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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| Player | Injury | Estimated Return |
|---|---|---|
28. Saraid Taylor |
Calf |
Test
“Jacinta and Saraid will continue to build their training loads this week,” Keily said. “Both will aim to train fully on Thursday, with the hopes to be available for selection in Round 8.” |
|
25. Jacinta Hose |
Ankle |
Test
“Jacinta and Saraid will continue to build their training loads this week,” Keily said. “Both will aim to train fully on Thursday, with the hopes to be available for selection in Round 8.” |
|
23. Sinéad Goldrick |
Knee |
2 - 3 weeks
“Sinead has ticked off her first run over the weekend,” Keily said. “She’s also started integrating into some skills, so now we’ll look to build up her loads over the next fortnight.” |
|
30. Shelley Heath-Barker |
Calf |
2 - 3 weeks
“Shelley had some calf awareness during the game,” Keily said. “Following the match, it was revealed that she had sustained a calf injury. She’ll now look to enter into her rehab program, with the aim to return to running next week.” Read Article |
|
14. Amelia Dethridge |
Knee |
3 - 4 weeks
“Amelia has started her run prep and is continuing to tick off her strength milestones,” Keily said. “She’ll aim to return to running at the backend of this week.” |
|
21. Lauren Clifton |
Foot |
7 - 8 weeks
“Lauren is in the early stages of her recovery from a foot injury,” Keily said. “We’re letting symptoms settle before we begin ramping up her rehab program.” |
|
10. Kate Hore |
Neck |
TBC
“Kate was experiencing neck pain. Unfortunately, scans have determined Kate has a disc injury which needs some time to settle,” Gill said. “We will have an update on her availability after further assessment.” |
|
22. Eliza McNamara |
Jaw |
TBC
“Eliza is recovering well from surgery, and it’s been great to have her back at the club,” Keily said. “Our focus is on supporting Eliza, and we will give her all the care and time she needs in her recovery." Read Article |
|
18. Chloe Baker-West |
Leg |
Season
“It’s disappointing that Chloe won’t have the opportunity to play in her first AFLW season, but we want to make sure we set her up for success in the longer term,” Keily said. “Chloe has taken a very mature approach to her rehabilitation and is determined to be fit and firing to attack next pre-season.” |
|
16. Grace Beasley |
Knee |
Season
“It’s shattering for Grace and also her teammates who have seen how hard she worked to get back to full fitness last year,” Gill said. “We’ll put all our love and support around Grace through this difficult time as she prepares for surgery. We know she’ll attack her rehabilitation with the same determined attitude and energy she brings to the club every day.” Read Article |
28. Saraid Taylor
“Jacinta and Saraid will continue to build their training loads this week,” Keily said. “Both will aim to train fully on Thursday, with the hopes to be available for selection in Round 8.”
25. Jacinta Hose
“Jacinta and Saraid will continue to build their training loads this week,” Keily said. “Both will aim to train fully on Thursday, with the hopes to be available for selection in Round 8.”
23. Sinéad Goldrick
“Sinead has ticked off her first run over the weekend,” Keily said. “She’s also started integrating into some skills, so now we’ll look to build up her loads over the next fortnight.”
30. Shelley Heath-Barker
“Shelley had some calf awareness during the game,” Keily said. “Following the match, it was revealed that she had sustained a calf injury. She’ll now look to enter into her rehab program, with the aim to return to running next week.”
Read Article
14. Amelia Dethridge
“Amelia has started her run prep and is continuing to tick off her strength milestones,” Keily said. “She’ll aim to return to running at the backend of this week.”
21. Lauren Clifton
“Lauren is in the early stages of her recovery from a foot injury,” Keily said. “We’re letting symptoms settle before we begin ramping up her rehab program.”
10. Kate Hore
“Kate was experiencing neck pain. Unfortunately, scans have determined Kate has a disc injury which needs some time to settle,” Gill said. “We will have an update on her availability after further assessment.”
22. Eliza McNamara
“Eliza is recovering well from surgery, and it’s been great to have her back at the club,” Keily said. “Our focus is on supporting Eliza, and we will give her all the care and time she needs in her recovery."
Read Article
18. Chloe Baker-West
“It’s disappointing that Chloe won’t have the opportunity to play in her first AFLW season, but we want to make sure we set her up for success in the longer term,” Keily said. “Chloe has taken a very mature approach to her rehabilitation and is determined to be fit and firing to attack next pre-season.”
16. Grace Beasley
“It’s shattering for Grace and also her teammates who have seen how hard she worked to get back to full fitness last year,” Gill said. “We’ll put all our love and support around Grace through this difficult time as she prepares for surgery. We know she’ll attack her rehabilitation with the same determined attitude and energy she brings to the club every day.”
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