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
Brought to you by
| Player | Injury | Estimated Return |
|---|---|---|
|
35. Harrison Petty |
Protocols |
Test
“Harrison’s presentation on Sunday last week was obviously an unusual one and our role was to make sure that his health and wellbeing were looked after,” Jewson said. “We needed to make sure that he was safe to return to play, so we started with the concussion protocols, because we couldn't really rule it out at the time. “He’s gone and had extensive testing done, he’s consulted with multiple world-leading specialists, particularly looking at the brain and heart. “Thankfully, we were able to rule out any sort of dangerous condition, and the diagnosis is a vestibular migraine. “A vestibular migraine is a migraine that predominantly affects the balance centres in the brain, which is why it made him very dizzy, but also why his symptoms were quite short-lived. “The consensus from all the experts is that it's not concussion related, but going through that protocol has allowed us time to consult with all these people and to ensure he has recovered properly. “We can build him up safely with his training now and make sure it's safe for him to return to play. He'll continue through the protocols, which means he'll need to full train on Friday to be available to play.” |
|
42. Aidan Johnson |
Hip and groin |
Test
“AJ experienced some hip and groin symptoms following a training session,” Jewson said. “With our current schedule, we looked to ensure that we had AJ well placed to return to high performance, which meant that we rested him. “That has allowed him to be right to return to full training and the plan at this stage is for AJ to return to full training this week, and we'll assess his availability following our main session on Friday.” |
|
24. Trent Rivers |
Knee |
1 - 2 weeks
“Trent has been responding well to being managed due to his knee issue, which he has had across the last couple of weeks,” Jewson said. “We're continuing to build his tolerance to high-intensity exercise and team training. It's unlikely he'll be available this week, however, he is completing a heavy training block at the moment and will hopefully be available in the coming weeks.” |
|
20. Xavier Lindsay |
Hip and groin |
1 - 2 weeks
“Xavier presented with some hip and groin pain following our game against Essendon,” Jewson said. “Unfortunately, he was then unable to train as a result and given he is a young athlete and his welfare is at the forefront of our care, we wanted to ensure that he was completely clear of any symptoms before returning to play. “He's returned to running and we’ll continue to build up his tolerance to training over the next one to two weeks.” |
|
18. Jake Melksham |
Ankle |
2-3 weeks
“Jake continues to recover from his ankle injury and is looking to ramp up some intensity of that this week,” Jewson said. “He won’t integrate into training just yet, and so will likely still miss the next couple of weeks. We’ll determine his return to play following this next phase of his rehab.” Read Article |
|
3. Christian Salem |
Foot |
2-3 weeks
“Christian continues to progress from the foot fracture he sustained in Round 5,” Jewson said. “He was able to get into some light running on the weekend and will continue to build his tolerance to training and running across the next week. “It's unlikely he'll be available in the coming weeks while we build him back up to train with the team.” Read Article |
|
23. Shane McAdam |
Achilles |
TBC
“Shane continues to work hard recovering from that Achilles rupture,” Griffith said. “He’s just looking to build his training integration and high intensity running before we see him return to play in the coming weeks.” Read Article |
|
29. Tom Campbell |
Neck |
TBC
“Tom was involved in an innocuous collision at training and has suffered a neck injury,” Richardson said. “He’s torn a ligament and will remain in a neck brace for the next month. He’ll see a neurosurgeon this week to determine the path forward for him.” |
|
7. Jack Viney |
Achilles |
TBC
“Jack has progressed to light running duties as we continue to build his calf and Achillies strength.” Read Article |
|
13. Jai Culley |
Knee |
Season
“Unfortunately for Jai, scans have confirmed that he has ruptured his ACL, which will require a knee reconstruction,” Richardson said. “It’s a really tough blow for him, particularly given the way he has been going about his footy and the consistency he has been able to build this year.” “We have no doubt Jai will attack his rehab with the same professionalism he brings to his footy and we will ensure that he gets all the support he needs from our people through the recovery period.” |
35. Harrison Petty
“Harrison’s presentation on Sunday last week was obviously an unusual one and our role was to make sure that his health and wellbeing were looked after,” Jewson said. “We needed to make sure that he was safe to return to play, so we started with the concussion protocols, because we couldn't really rule it out at the time. “He’s gone and had extensive testing done, he’s consulted with multiple world-leading specialists, particularly looking at the brain and heart. “Thankfully, we were able to rule out any sort of dangerous condition, and the diagnosis is a vestibular migraine. “A vestibular migraine is a migraine that predominantly affects the balance centres in the brain, which is why it made him very dizzy, but also why his symptoms were quite short-lived. “The consensus from all the experts is that it's not concussion related, but going through that protocol has allowed us time to consult with all these people and to ensure he has recovered properly. “We can build him up safely with his training now and make sure it's safe for him to return to play. He'll continue through the protocols, which means he'll need to full train on Friday to be available to play.”
42. Aidan Johnson
“AJ experienced some hip and groin symptoms following a training session,” Jewson said. “With our current schedule, we looked to ensure that we had AJ well placed to return to high performance, which meant that we rested him. “That has allowed him to be right to return to full training and the plan at this stage is for AJ to return to full training this week, and we'll assess his availability following our main session on Friday.”
24. Trent Rivers
“Trent has been responding well to being managed due to his knee issue, which he has had across the last couple of weeks,” Jewson said. “We're continuing to build his tolerance to high-intensity exercise and team training. It's unlikely he'll be available this week, however, he is completing a heavy training block at the moment and will hopefully be available in the coming weeks.”
20. Xavier Lindsay
“Xavier presented with some hip and groin pain following our game against Essendon,” Jewson said. “Unfortunately, he was then unable to train as a result and given he is a young athlete and his welfare is at the forefront of our care, we wanted to ensure that he was completely clear of any symptoms before returning to play. “He's returned to running and we’ll continue to build up his tolerance to training over the next one to two weeks.”
18. Jake Melksham
“Jake continues to recover from his ankle injury and is looking to ramp up some intensity of that this week,” Jewson said. “He won’t integrate into training just yet, and so will likely still miss the next couple of weeks. We’ll determine his return to play following this next phase of his rehab.”
Read Article3. Christian Salem
“Christian continues to progress from the foot fracture he sustained in Round 5,” Jewson said. “He was able to get into some light running on the weekend and will continue to build his tolerance to training and running across the next week. “It's unlikely he'll be available in the coming weeks while we build him back up to train with the team.”
Read Article23. Shane McAdam
“Shane continues to work hard recovering from that Achilles rupture,” Griffith said. “He’s just looking to build his training integration and high intensity running before we see him return to play in the coming weeks.”
Read Article29. Tom Campbell
“Tom was involved in an innocuous collision at training and has suffered a neck injury,” Richardson said. “He’s torn a ligament and will remain in a neck brace for the next month. He’ll see a neurosurgeon this week to determine the path forward for him.”
7. Jack Viney
“Jack has progressed to light running duties as we continue to build his calf and Achillies strength.”
Read Article13. Jai Culley
“Unfortunately for Jai, scans have confirmed that he has ruptured his ACL, which will require a knee reconstruction,” Richardson said. “It’s a really tough blow for him, particularly given the way he has been going about his footy and the consistency he has been able to build this year.” “We have no doubt Jai will attack his rehab with the same professionalism he brings to his footy and we will ensure that he gets all the support he needs from our people through the recovery period.”
Last Updated: