carlton last week.
Fremantle’s Michael Frederick will miss Saturday’s game against Collingwood, ruled out because of soreness.Credit: AFL Photos
“(Frederick) has pulled up a bit sore from the weekend,” Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir said.
“A six-day break probably rules him out. It’s disappointing, but it’s a tight turnaround, and he’s been a bit sore for the past couple of weeks. We don’t want to push him too hard.”
Forgotten Docker Joel Hamling, a premiership defender with the Bulldogs in 2016, will play in Cox’s absence. It’ll be just his third game since the end of 2019.
“I’m stoked for him,” Longmuir said.
“The work to get over his injury and rehab’, get back to somewhere near his best physically, and to be able to go out there and deal with the frustration of not playing AFL and playing in the WAFL, it’s been a long road. He’s deserving of an opportunity.”
Meanwhile, there are reports that Port Adelaide’s power-forward Charlie Dixon will miss his side’s clash with Carlton because of ankle concern.
Dixon missed large chunks of 2022 with ankle injuries, and according to reports, did not train on Thursday.
Trent McKenzie has already been ruled out for the Power after suffering an ankle injury in last week’s win against Gold Coast, while Junior Rioli will miss for personal reasons. Captain Tom Jonas is expected to make his return to the side for the first time since his omission after round 10.
And St Kilda will blood debutant Jack Peris against the Gold Coast on Saturday.
The speedy Category B rookie – son Nova Peris, who won an Olympic gold medal in hockey in 1996 and ran as a sprinter at the 2000 Games – has averaged 14 disposals and five tackles, and kicked 11.7 in 12 matches for Sandringham this season.
