MELBOURNE has provided the latest on Charlie Spargo, Aidan Johnson and Oliver Sestan, with all three continuing their respective rehabilitation programs following the club’s mid-season bye.
Charlie Spargo has made encouraging strides in his recovery from a scapula injury, progressing into contact drills ahead of a potential full training return next week.
“Spargo had progressed really well prior to the bye,” AFL High Performance Manager Selwyn Griffith said.
“He was able to get some quality work in while having a bit of a mental break and has returned in great shape. He’s now in early contact progressions and the plan is to ramp that up this week, aiming for full training next week.”
Aidan Johnson is on the mend following ankle surgery, after managing discomfort through the early part of the season.
“He had a couple of incidents that compromised his training,” Griffith said.
“To best manage the rest of his year, we opted for an arthroscope. He’s recovered really well, and this week we’ll focus on strength and range of motion as his wound heals. A clearer return timeline will come in the next couple of weeks.”
Oliver Sestan also continues to progress through his hamstring rehab but remains a few weeks away from selection.
“He had a bit of pain trying to return before the bye,” Griffith said.
“Since then, he’s built-up strong numbers in the gym, returned to high-speed running and will keep increasing that speed exposure based on strength. We still expect him to miss the next couple of weeks.”
Injury List
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| Player | Injury | Estimated Return |
|---|---|---|
|
38. Oliver Sestan |
Face |
Available
“Oli has had a great couple of weeks in training,” Griffith said. “He's obviously been modified from a contact perspective, but he's back into full training this week, so that will allow him two weeks of full contact training before we play in that first week of finals.” Read Article |
|
21. Matt Jefferson |
Toe |
TBC
“Jeffo landed awkwardly in a marking contest,” Griffith said. “While initially he tried to continue to play on, unfortunately the pain and function decreased. “He's had a scan which is unfortunately showing that he's injured his big toe. At this stage, we'll have to determine his return based on how far through the VFL team goes in finals.” Read Article |
|
43. Jack Henderson |
Groin |
TBC
“Hendo played against Brisbane and pulled up a little bit sore following that game, so we made the call to try and manage him this week,” Griffith said. “He's still not responding the way that we would like him to, so it's unlikely he'll return again this season. “We'll continue to work with him day to day on managing that hip and groin concern.” Read Article |
|
20. Xavier Lindsay |
Hamstring |
Season
“He completed a rehab session on the weekend with good volume,” AFL High Performance Manager Selwyn Griffith said.“Unfortunately he's still not comfortable at those top end speeds. With a short turnaround, we made the decision to make sure that Xavier is able to transition into the offseason program healthy and just avoid any risk associated with his return this Friday night.” Read Article |
|
6. Caleb Windsor |
Hamstring |
Season
“Unfortunately for Caleb, he went to kick the ball and felt some pain in his left hamstring,” Melbourne’s High-Performance Manager Selwyn Griffith said. “Scans have shown that he's got a high grade hamstring strain, so we'll work with Caleb now to make sure that he's right tracking into the offseason and look to set him up for a really strong return for the 2026 season.” Read Article |
|
8. Jake Lever |
Ankle |
Season
“He had another good week on the track and has progressed into some agility. “Unfortunately, we're just going to run out of time to have him available to play senior football this year. "But he's tracking really well and we'll look to set him up for a really strong off-season to see him back for the 2026 season.” Read Article |
|
27. Marty Hore |
Knee/Shoulder |
Season
“Marty had his ACL repaired last week after previously injuring his biceps tendon. Once he’s off crutches, he’ll also require shoulder surgery. “But he’s recovering well and we’ll support him closely through both recoveries.” Read Article |
|
23. Shane McAdam |
Achilles |
Season
“Shane’s had a great couple of weeks and has really progressed well from a strength perspective,” Griffith said. “That’s transferred into some of his power work, which allowed him to begin running last week. “We’ll keep working on his conditioning capacity while also building strength and power through his gym work.” Read Article |
|
45. Andy Moniz-Wakefield |
Knee |
Season
“Andy has had a great couple of weeks of his program,” Selwyn Griffith said. “He continues to work really hard on his lower body strength and power. “As a part of this current phase he’s begun to run.” Read Article |
38. Oliver Sestan
“Oli has had a great couple of weeks in training,” Griffith said. “He's obviously been modified from a contact perspective, but he's back into full training this week, so that will allow him two weeks of full contact training before we play in that first week of finals.”
Read Article21. Matt Jefferson
“Jeffo landed awkwardly in a marking contest,” Griffith said. “While initially he tried to continue to play on, unfortunately the pain and function decreased. “He's had a scan which is unfortunately showing that he's injured his big toe. At this stage, we'll have to determine his return based on how far through the VFL team goes in finals.”
Read Article43. Jack Henderson
“Hendo played against Brisbane and pulled up a little bit sore following that game, so we made the call to try and manage him this week,” Griffith said. “He's still not responding the way that we would like him to, so it's unlikely he'll return again this season. “We'll continue to work with him day to day on managing that hip and groin concern.”
Read Article20. Xavier Lindsay
“He completed a rehab session on the weekend with good volume,” AFL High Performance Manager Selwyn Griffith said.“Unfortunately he's still not comfortable at those top end speeds. With a short turnaround, we made the decision to make sure that Xavier is able to transition into the offseason program healthy and just avoid any risk associated with his return this Friday night.”
Read Article6. Caleb Windsor
“Unfortunately for Caleb, he went to kick the ball and felt some pain in his left hamstring,” Melbourne’s High-Performance Manager Selwyn Griffith said. “Scans have shown that he's got a high grade hamstring strain, so we'll work with Caleb now to make sure that he's right tracking into the offseason and look to set him up for a really strong return for the 2026 season.”
Read Article8. Jake Lever
“He had another good week on the track and has progressed into some agility. “Unfortunately, we're just going to run out of time to have him available to play senior football this year. "But he's tracking really well and we'll look to set him up for a really strong off-season to see him back for the 2026 season.”
Read Article27. Marty Hore
“Marty had his ACL repaired last week after previously injuring his biceps tendon. Once he’s off crutches, he’ll also require shoulder surgery. “But he’s recovering well and we’ll support him closely through both recoveries.”
Read Article23. Shane McAdam
“Shane’s had a great couple of weeks and has really progressed well from a strength perspective,” Griffith said. “That’s transferred into some of his power work, which allowed him to begin running last week. “We’ll keep working on his conditioning capacity while also building strength and power through his gym work.”
Read Article45. Andy Moniz-Wakefield
“Andy has had a great couple of weeks of his program,” Selwyn Griffith said. “He continues to work really hard on his lower body strength and power. “As a part of this current phase he’s begun to run.”
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