Following another weekend of football is another injury wrap piece.
As clubs exit and enter the last round of the mid-season byes, injury lists have taken a positive turn than what we knew them to be.
Western Bulldogs are expecting trio Aaron Naughton, Nick Coffield and James Harmes to be available for selection ahead of their North Melbourne clash in Round 16.
Collingwood expects to see some calvary return following their week off as a young Kangaroo’s season has come to a complete halt.
Here’s all the latest injury news across the AFL…
Rioli to be tested, Butters freed from suspension
Power forward Willie Rioli will need to pass a fitness test to be available for selection for Saturday’s game against Brisbane.
Rioli strained his calf during the North Melbourne clash and has missed the past fortnight but has made strong progress.
The club will be relieved the that the Tribunal found midfielder Zak Butters not guilty of striking GWS’ Tom Green, ultimately dismissing the one-match suspension.
A wait is still on Charlie Dixon‘s availability after he was handed down a three-game ban for a bump in the SANFL.
Schache available for Dees, Lever close
Depth forward Josh Schache has overcome a foot issue to make himself available for selection.
“Josh has had a strong training block the last few weeks,” Melbourne High Performance Manager Selwyn Griffith said.
“He’ll train fully with the main group on Wednesday to be available for selection this week.”
Good news for Jake Lever who is eyeing off Round 16 as a return, while Jake Melksham won’t be long after since recovering from an ACL injury.
“Jake is returning to training this week and our plan is that he’ll return to full training next week,” Griffith said.
“He’ll then look to be available for selection in Round 16.”
“Jake (Melksham) is currently training with the main group,” Griffith added.
“He’ll likely have a return to play in the coming weeks.”
Ashcroft set to make early return
Will Ashcroft‘s return from an ACL injury is nearly complete, with the club expecting him to be available for Round 16.
Ashcroft tore his ACL last July and has been in full training for the past month.
However, the Lions will be without defender for at least four weeks due to an “acute shoulder dislocation”.
Answerth injured it during a VFL victory against Sandringham.
Danger, Danger, Danger
Geelong are expecting that Brownlow medallist Patrick Dangerfield and forward Ollie Henry to be available for Friday night’s bout with Carlton.
Dangerfield is set to return for his first game since Round 7, having overcome a hamstring injury.
Henry will also be available after missing the trip to Sydney following hamstring awareness during the Richmond game.
Midfielder Cam Guthrie isn’t far away, with the club putting a fortnight on his return as he recovers from an achilles issue.
“Cameron is progressing well in his recovery, over the next two weeks he will begin to increase his footy loads and conditioning as he nears his return,” a statement from the club said.
Giants ready to return
GWS are set to welcome back Stephen Coniglio and Lachie Ash for the Sydney Derby with the pair expected to pass fitness tests later in the week.
Ash comes to the end of a six-week calf injury sustained in Round 9, while Coniglio is overcoming a shoulder problem he copped during Round 11.
Veteran Adam Kennedy is set to play his first game of football in 14 months after suffering an ACL injury in April last year.
Youngsters James Leake and Darcy Jones are also pushing to play at any level this week following their respective injuries while defender Nick Haynes will be sidelined for at least three weeks after scans confirmed a hamstring strain.
Young Roo, forgotten defender in line for recall
Colby McKercher will return to football this weekend after overcoming bone soreness in his foot.
McKercher has been out of the side since Round 9 but is ready to go.
“It’s a great result for Colbs,” head of performance Kevin White told NMFC Media.
“There’s probably a little bit of uncertainty at the start with these types of injuries. You’ve got to get that rest period at the very start.”
Defender Griffin Logue is also set to make a return from an ACL injury last year, with the club confirming some time will be spent in the VFL.
Co-captain Jy Simpkin will also need to prove his fitness ahead of the clash with Melbourne after being withdrawn from the Collingwood game.
Henry cleared of injury, several Saints in the mix
St Kilda has confirmed that winger Liam Henry has been cleared of any injury after leaving the field late in the loss to Brisbane.
The club also provided an update on defensive duo Jimmy Webster (calf) and Liam Stocker (abdominal).
“Overall, we enter the bye in good shape from an injury perspective,” EGM Football David Misson said.
“With the bye affording a week’s rest for all our players, we hope to enter the second half of the season refreshed mentally and physically to begin our run at Marvel Stadium on the right note.”
Midfielder Paddy Dow (ankle) will be pushing to be available for Round 16 selection while Brad Crouch will be monitored as a flare-up in his knee saw him withdrawn from all football.
Latest on sidelined Carlton stars
Carlton pair Adam Cerra and Jack Martin are nearing returns from hamstring and calf ailments that have hampered them Round 9, with the Blues gaining a boost on the training track since returning from their mid-season break.
Neither Martin nor Cerra have played since their win over the Demons in early May, with the duo a chance to return in the next week.
The pair will need to complete a mid-season training block before being cleared to return, with teammate Sam Walsh revealing the key Carlton duo are “tracking well”.
“They’re tracking really well,” Walsh confirmed to media on Tuesday.
“Since coming back after the bye we’ve had a great amount of numbers out at training, which is always a good sign this time of the year.
“Those guys are still looking for a block of work, like what I had at the start of the season, then you can come into the team and fire on all cylinders.”
The Blues will also have Matt Cottrell (foot), David Cuningham (calf) and Marc Pittonet (finger) in the mix as early as this week, with the Blues to face Geelong at the MCG on Friday night.
Essendon defender available, call to be made on ruckman’s return as backman suffers setback
The Bombers are set to regain defender Mason Redman for this week’s clash with West Coast, while a decision will need to be made on ruckman Sam Draper‘s return from knee surgery.
Redman is in line to return from a hamstring strain suffered prior to the club’s recent bye, with the backman joined by Xavier Duursma (quad), Ben Hobbs (calf) and Will Setterfield (knee) in nearing the end of their respective rehabilitations.
The South Australian confirmed to SEN on Tuesday he will be available for Sunday’s game, while coach Chris Scott offered some insight into Draper’s return timeframe on the same station.
Scott confirmed Draper is ready for selection, but flagged his pathway back into the senior side is less certain.
“He’s had a really solid return from minor knee surgery. He’s been in main training for a couple of weeks now,” Scott said.
“We expect him to be available from this point on, it’s just a matter of when we pull the trigger. We obviously have a but to work through with our talls. There’s not a straight answer, he’s obviously an important player.”
The Bombers have revealed defender Kaine Baldwin has suffered a setback in his return from a foot injury, with the club stating the fringe backman will require between 3-6 weeks to overcome a fresh ankle concern related to his navicular bone stress injury.
Adelaide in line to regain trio post-bye
Adelaide veteran Taylor Walker could be one of three inclusions for the club following their Round 15 bye.
Walker has missed the past two games with a back injury and needs to overcome final fitness hurdles over the next week to be cleared to face GWS in Adelaide’s next game.
“I’ve still got to tick a few boxes with some contest stuff, I went for a run in the Clare Valley yesterday and took some steps forward in the main session last week,” Walker told Triple M.
“I just wasn’t quite there to get up to play last week, but I’m confident that I’ll be ready to go after the bye (against GWS).”
The Crows are also a chance to have Riley Thilthorpe (knee) and Elliott Himmelberg (cheekbone) back from injury to face the Giants, according to Walker.
Eagles star set for immediate return after long layoff
West Coast co-captain Oscar Allen is expected to skip a return through the WAFL and come straight into Adam Simpson‘s side for Sunday’s clash with Essendon.
The Eagles forward has not played since Round 1 due to a knee injury, with Allen in line for his first game since mid-March this weekend.
According to 7 News’ Ryan Daniels, Allen is set to suit up for the Eagles’ senior side and won’t be eased back into a return through the reserves.
Midfielder Tim Kelly is expected to miss another week with his niggling hip issue, with a Round 16 return against Hawthorn a likely return date.
Young onballer Elijah Hewett is a chance to be available for selection in the next month following a foot injury that has kept the second-year Eagle sidelined for the entirety of the 2024 season.
Hewett is set to return to main training next week and will then work through a month-long training block before being available.
Suns gun a test for trip west
Gold Coast spearhead Ben King will need to prove his fitness at training on Thursday to be cleared to face Fremantle this weekend following a knee injury scare over the weekend.
King went down with a knee concern on the track, sparking fears of a second AFL for the current Coleman Medal leader, with scans showing no major damage for the 23-year-old.
The Suns forward will need to prove his fitness over the coming day to be cleared to play however, with Suns football boss Wayne Campbell telling AFL.com.au that King remains a chance to head to Perth.
“He’s definitely a chance to play this week,” Campbell said.
“Obviously we won’t take any risks, but if he trains ok on Thursday, he’ll play.”
The Suns are likely to have co-captain Jarrod Witts available after the ruckman missed two games prior to the club’s Round 14 bye due to a hamstroing concern.
Hamstrung Dockers defender facing up to a month out
Fremantle are expecting to be without veteran forward Michael Walters for up to four weeks following a hamstring injury sustained early into Saturday’s loss to the Western Bulldogs.
Walters was subbed out of the match due to the ailment, with the club bracing for a standard three-to-four-week layoff for their senior attacker.
“It looks like he’ll miss three to four weeks, which is disappointing,” coach Justin Longmuir confirmed to AFL 360 on Monday night.
“Whether it creates another opportunity for a small forward from the WAFL, who had a good win on the weekend, or we put some other players forward who can have some impact… we’ll work out that later in the week.”
Walters’ absence is likely to open the door for Tom Emmett‘s return against Gold Coast this weekend, while defender Brennan Cox is likely to play some minutes this week for Peel Thunder following an extended absence due to a hamstring injury suffered in Round 1.
Young Roo suffers serious knee injury, again
Power forward Brayden George has suffered a season-ending knee injury once again, tearing his ACL in the VFL over the weekend.
George debuted for the club in Round 1 of the reserves competition this year after being sidelined for the majority of the 2023 season, with his AFL launch taking another hit.
The fiery forward’s luckless run with injury continued last October when George suffered a dislocated elbow and required surgery following a gym mishap.
Bulldogs forward, defender set to be cleared following bye
Western Bulldogs Head of Sports Medicine Chris Bell has provided an update on Aaron Naughton, Nick Coffield and James Harmes ahead of the Round 16 clash with North Melbourne.
“Aaron is now in the back end of his rehabilitation following his medial ligament injury in his knee,” Bell said.
“He is integrating back into some football drills, and we are working to build back his strength and the continuity in his training.
“We will be working hard with Aaron across the next 10 days to try and accelerate his rehab to get him back to availability after the bye.”
“Nick is 12 weeks following his shoulder reconstruction,” Bell added.
“He has been incredibly diligent and is getting close to a return.
“Nick will need to tick some final boxes for us across the next 7-10 days before we can confirm his availability.”
“James has been attacking his rehab following his hamstring injury,” Bell continued.
“He is integrating back into training with us carefully progressing his exposure to high-end athletic tasks.
“He remains on track to be able to put his hand up for selection in Round 16.”
Youngsters Jordan Croft and Luke Cleary are both tracking well in concussion protocols and will be “monitored” throughout the week.
Collingwood cavalry ready to return (bye)
Collingwood have arguably limped to their second bye with an injury list that has never been seen before.
But that is about to change.
The Pies are hopeful that premiership players Brody Mihocek, Scott Pendlebury and Jordan De Goey will all return when they take on Gold Coast in Round 16.
The trio have been missing for some time and will be a much-needed boost to the club, which is placed in the top four for the first time this season.