FORWARD Dean Kent will be unavailable for Melbourne’s first elimination final clash against Geelong Cats at the MCG on Friday, September 7, but midfielder Dom Tyson is a chance to play.
Kent suffered an AC joint injury in the early stages of Melbourne’s 45-point win over GWS Giants at the MCG last Sunday and will miss the next two to three weeks, according to elite performance manager Dave Misson.
But Tyson, who suffered a fractured arm, is remarkably a chance to play against the Cats. He will face a fitness test in the lead-up to Melbourne’s first final since 2006.
Co-captain Jack Viney remains on track to play in the first week of the finals, after missing the past seven weeks with a toe injury.
Speedster Jayden Hunt (ankle) and defender Joel Smith (collarbone) are chances to return for Casey’s second qualifying final against Geelong at Casey Fields on Saturday afternoon.
Forward Mitch Hannan (knee), who was a late withdrawal against the Giants last round, will face a fitness test and is not without a chance of playing in the VFL this weekend.
2014 best and fairest winner Bernie Vince (AC joint) is three to four weeks away from resuming, and youngsters Oskar Baker (hamstring) and Lochie Filipovic (hand) are a similar timeframe.
Four players are out for the rest of the season: Jesse Hogan (foot), Jake Lever (knee), Billy Stretch (toe) and Corey Maynard (hip), while Harley Balic has retired.
Misson’s injury assessments
Oskar Baker (hamstring) – 3 weeks
“Oskar, with that hamstring [injury], is tracking really well. Our aim is, if our VFL team was to get into a prelim final, that’s probably the weekend that we’d set Oskar up to play.”
Lochie Filipovic (hand) – 3-4 weeks
“Lochie, with that fracture in his hand, is probably three to four weeks away at the moment.”
Mitch Hannan (knee) – test
“Mitch has a little bit of knee soreness and we’re hoping to get him back to do some training this week, and he’s a chance next week.”
Jesse Hogan (foot) – season
“Jesse is doing some off legs conditioning and a fair bit of upper body weights. He’s still not walking on that foot at all, so he’ll be non-weight bearing for probably another three to four weeks.”
Jayden Hunt (ankle) – test
“Jayden’s been tracking really well in rehab. He’ll do his final rehab session today, with a view to training with the boys at Casey on Thursday night, and playing in that first VFL final on Saturday.”
Dean Kent (AC joint) – 2-3 weeks
“It was a pretty solid AC joint injury. He’s probably a little bit better than we thought he was, when he came into injury clinic on Monday. He’s still going to need, I’d say, two to three weeks. But we’ll just be assessing him as we go. He won’t need surgery at this stage. We’ll treat that and manage that conservatively, but it’s a little bit about how long his pain takes to settle and then when we can get him going functionally again.”
Jake Lever (knee) – season
“He’s starting to do some work on the cross-trainer in the gym, with a view to potentially running in three weeks’ time.”
Corey Maynard (hip) – season
“Corey’s going really well and doing some good running sessions. He’s stepping his running up this week, so he runs three times this week. He’s just getting more and more volume into his legs.”
Joel Smith (collarbone) – test
“Joel Smith is in a similar boat to Jayden Hunt. He’s in his final rehab session today (Tuesday) and will train with the boys on Thursday with a view to playing Saturday.”
Billy Stretch (toe) – season
“Billy’s walking around, partial weight-bearing in a moonboot and is starting to do more off legs conditioning and strength work, so he’s going pretty well.”
Dom Tyson (arm) – test
“As it was explained to me by one of our docs, Dr Bolzonello, at the end of the game, it’s what’s called a nightstick injury. So, back in the old days, when police would use the nightstick and people would put their arm up to protect themselves – he got a crack on his ulna. But again, as has been reported, he had the operation to have a plate inserted on Sunday night – probably three or four hours after the game. He’s pulled up really well, so again, it’s going to be how it tracks day-to-day. It’s a little bit about pain management and functionality, but we think Dom’s going to have a run and a bit of a kick on Saturday and we hope he’ll do most of training next Tuesday, and potentially be available for that game.”
Bernie Vince (AC joint) – 3-4 weeks
“Bernie’s going well. He’s actually having his first run outside today. He’s starting to get more range and mobility through that shoulder and he’s starting to do a little bit of strength work. Realistically, he’s probably three to four weeks away.”
Jack Viney (toe) – test
“As has been reported with Jack, he won’t play in the VFL final this week. His preparation has all been about being available for the first AFL final … so he’ll train with the boys on Saturday morning and then next week, he’ll train normally with a view to play on Friday night.”
Melbourne injury list: first elimination final
Oskar Baker (hamstring) – 3 weeks
Lochie Filipovic (hand) – 3-4 weeks
Mitch Hannan (knee) – test
Jesse Hogan (foot) – season
Jayden Hunt (ankle) – test
Dean Kent (AC joint) – 2-3 weeks
Jake Lever (knee) – season
Corey Maynard (hip) – season
Joel Smith (collarbone) – test
Billy Stretch (toe) – season
Dom Tyson (arm) – test
Bernie Vince (AC joint) – 3-4 weeks
Jack Viney (toe) – test
