CHRISTIAN Salem and Jake Melksham have been sidelined after the duo sustained injuries during last Saturday’s match against Essendon.
Salem was removed from the game following an incident involving his foot, with the club’s AFL High Performance Manager Selwyn Griffith providing an update on the defender.
“Unfortunately, scans have revealed that he sustained a small fracture in his foot,” Griffith said.
“He doesn’t require surgery and will progress conservatively. Once pain and function improve, we’ll begin to progress him through his return to play program.”
Melksham played out the remainder of the Round 5 match, but scans have unfortunately confirmed that the forward has suffered a syndesmosis injury.
“His injury doesn’t require surgery which is positive, and we’ll aim to progress him as his pain and function allows through a conservative management process,” Griffith said.
Trent Rivers continues to manage a knee concern and will remain on the sidelines over the next fortnight.
“Trent has been dealing with ongoing knee soreness,” Griffith said.
“We’ve continued to work with him to ensure that he can get back to the brand of football that we all love to see from him.
“Unfortunately, after the match simulation on the weekend, he’s pulled up with soreness, which means we’ll now focus on reconditioning his strength and power over the next two weeks.”
Changkuoth Jiath is nearing a return to football after missing the last two weeks with a calf strain.
“CJ has progressed well through his calf injury and will return to team skills this week, with the goal for him to be available to play next week,” Griffith said.
In positive news for Jake Bowey, the Demon is putting the final touches on his rehab of a Lisfranc injury sustained during pre-season.
“Jake has been progressing really well over the past few weeks and will integrate into team skills this week,” Griffith said.
“We’ll assess his return over the next two weeks.”
Young Demon Paddy Cross will also be looking at a return over the next few weeks as he progresses through a thumb injury.
“Paddy has returned to skill work following his thumb surgery,” Griffith said.
“He will progress through main group skills and contact training as pain and function allowed with his availability to be accessed next week.”
Shane McAdam (Achilles), Tom Campbell (neck) and Jack Viney (Achilles) all continue to work through their respective rehab programs.
Brought to you by
| Player | Injury | Estimated Return |
|---|---|---|
42. Aidan Johnson |
Hip and groin |
Test
“Aidan integrated into main training last week but unfortunately he was unable to get through the full training successfully, which is why he was unavailable for selection,” Griffith said. “We’ll continue to work with him to ensure he’s ready for a return as soon as possible, with the hope that he’s able to successfully integrate into training this week.” |
|
24. Trent Rivers |
Knee |
Test
“Trent had a really good week on the track last week integrating back into the main group,” Griffith said. “We’ll look to continue that integration this week, with his availability determined by his performance and function in training.” |
|
18. Jake Melksham |
Ankle |
1 - 2 weeks
“Jake had a really good training session on the weekend and so we’ll look to ramp up his intensity and agility this week,” Griffith said. “Our goal now, is that he’ll integrate into main training next week.” Read Article |
|
3. Christian Salem |
Foot |
2 - 3 weeks
“Christian has been unable to progress his running intensity,” Griffith said. “We’ll continue to work with him on that, with the aim to have him return to main training as quickly as possible, but it’s likely he’ll be unavailable for the coming weeks.” Read Article |
|
20. Xavier Lindsay |
Hip and groin |
2 - 4 weeks
“Xavier returned to running last week, but unfortunately, he’s presented with soreness from that progression,” Griffith said. “We want to ensure that his strength and function is at a level that allows him to perform at his best, so at this stage, we’ve pushed his return back a couple of weeks.” |
|
28. Brody Mihocek |
Hamstring |
3 - 5 weeks
“Unfortunately, Brody experienced pain after that tackle in the first quarter and scans have shown he suffered a moderate-grade hamstring strain,” said Selwyn Griffith, the club’s AFL High Performance Manager. “He was back in at the club today and has started to progress through our hamstring reconditioning protocol.” |
|
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.” |
42. Aidan Johnson
“Aidan integrated into main training last week but unfortunately he was unable to get through the full training successfully, which is why he was unavailable for selection,” Griffith said. “We’ll continue to work with him to ensure he’s ready for a return as soon as possible, with the hope that he’s able to successfully integrate into training this week.”
24. Trent Rivers
“Trent had a really good week on the track last week integrating back into the main group,” Griffith said. “We’ll look to continue that integration this week, with his availability determined by his performance and function in training.”
18. Jake Melksham
“Jake had a really good training session on the weekend and so we’ll look to ramp up his intensity and agility this week,” Griffith said. “Our goal now, is that he’ll integrate into main training next week.”
Read Article
3. Christian Salem
“Christian has been unable to progress his running intensity,” Griffith said. “We’ll continue to work with him on that, with the aim to have him return to main training as quickly as possible, but it’s likely he’ll be unavailable for the coming weeks.”
Read Article
20. Xavier Lindsay
“Xavier returned to running last week, but unfortunately, he’s presented with soreness from that progression,” Griffith said. “We want to ensure that his strength and function is at a level that allows him to perform at his best, so at this stage, we’ve pushed his return back a couple of weeks.”
28. Brody Mihocek
“Unfortunately, Brody experienced pain after that tackle in the first quarter and scans have shown he suffered a moderate-grade hamstring strain,” said Selwyn Griffith, the club’s AFL High Performance Manager. “He was back in at the club today and has started to progress through our hamstring reconditioning protocol.”
23. 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 Article
29. 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 Article
13. 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:
