WITH Round 1 now just days away, Melbourne is making its final calls on availability, with several players needing to prove their fitness ahead of Saturday night’s season opener.
AFLW High Performance Manager Josh Keily joined Melbourne Media to provide the latest on the squad’s injury list.
Kate Hore is pushing to be ready for the clash with the Western Bulldogs after sustaining bone bruising against Adelaide in the club’s final pre-season hit out.
“Kate suffered some bone bruising in our game against the Crows and has been working through a modified program as a result,” Keily said.
“She has made some progress this week but still has some markers to hit and things to tick off prior to the weekend.
“As we know, Kate is the ultimate professional and will be doing everything possible to make sure she’s ready to go for Round 1.”
Maeve Chaplin has been managing some hamstring awareness and will ramp up her training load later this week, in order to be ready for the match at Mission Whitten Oval.
“Maeve showed some neural hamstring symptoms late last week, and given these symptoms, we’ve taken a conservative approach with her training load,” Keily said.
“She did some light training on Monday. We will look to progress her further tomorrow, and later in the week.
“Similar to Kate, Maeve will be doing everything she can to put her hand up for selection for Saturday night.”
Sinéad Goldrick returned to the club late last week after her successful campaign with Dublin.
“It was great to have Goldie back at the club after her win over in Ireland,” Keily said.
“We’re taking a slow approach with her transition back into training, but she’s super excited to be back around the group and the program.”
In other news, Georgia Gall will miss the opening round as she recovers from an ankle injury sustained in the pre-season hit out against Adelaide, while Gab Colvin is progressing in her rehab from an MCL injury.
“Gally ticked off some running on Monday, which is really good, and we’ll look to progress her over the next week,” Keily said.
“Gab’s doing really well too. She’s ticked off some solid lower-body strength work and straight-line running and will now look to start some change-of-direction work.”
In positive news, the club has confirmed a clean bill of health for Tayla Harris, Blaithin Mackin, Jemma Rigoni, Saraid Taylor and Georgia Campbell, who are all expected to be available for Round 1.
Denby Taylor continues to work through a foot stress reaction, with an expected return of four-to-five weeks.
Grace Beasley (knee), Tahlia Gillard (knee) and Jacinta Hose (back) remain in their respective long-term rehab programs.
Injury List
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