Injury concerns won’t stop Magpies taking risks: coach
Anna Harrington |
Coach Craig McRae insists Collingwood are prepared to keep taking risks on players even as they stare down the prospect of facing Brisbane without both Darcy Moore and Scott Pendlebury.
Moore made his first appearance of the season in Friday night’s 13.9 (87) to 7.12 (54) win over GWS after a pre-season calf injury, but came off the ground with a right hamstring problem in the first quarter, before playing out the game.
McRae later conceded his proppy-looking captain was “not right” and with a tight turnaround to the Easter Thursday clash with the two-time reigning premiers, likely wouldn’t travel.
“He’s not right. He’s not 100 per cent,” McRae said.
“So has he done a hamstring? I’m not sure. I don’t think so. It’s what I’ve been told, but we’ll obviously do all the investigations and find out.
“But I’d say he’s unlikely in six days we travel to Brisbane, I’d say he’s unlikely next week.”
McRae had said Collingwood were confident Moore was able to handle some minutes to help with rotations.
When asked if the approach was risky, McRae indicated he had no regrets about sending Moore out to play, or him returning to the fray after going to the rooms in the opening term.
“Well, we like to be risk takers. You’ve gotta be – let’s go. I’ll have a throw at the stumps, but within reason. It’s round three,” McRae said.
“I’d be surprised if our medical team and high performance team would put him out there with big risks.
“He got through the game. Now we’ll find out the aftermath of that, and we’ll have to work through that.
“But we’ve got to be risk takers. I’m a risk taker, and I want our players to be too.
“We won’t always get it right – that’s part of risk taking – but if you don’t have a throw at the stumps, you never run anyone out, so we’re prepared to.”
McRae said Pendlebury, who exited the game with Achilles tightness in the third quarter, had always been unlikely to travel to Brisbane as part of his load management.
He was uncertain whether the 38-year-old would miss more games, preferring to wait on updates on the pair.
AAP