Max King could return to AFL action as soon as next week as St Kilda seek to cement their top-eight spot in a tough run home.
King has missed two matches with a shoulder injury that coach Ross Lyon initially thought would end his star forward’s season.
The 23-year-old had an arthroscopy on the troublesome shoulder, avoiding a reconstruction, and was subsequently expected to be sidelined for four weeks. But Lyon said King has since taken steps forward on the training track.
The 202cm spearhead won’t play against Hawthorn on Sunday but is pushing to make a direct return to the senior side against Carlton in round 21. “He’s an outside chance for next week,” Lyon told reporters on Wednesday.
“He’s progressing really well … he’s doing a bit of joining in early (with) football stuff.”
Max King celebrates a goal. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/AFL Photos/via Getty Images )
In a further boost to the sixth-placed Saints’ finals hopes, fellow tall forward Tim Membrey is also nearing an AFL return. The experienced goal-kicker, who last played in round nine, will make his comeback from a knee injury in the reserves this week.
“He’s had long-term rehab, he’s progressing beautifully,” Lyon said. “It’s been significant not having him and Max nearly all year and we’ve been really a tender age in our front half.
“We’re excited where Tim’s got himself to … he’s worked really hard.”
Membrey and King combined for 86 goals under former coach Brett Ratten last year but injuries have prevented them from featuring in the same team this season.
“If we can get them back at the pointy end, that would be nice,” Lyon said.
Zaine Cordy (concussion) and Jack Hayes (hamstring) are available for selection against Hawthorn as St Kilda look to build on last week’s scrappy eight-point win over North Melbourne. The Saints will start favourites but Lyon is wary of an “elite” Hawks midfield, led by James Worpel and rising star Jai Newcombe.
On paper, there are even tougher tests ahead for St Kilda in the run home. The Saints face fellow finals hopefuls Carlton, Richmond and Geelong, as well as genuine flag contenders Brisbane, over the final month of the home-and-away season.
Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir concedes Liam Henry is a flight risk, but he’s confident the out-of-contract wingman will be able to reach his potential if he chooses to re-sign with the Dockers.
Henry has hit career-best form over the past five weeks, averaging 26.2 possessions and two clearances across that stretch.
It’s a huge improvement of his average of 12 disposals and 0.6 clearances per match across his 38-game career.
Reports have emerged that St Kilda are keen to lure the 21-year-old, who was snared with pick No.9 in the 2019 national draft and has huge potential.
When asked whether Ryan was a flight risk given he is still yet to sign a new deal, Longmuir replied: “He has to be, getting to this time of the season without him committing.
“In the end, the ball’s in his court. The ball is well and truly in his court. I’m optimistic he’ll stay. I see this as the best place for him to develop his footy and take his career forward.”
(Photo by Kelly Defina/Getty Images)
Henry has been dropped to the WAFL on numerous occasions over the past four years.
Longmuir praised the way the speedy wingman has accepted each challenge and improved his consistency.
“I feel like as a coach I’ve given him a lot of opportunities along the way,” Longmuir said.
“He’s played 40 games across his four seasons. We’ve given him a lot of opportunities.
“There’s been times when he’s needed to go back and work on things we’re asking him to work on.
“I think he’s done that and embraced that really well, and that’s got him to the point where he’s played his most consistent over the last period of time.”
Dockers captain Alex Pearce will play out the season despite an ongoing battle with a lower leg and foot injury.
Pearce has been unable to train for much of the season, and his performances have suffered at times because of it.
Fremantle (7-11) are almost certain to miss finals, but Pearce is determined to play out the final five games, starting with Saturday’s clash with Geelong at GMHBA Stadium.
“He wants to keep pushing through,” Longmuir said.
“And he wants to continue to build his footy and leadership and work on all aspects of his game and be there for his teammates.
“While his mindset is like that, we’ll keep backing him 100 per cent
“I don’t think he’ll need surgery (at the end of the season). It will need a little bit of rest.”
Ruckman Sean Darcy (ankle), midfielder Nat Fyfe (foot) and defender Brandon Walker (knee) have already been ruled out for the rest of the season.
Bailey Banfield (knee laceration), James Aish (quad) and Nathan O’Driscoll (calf) are all a chance to return against the Cats.
Defender Brennan Cox (ankle) is still one to two weeks away from returning.
The threat of nemesis Lance Franklin looms ominously over Essendon’s must-win AFL game against Sydney.
And the champion forward could be tempted to continue tormenting AFL defenders for another season.
He is reportedly considering shelving retirement plans after rediscovering some vintage form in recent weeks.
Franklin would have to take a substantial pay cut but the lure of a 20th season at AFL level is in his thinking as the season and possibly his career comes to a close.
Swans coach John Longmire stresses the veteran is a week-by-week proposition for the rest of this season and laughed when asked if Franklin might play on next season.
Longmire did say the key forward is coming good at the right time.
Lance Franklin of the Swans speaks to his teammates. (Photo by Brendon Thorne/AFL Photos/Getty Images)
The 36-year-old has played in Sydney’s last three games and impressed with three goals in Saturday’s away win over Fremantle.
Sydney have won their last two and are only half a game behind 11th placed Essendon, who have dropped out of the top eight and badly need a win over the Swans this Saturday night at Marvel Stadium.
Bombers fans’ throats will tighten at the thought of Franklin coming to Melbourne in the mood to wreak some havoc.
He has kicked 79 goals in 20 games against Essendon, more than any other club.
His most famous torchings of the Bombers were when he played for Hawthorn, but Franklin would relish one final night out at their expense.
Longmire said it was significant that Franklin was able to train on Tuesday, despite being hurt against the Dockers.
“He got a knock early in the game and he came off – that was just a knock on the front of his knee,” Longmire said.
“He recovered from that pretty well and he actually trained today and trained pretty well. So that’s always a good sign.
“We’ll see how he pulls up from that. If (Franklin) is feeling good and ready to go, and feeling fresh going into games, which he has the last two weeks, that’s a good sign for him.”
Last year’s grand finalists are yet to build any momentum this season – they have not won more than two games in a row – but Longmire is encouraged at round 20.
“We feel like some more synergy has come back in the team, with some players coming back in, who’ve missed a bit of footy,” he said.
“We’ve had some important times in games when we’ve been able to swing momentum back our way.
“There have been a couple of things we’ve been working on for some time – we didn’t see immediate growth – but we’ve been able to see that over the last couple of weeks.
“Now we have to keep going. We have to put the foot down.”
Sydney co-captain Callum Mills will play his 150th game this weekend and Longmire praised the utility’s contribution to the Swans.
He recalled meeting Mills when the local academy prospect was only 16 and fielding questions about Sydney’s game plan from the keen youngster.
“It might have been (club chief executive) Tom Harley – I walked into Tom’s office afterwards and said ‘that kid will captain the footy club at some stage’,” Longmire said.
“He just had it written all over him. He was just such a massive competitor, really loved his footy, thoughtful even at that young age.
“He’s been everything and more since he’s come through the system. He’s just an important, integral cog to this footy club in a whole heaps of ways.”
(Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
Re-signed Essendon star Mason Redman admits there is a strong chance he would’ve made a different decision on his AFL future a year ago.
Redman this week knocked back free-agency offers and inked a new five-year contract with the Bombers.
The 25-year-old defender, from regional South Australia, attracted strong interest from Adelaide and Port Adelaide.
He carefully considered his options in the wake of Essendon’s troubled period on and off the field last year.
But Redman said he was ultimately swayed by the club’s new positive direction under the fresh leadership of coach Brad Scott and chief executive Craig Vozzo.
“The club’s in a very different place to what it was last year and it’s lucky I wasn’t in a position to make a decision (then),” Redman told reporters on Wednesday.
“I’m glad that I wasn’t because the direction that the club’s going in now is something that I really believe in.”
Essendon sacked Ben Rutten as coach after missing the finals last year and botched the initial appointment of a new chief executive, with Andrew Thorburn lasting just one day in the role.
But Redman said Scott and Vozzo had put the Bombers back on track as the club seeks to end a finals win-drought that dates back to 2004.
“Everything from the top down now feels like it’s focused towards football … and that filters down to the playing group,” Redman said.
“It doesn’t seem like there’s as many distractions this year and our sole focus is to play footy and win footy games.
“That translates on the field, so it’s a really good environment and I’m sure it’s only going to grow with those guys at the forefront.”
Scott was thrilled to have Redman commit his future to Essendon but insisted he didn’t put pressure on the All-Australian candidate to stay in red and black.
The coach is taking the same approach with out-of-contract midfield star Darcy Parish, who has been heavily linked with a switch to Geelong.
“He’s got a really big decision to make,” Scott said.
“He’s entitled, and I believe he should, assess all his options and make the decision that’s best for him.
“We’ll hold up our end of the bargain as a club and I hope we get the right result for us.
“But the best way to go about these things, in my opinion, is to assess all your options and make a decision without being coerced or blackmailed.”
with AAP
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