JACK Viney will return to football this weekend, set to play his first game of the year.
The Demon has been sidelined for the duration of the 2026 season, managing an Achilles and back injury.
Having now completed full training for a number of weeks, he'll make his return to football via Casey's VFL game against Box Hill on Sunday.
“Jack has returned to full training over the last few weeks and completed the VFL training session on the weekend,” said Selwyn Griffith, Melbourne’s AFL High Performance Manager.
“He’s been able to build his exposure to match intensities, which has been a really pleasing sign for Jack.
“He’ll return through the VFL this Sunday.”
In disappointing news for Thomas Matthews, the young Demon will be sidelined for the remainder of 2026 with a shoulder injury.
“Tom has been managing some ongoing shoulder discomfort following the VFL Round 19 game,” Griffith said.
“Off the back of imaging and discussions with external experts, it has been recommended that he has a surgical consultation.
“We won’t see Tom play football again this year, with the likelihood of shoulder surgery to be this week.”
A timeline for defender Blake Howes has been determined having recovered from surgery on his fractured arm.
“Blake has recovered well from having surgery on his fractured arm,” Griffith said.
“He returned to running this week and will have some contact modifications for the next couple of weeks.
“He will then have a surgical review and then following that review, we’ll be able to redefine Blake’s return to contact and full training progressions.”
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| Player | Injury | Estimated Return |
|---|---|---|
|
10. Daniel Turner |
Knee |
Available
“Disco hyperextended his knee early in the game,” Griffith said. “Fortunately, scans have cleared him of any substantial ligament damage. “He was back into some training today and will integrate into full training in our main session this week, so he’ll be available.” |
|
8. Jake Lever |
Toe |
Test
“Jake sustained a toe injury early in the game but was fortunately able to continue,” said Melbourne AFL High-Performance Manager Selwyn Griffith. “Scans have cleared him of any fractures to the bones in his foot, but he does have a ligament strain to his big toe. “We’ll continue to manage his recovery and progress him as his function allows, with the aim of getting him back as quickly as possible.” |
|
21. Matt Jefferson |
Knee |
Test
“Jeffo pulled up well and, similar to Disco, has avoided any substantial ligament damage,” Griffith said. “He does have a little bit of bone bruising, so we’ll progress him based on his pain and function. “He was out at training today and got some running in. We’ll continue to work closely with him to see if we can integrate him this week and have him ready for our finals campaign.” Read Article |
|
22. Blake Howes |
Arm |
1 week
“Howesy continues to progress really well,” Griffith said. “He’s been getting a heap of conditioning work and non-contact skills in, and has begun to increase some of his contact progressions. “He has an appointment with his surgeon as one of his final clearance markers, but he is progressing really well.” |
|
20. Thomas Matthews |
Shoulder |
Season
“Tom had a surgical consultation last week, which confirmed that he required a shoulder reconstruction,” Griffith said. “He had that performed last week and is recovering well. “We’ll work closely with Tom to set him up for a strong off-season and a strong 2027.” |
|
26. Jed Adams |
Knee |
Season
“Following the VFL game against North Melbourne, Jed reported some knee soreness which we followed up with scans,” Griffith said. “Unfortunately, they revealed that he had ruptured his PCL. Following a surgical consultation, the recommendation was for Jed to have a PCL reconstruction. It’s incredibly unfortunate news for Jed who had worked really hard to return to play this year. “This means that Jed will be sidelined for the remainder of the season and we’ll put the best plans in place to return him to peak performance in the new year.” |
|
28. Brody Mihocek |
Neck |
Season
“Brody had some follow up scans and a review from the surgeon, which have pleasingly cleared him to begin to increase some of his physical activity, which means he’s been able to return to running and strength work in the gym,” Griffith said. “This is a really positive sign for Brody as he recovers from that neck surgery.” Read Article |
|
13. Jai Culley |
Knee |
Season
“Jai is recovering well from his knee reconstruction and is in the early phases of his program, which is predominately focused on getting his range of motion back and beginning strength work,” Griffith said. |
|
45. Andy Moniz-Wakefield |
Knee |
Season
“Andy went in for surgery today following his ACL injury,” Griffith said. “Once he recovers from that surgery, we’ll begin to progress him through the first stages of his knee rehab.” Read Article |
10. Daniel Turner
“Disco hyperextended his knee early in the game,” Griffith said. “Fortunately, scans have cleared him of any substantial ligament damage. “He was back into some training today and will integrate into full training in our main session this week, so he’ll be available.”
8. Jake Lever
“Jake sustained a toe injury early in the game but was fortunately able to continue,” said Melbourne AFL High-Performance Manager Selwyn Griffith. “Scans have cleared him of any fractures to the bones in his foot, but he does have a ligament strain to his big toe. “We’ll continue to manage his recovery and progress him as his function allows, with the aim of getting him back as quickly as possible.”
21. Matt Jefferson
“Jeffo pulled up well and, similar to Disco, has avoided any substantial ligament damage,” Griffith said. “He does have a little bit of bone bruising, so we’ll progress him based on his pain and function. “He was out at training today and got some running in. We’ll continue to work closely with him to see if we can integrate him this week and have him ready for our finals campaign.”
Read Article22. Blake Howes
“Howesy continues to progress really well,” Griffith said. “He’s been getting a heap of conditioning work and non-contact skills in, and has begun to increase some of his contact progressions. “He has an appointment with his surgeon as one of his final clearance markers, but he is progressing really well.”
20. Thomas Matthews
“Tom had a surgical consultation last week, which confirmed that he required a shoulder reconstruction,” Griffith said. “He had that performed last week and is recovering well. “We’ll work closely with Tom to set him up for a strong off-season and a strong 2027.”
26. Jed Adams
“Following the VFL game against North Melbourne, Jed reported some knee soreness which we followed up with scans,” Griffith said. “Unfortunately, they revealed that he had ruptured his PCL. Following a surgical consultation, the recommendation was for Jed to have a PCL reconstruction. It’s incredibly unfortunate news for Jed who had worked really hard to return to play this year. “This means that Jed will be sidelined for the remainder of the season and we’ll put the best plans in place to return him to peak performance in the new year.”
28. Brody Mihocek
“Brody had some follow up scans and a review from the surgeon, which have pleasingly cleared him to begin to increase some of his physical activity, which means he’s been able to return to running and strength work in the gym,” Griffith said. “This is a really positive sign for Brody as he recovers from that neck surgery.”
Read Article13. Jai Culley
“Jai is recovering well from his knee reconstruction and is in the early phases of his program, which is predominately focused on getting his range of motion back and beginning strength work,” Griffith said.
45. Andy Moniz-Wakefield
“Andy went in for surgery today following his ACL injury,” Griffith said. “Once he recovers from that surgery, we’ll begin to progress him through the first stages of his knee rehab.”
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