WITH the conclusion of Melbourne’s pre-season hit-outs, the team will now turn its attention to Round 1, with a number of Demons eyeing a return from injury in time for their season opener.
The club’s AFLW High Performance Manager Josh Keily joined Melbourne Media to discuss skipper Kate Hore and forward Georgia Gall, who both came off the ground during last weekend’s practice match against Adelaide.
“Kate landed a bit funny on her knee and pulled up a bit sore with some swelling and bruising around that area,” Keily said.
“She started off legs off the track today and then we'll look to ramp her up for next week ahead of Round 1.
“Georgia suffered a pretty decent ankle roll during the game and unfortunately scans revealed a bit more damage than we initially thought.
“We'll make a plan with her once the pain and swelling has gone down.”
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Prior to Sunday’s game, Saraid Taylor and Jemma Rigoni were both named in the 26-player squad but didn’t feature in the match due to injuries sustained the week prior.
“Unfortunately, both of them were unavailable for the game. During the week, we found that Saraid had sustained a small strain in her calf from the previous practice match. So, we’re just looking after her to get it ready for Round 1,” Keily said.
“Jemma also had a little knee knock during training last week, and there was a bit of bruising and swelling. We’re managing her to push for Round 1 as well.”
In positive news for Demons Tayla Harris (ankle) and Blaithin Mackin (hamstring), both are looking on track to be available for Round 1.
“Tayla has been flying along, she's progressed really well,” Keily said.
“She's hit some decent speed and change of direction this week, and we'll look to integrate her into main training next week.
“Blaithin still has a few things to tick off in terms of hamstring strength, but we’ll look to integrate her into main training next week too.”
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Denby Taylor continues to work through a stress reaction in her foot.
“Unfortunately, Denby didn't react too well with the loading last week and so there's still a bit of stress in that area,” Keily said.
“We'll look to find some further guidance on that and make a plan from there for Denby.”
Gab Colvin, who suffered an MCL injury during pre-season, is ticking off important steps in her rehab schedule.
“Gab has ticked off some strength markers, and she's started going through some running prep this week. The aim is to hopefully get her into some running next week,” Keily said.
Georgia Campbell, who suffered a concussion during the team’s first practice match, is entering the final stages of the protocols with the aim to train fully next week.
Tahlia Gillard (MCL), Grace Beasley (ACL) and Jacinta Hose (back) all continue to work through their respective rehab programs.