Injury Report | Gawn to test

Injury Update

MELBOURNE skipper Max Gawn will need to successfully complete training later this week if he is to be available for the club’s Round 19 clash against Fremantle.

Gawn suffered an ankle injury during Round 17 and has since been incredibly diligent in his rehab program to try and be back as soon as possible.

The club’s High Performance Manager Selwyn Griffith provided an update on the ruck on Tuesday afternoon.

“Max has progressed well,” Griffith said.

“He got back into running earlier this week, and we’ll look to integrate him into training as long as he recovers well from that run.

“Then a decision on his availability will be made following that training session later in the week.”

In disappointing news for Lachie Hunter, the Demon has suffered another calf injury during the VFL on Sunday.

While it’s unfortunate for Hunter, the injury should only see him remain on the sidelines for approximately a week.

“Lachie just had a bit of calf tightness at half time,” Griffith said.

“Given the history that he’s had this year with a few calf injuries, it was really important that we went through the right process to see if it was just some tightness or if there was an injury.

“In consultation with the medical team, he was removed from the game, and we’ve scanned that calf which has shown a low-grade strain to his gastroc [gastrocnemius] muscle.

“Fortunately for Lachie, there is no tendon involvement, and he’s maintained really good strength.

“He’ll progress really quickly, and we look forward to having him back out on the park very soon.”

Last week it was confirmed that Charlie Spargo would be out for the remainder of the 2024 AFL season after undergoing surgery on his Achilles.

“Charlie had surgery last week and [it] went really well,” Griffith said.

“He has two weeks where he’s got to recover and keep that leg elevated.

“Then we’ll be able to progress him back to having him running before the season finishes, which will set him up for a really strong off-season and hit the ground running for pre-season next year.”