Western Bulldogs defender Hayden Crozier will be kept out of AFL action as a precautionary measure this week following his medical scare.
Crozier was examined by club and league doctors when he fainted during the Bulldogs’ loss to Carlton in round two. The 28-year-old was substituted out of the match and was soon cleared of any immediate danger.
He has since passed further medical tests but will not play against Sydney at Marvel Stadium on Thursday night. Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge said Crozier will instead be on managed minutes in Footscray’s VFL clash with the Northern Bullants.
“All the tests haven’t shown anything and he feels fine, he wants to play,” Beveridge said. “Our medical staff have cleared him to play but just as a precaution we’ll see how he goes.
“We’ll play him for three quarters and we’ll monitor his game time. Hopefully he gets through with flying colours.”
Beveridge said it would be “too much of a risk” to pick Crozier against Sydney as the Bulldogs attempt to arrest a worrying 0-2 start to the season.
“We don’t want to go in with a player who may need to come out,” Beveridge said.
Crozier has played 66 games for the Bulldogs since crossing from Fremantle at the end of 2017.
Nat Fyfe (Photo by Carson/AFL Media/Getty Images)
Fyfe back out for six
Fremantle veteran David Mundy will miss Sunday’s western derby after being forced to stay in the AFL’s health and safety protocols, while Nat Fyfe will be sidelined for about another six weeks.
Fyfe underwent successful back surgery on Saturday after being bothered by a disc injury and he wants to make sure he is fully recovered before playing again.
“I’m up walking around already and hopefully will start running within two weeks and look to be playing in somewhere around six weeks,” Fyfe told Triple M. “But these things are a bit subjective based on the individual. I think that (six weeks) is about right, but don’t be surprised if it’s four and don’t be surprised if it’s 10.
“I’ve spoken to Matthew Pavlich extensively about this, you have to really respect them (back injuries) because you don’t want any lingering problems to occur. In and around the spine is a pretty important area.
“But the shoulder is fine, the back will recover fully, and I’ll be playing footy this year for sure.”
Mundy missed last week’s 10-point loss to St Kilda after being forced into isolation, and the Dockers announced on Tuesday the 36-year-old would remain in the health and safety protocols for longer.
Defender Brennan Cox also entered the health and safety protocols last week, but the Dockers didn’t give an update on his availability.
Ruckman Sean Darcy injured his right ankle against the Saints and is listed as a test to take on West Coast.
Forward Matt Taberner (hamstring), Nathan Wilson (shoulder) and Josh Treacy (ankle) are all a chance to return. Fremantle veteran Michael Walters appeared to injure his wrist against the Saints, but he wasn’t listed on the club’s injury list on Tuesday evening.
West Coast will assess Andrew Gaff (foot) and Jackson Nelson (knee) this week, but they haven’t given any word on the 12 players who were ruled out last week due to the COVID-19 protocols.
Oscar Allen (foot) and Jamie Cripps (pectoral) are still about four weeks away, with Dom Sheed set to miss another six to eight weeks. Midfield bull Elliot Yeo could return in two weeks from a calf injury.
Thomas bruised and battered
North Melbourne young gun Tarryn Thomas has suffered severe internal bruising and will miss up to eight weeks.
The 21-year-old copped an accidental kick to the chest during the Kangaroos’ 15-point victory over a depleted West Coast outfit on Sunday.
Scans cleared Thomas of any fracture to his ribs but specialists have recommended he sit out for between four and eight weeks.
Thomas spent time in hospital to recover from the incident.
Magpies lose two, gain one
Collingwood duo Nathan Kreuger and Beau McCreery will be out for a month but the unbeaten Magpies will get Mason Cox back from his ankle injury for Saturday night’s showdown with Geelong.
Kreuger partially dislocated his shoulder last Saturday against the Crows while McCreery suffered a muscle tear in his hip during the win.
Cox is set to come straight in for Krueger while defender Jordan Roughead is closing in on a return in the next fortnight after off-season shoulder surgery.
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Dusty does Danger
Roar Rookie
We look a bit top heavy with both Nank and Soldo who can easily go down forward for a spell. In hindsight losing Coleman Jones and Chol wasn’t a big issue. Hate to say it but the brains trust have to start thinking about the future without Jack.
pablocruz
Roar Rookie
Was thinking the same. Balta changes everything. As does Bakes to a large degree. Love what Jack has done for the club but . . . is it time?
pablocruz
Roar Rookie
Lol. That is really, really funny.
nics
Roar Rookie
We're all learning new things every day. Long time no see!
Johnno
Roar Rookie
Yep, the Eagles mids will be undercooked & maybe that is enough for us upstarts to get over the line ????
sven
Roar Rookie
nicely put nics & thanks for expanding my knowledge of Latin
berrlins
Roar Pro
Geez Fyfe can't take a trick, feel for him ane hopefully it's not a season, otherwise that's the Dockers gone for the year. Is Cox really a valuable in for the Magpies? he's got height but not much else on his side
Angela
Roar Rookie
Leaving aside Fyfe’s AFL future about which I know nothing, I have to weigh in here re spinal surgery, about which I know a bit. Spinal surgery has a bad rep particularly among physios/chiros who stubbornly refuse to acknowledge that in the right hands with the right diagnosis appropriate surgical procedures for particular problems can be successful in alleviating pain and restoring function. Of course, this depends on the overall state of the spine, age of patient, any other health problems and as mentioned the neurosurgeon being able to identify exactly what and where the problem is. Good neurosurgeons never operate when surgery is unlikely to make a difference or make things worse. George Hewett (ex Swan, now Carlton) has had spinal surgery as has Jack Gunston. As someone who has had successful (life-changing) spinal surgery you do get sick of the constant bad press about it, the sanctimonous mouthings of physios and chiros and the weird look on peoples’ faces as they say sadly…’did it work?’
13th Man
Roar Rookie
Freo now just put TBC on anyone that's longer than a 1-2 week injury. Apparently it's better to not be transparent with the fans anymore.
nics
Roar Rookie
No I am not though I keep my eye on those upstarts from Cockburn from time to time ;). Clark and Henry I think will do well, and you have to love the hobbit. Having said that, it could be a long season if Freo can't get up for a derby in a season where many have tipped them to finish above the Eagles, and coming off a disappointing home loss to St Kilda. Our mids are undercooked - see TK for example - 19 disposals in the first half and 3 thereafter from recollection.
Johnno
Roar Rookie
You’re obviously not a Freo supporter Nics, having confidence in Freo bouncing back. I am not convinced that Freo has the midfield depth in talent at the moment. Recruited well but we are 1-2 years away before we can some experience into our new draft pics as well as Young, Chapman, Henry, Brodie & Clark. If the Eagles mids that come back do ok, then the Eagles by 15.
1dawg
Roar Rookie
Consistency is all you can ask for from a forward :silly: Jack is consistent.
nics
Roar Rookie
Well some aspects of the game plan remain - long to the right off kick-ins, and Jack Darling to miss a sitter :laughing:
1dawg
Roar Rookie
I thought the Eagles put up a good fight. I tuned in more than normal hopeful of a Subiaco Subs victory. Hard to have a real game plan with half a side knowing it.
nics
Roar Rookie
Yup - even though my team got royally shafted by it on the weekend, I don't have a general issue with the protocols given the harm they are meant to prevent. I suspect sometimes people forget that rather than a silver bullet, mitigating harms often requires some incremental steps, put together (eg helmets + rails + training all collectively prevent/reduce falls impacts even if individually they may not be that effective - if you apply this to mask protocols and social distancing... but that's a story for another day). Of course, I will get royally grumpy if other teams get the short end of the protocols, lose a lot of players, and are allowed to postpone games.
nics
Roar Rookie
In that vein, I always have a snide snort every time I see the WCE 'Injuries' announcements. It's almost to the point where some players have seemingly been on 'test' status for about 6 months, or were on "2 weeks" approximately 2 months ago. Perhaps the soft cap restrictions meant we had to hire Dr Nick Riviera, or Ned Guy to calculate injury times. .
Doc Disnick
Roar Guru
No issues with what Freo have said. Just don't believe them, or use them as a source to counter argue the opposite.
nics
Roar Rookie
Leaving the discussion over a certain 2-time Brownlow medallist aside, what about the
Droid attack on the Wookiees?injuries to Crozier, Thomas et al? :laughing:nics
Roar Rookie
They can't play badly twice in a row can they? From a WC perspective, I'm excited to see more of Jermaine Jones, Rioli and XON through the middle. In particular, the former 2 can actually tackle, which puts pressure on the ball carrier and results in the floaty kicks needed to feed McGovern and Barrass. Absent that pressure, you could have Glass, McKenna and Worsfold in your backline and still concede a bag.
Yattuzzi
Roar Rookie
Thanks, I am tossing up on this one. Freo was really bad on the weekend and WC do love to do them in the derby. WC did have some exciting passages on the weekend.