Having already lost Dan Houston to suspension Collingwood have suffered a double injury blow with Jordan De Goey and Lachie Schultz both now out of the Gather Round clash with Sydney, while Melbourne’s Jake Lever and Geelong’s Jack Henry also face weeks on the sidelines.
De Goey was subbed out of Thursday night’s win over Carlton with ankle soreness and the club confirmed he would miss Friday night’s match against Sydney at the Adelaide Oval with swelling of his ankle and Achilles.
Neither Jordan De Goey or Lachie Schultz will play for Collingwood on Friday.Credit: Getty Images
He has not yet been ruled out of the following round’s game against the Brisbane Lions at the Gabba. He will travel with the team to Adelaide and then directly to Queensland, where the Magpies will base themselves at Southport for several days ahead of the Easter Thursday night match.
Small forward Lachie Schultz, who had his best game for Collingwood in the win over Carlton, suffered a hamstring strain at training on Sunday. He will miss up to three weeks.
The injuries compound the fact the Magpies had already lost prized recruit Houston to a two-game suspension for a high bump. Houston’s debut for Collingwood had already been delayed this year as he served out the last week of a five-match suspension from last year when he was playing for Port Adelaide.
Big-bodied midfielder Ned Long was the substitute for Collingwood against Carlton. After being selected in the squad of 23 for every game this year, he will almost certainly to come into the starting 22 at the Adelaide Oval.
The Magpies withdrew promising onballer Ed Allan and premiership player Will Hoskin-Elliott early from their VFL game on Sunday as a precaution.
Both are among those in contention for selection given the injuries to De Goey and Schultz. Coach Craig McRae has spoken about his desire to get Allan into the team.
Lachie Sullivan, who played 10 games last year, played in Collingwood’s win over Port Adelaide in round one and looms as another contender to replace Schultz.
The Magpies have the oldest list in the AFL this year, and one of the oldest and most experienced in recorded history, with most of their veterans taking part in Thursday night’s game.
Collingwood’s Dan Houston was banned for two matches following this crude bump on Thursday night CREDIT: Channel Seven.Credit: Channel Seven
De Goey had a delayed start to the season after suffering bone bruising to his knee late in the pre-season. His pre-season had already been interrupted by injury concerns, including a trip to Doha in the Middle East for specialist treatment of abdominal and groin issues.
There is no timeframe yet on when Brownlow medallist and premiership midfielder Tom Mitchell will return from his plantar fascia injury.
The Swans have also endured a number of injuries. They will be missing Errol Gulden, Callum Mills, Lewis Melican, Harry Cunningham, Taylor Adams and Robbie Fox on Friday night.
Tom Papley missed the weekend’s win over North Melbourne with a crack in his heel; an injury expected to keep him out of action for six to eight weeks.
Melbourne will have to wait a similar amount of time to get its linchpin defender Lever back on the park after confirming on Monday he would undergo ankle surgery.
It’s horrible timing for the Demons with their season hanging by a thread after dropping their first four games before this week’s match against Essendon at the Adelaide Oval on Saturday night.
“We’ve been looking to manage Jake conservatively, and he’s done a power of work to try to get up for each game, but due to a lack of function and continued pain, he hasn’t been able to do that,” Melbourne high performance manager Selwyn Griffith said on Monday.
“As part of our management process, we sought some expert opinions.
“He saw a surgeon today and, unfortunately for Jake, he will now undergo surgical intervention and he’ll likely be out for approximately eight weeks.”
Melbourne ruck Tom Campbell has also been sidelined with a hamstring injury sustained during a VFL game.
Geelong confirmed on Monday that key defender Jack Henry would miss up to four weeks with a hamstring strain sustained in Friday night’s win over the Demons.
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