Blues hope for injury relief, Dockers still sidelined
Anna Harrington |
Carlton defender Mitch McGovern appears in a race against the clock to play against St Kilda, while Adam Saad and Charlie Curnow will have to prove their fitness to return for the crunch game.
McGovern experienced hamstring tightness in the Blues’ win over West Coast on Sunday.
Curnow (ankle) and Saad (hamstring) were also listed as “tests” for Sunday’s clash at Marvel Stadium, after a week on the sidelines.
Orazio Fantasia (calf) could also push to return while Corey Durdin (shoulder) faces a fitness test after he was injured against the Eagles.
But Harry McKay (quad) and Jack Martin (hamstring) are still listed as a week away.
The Blues can seal their finals berth with a win on Sunday.
Fremantle will have to beat Port Adelaide without Josh Treacy to keep their slim AFL finals hopes alive.
Star forward Treacy, who has already missed two games with a PCL injury, and skipper Alex Pearce (arm) will return in finals if the Dockers have results go their way, then beat the Power on Sunday.
Fremantle require either North Melbourne to beat Hawthorn, GWS to beat the Bulldogs or Carlton to lose to St Kilda.
“(Treacy’s) knee has been a little bit unpredictable in that he’s still in an acute phase of healing, and it’s just carrying a bit of an effusion (swelling), which is what is holding him back,” Fremantle high performance manager Phil Merriman said.
“Everything else checks out really well, so the plan will be, if we are able to continue our season into the finals, to have him available for week one.”
Fremantle are confident ruckman Sean Darcy (knee) will be fit to face Port.
Port trio Mitch Georgiades (quad), Todd Marshall (concussion) and Lachie Jones (achilles) all face fitness tests.
Western Bulldogs ruckman Tim English is “more unlikely than likely” to return from an ankle injury in time to tackle GWS big man Kieren Briggs in Ballarat on Sunday.
The Bulldogs will be without small forward Rhylee West for at least a week after he broke his jaw against North Melbourne and required surgery.
The club said West was substituted for tactical reasons before scans revealed the damage to his jaw.
Hawthorn will be without gun midfielder Will Day (partially dislocated collarbone) for at least a week, with no timeline on his return yet.
Defender Changkuoth Jiath will miss a third week with calf tightness while Jack Scrimshaw is no guarantee to face the Kangaroos after requiring minor surgery following a dislocated finger.
Brisbane midfielder Jarrod Berry (hamstring tightness) will push to play against Essendon after he was substituted out of Saturday’s costly loss to Collingwood.
AAP