From big-name stars who will be on the shelf when the season begins to the clubs hardest hit, here is what you need to know on the injury front across the AFL.
The three clubs under most injury stress
Forwards Mitch Owens and Cooper Sharman became the latest Saints to join an alarmingly busy casualty ward in Saturday’s practice match defeat to Port Adelaide.
Mitch Owens in the hands of the Saints trainers on Saturday.Credit: AFL Photos
Sharman will undergo surgery in the coming days on a thumb fracture, while St Kilda football boss David Misson said scans showed Owens’ left shoulder joint was “stable” but he hurt his AC joint in a marking contest late in the first half.
“The scans this morning were promising, but we’ll seek further advice from specialists to help assess the best course of action from here,” Misson said.
The club is yet to reveal how long they will be out.
Dougal Howard (shoulder), Mattaes Phillipou (leg stress fracture), top-10 draftee Alix Tauru (back), Liam Henry (knee) and Paddy Dow (knee) all are out for a month or longer, while star spearhead Max King (knee) is in significant doubt for round one.
In better news, Rowan Marshall (pelvis) and Jack Sinclair (hamstring) will be back in full training this week, while Zak Jones and Hunter Clark returned in a VFL practice game.
Sydney and Western Bulldogs have had an equally challenging summer.
Swans star Gulden will undergo ankle surgery and is out indefinitely after hurting himself on Friday night against Gold Coast, while captain Mills’ plantar fascia tear will keep him out for at least Sydney’s first three matches.
Marcus Bontempelli left the field early in the pre-season clash with Hawthorn. Scans revealed a calf injury.Credit: Getty Images
Logan McDonald has also had a slower-than-expected recovery from ankle surgery, defender Harry Cunningham injured his left foot in match simulation, and ruckman Brodie Grundy (knee) will have to pass a fitness test to face Hawthorn at the SCG on Friday night.
At the Dogs, Bontempelli will spend at least six weeks recovering from a calf injury that the club’s head of sports medicine, Chris Bell, said was “a complex injury with tendon involvement”.
It was another major injury blow for Luke Beveridge’s men, who were already without Adam Treloar (calf), Liam Jones (hamstring), Cody Weightman (knee) and Jason Johannisen (hamstring) for two months or more.
The biggest names
Alongside Bontempelli, Gulden and Mills, Port Adelaide’s Zak Butters, Giants onballer Tom Green and Fremantle’s Hayden Young are the other top-flight stars who will watch from the sidelines at the start of 2025.
Port Adelaide will have to cope without back-to-back All-Australian midfielder Butters for up to eight weeks after a knee arthroscope, while a calf strain will sideline GWS counterpart Green for his team’s opening two matches.
Another star onballer, Fremantle’s Young, suffered a hamstring strain recurrence that will keep him out of the Dockers’ season-opener against Geelong on March 15.
St Kilda are yet to rule key forward King out of their round one clash with Adelaide, but his knee arthroscope on Thursday could sideline him for up to a month, so he is doubtful.
Zak Butters will miss the start of the 2025 season.Credit: Getty Images
Carlton’s dual Coleman medallist Charlie Curnow is also racing to be fit for the Blues’ round one showdown with Richmond.
He had knee surgery on February 18 to remove a screw that was no longer required from an old injury and that was the cause of discomfort. Carlton expect Curnow to be ready to play in round one or two.
Collingwood midfielder Jordan De Goey (knee) is also under an injury cloud ahead of Sunday’s round zero trip to Sydney to take on the Giants.
Magpies assistant coach Jordan Roughead said they would not risk De Goey’s longer-term prospects to have him play next weekend, but added that he was “certainly pushing for it”.
Others ruled out for varying periods after pre-season setbacks include Brandon Starcevich (concussion), No.1 draft pick Sam Lalor (concussion/broken jaw), Carlton pair Nic Newman (patella) and Jagga Smith (ACL), Changkuoth Jiath (hip), George Wardlaw (hamstring), Brandon Zerk-Thatcher (back), and Dom Sheed (ACL).
The talking point
Four players – Owens, Lalor, Starcevich and Bulldog Laitham Vandermeer (concussion) – all sustained injuries after an opponent pushed them into a marking contest.
Fox Footy commentator David King urged the league to “quickly” stamp out these types of incidents, but match review officer Michael Christian did not cite Reuben Ginbey after he shoved Lalor into fellow Eagle Sandy Brock a fortnight ago.
The Owens, Starcevich and Vandermeer injuries all occurred in the past week, and in similar fashion.
“I am sure it’s something they [the AFL] will look at if that becomes a trend,” Port Adelaide assistant Chad Cornes said, “but, obviously, it’s not something that we train, or we want to do. Sometimes, players find themselves in awkward positions.”
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