Star Giants forward out of crunch AFL clash
Joanna Guelas |
Jesse Hogan will miss another week with a foot injury, leaving GWS without the star goalkicker against a formidable Gold Coast side.
Sidelined for last week’s clash against North Melbourne, the eighth-placed Giants have again ruled the star forward out of Saturday’s contest at People First Stadium due to ongoing pain.
It is another blow to their forward stocks ahead of the crunch match, with star Jake Stringer suffering his third hamstring injury of the season during their 54-point win over the Kangaroos.
GWS coach Adam Kingsley’s men could slip out of the top eight should they lose to the sixth-placed Suns in the penultimate home-and-away round.
“We’ll continue to manage him (Hogan) and cross our fingers and hope that he’s right for St Kilda,” Kingsley said.
“He’s not going to do any more damage to it. We know that for sure.
“He just needs to manage the pain, and right at this moment, there’s just a fraction too much for him to be able to manage it.”
Stringer was initially not expected to return until finals with a moderate hamstring strain but Kingsley was optimistic.
“I’d like to say it’s quite minor, but it’s still a hamstring,” Kingsley said.
“We’re not exactly sure what the issue was this time in terms of the lead-in and why, but I’m confident he’ll be fine to go.
“If not the Saints game, then the finals.”
Jack Buckley could soften the blow for the Giants, with an early return for the “fast healer” on the cards.
The star defender had also been expected to be ruled out for the season when he suffered a calf injury in their round-20 fixture against Sydney.
“He wasn’t hindered by that calf at all, so I would expect his name will pop up this afternoon and we’ll discuss it pretty heavily,” Kingsley said.
“He’s proven me wrong before. He’s had a few niggles that he’s managed to get up for that I didn’t think he would.
“I don’t know why, might be a fast healer.”
AAP
