Watts may miss season opener

MELBOURNE forward Jack Watts is in danger of missing the start of the home-and-away season with a back injury

The following players are also recovering from injury:

Will miss NAB Cup

Sam Blease (ankle)

Col Garland (foot)

Austin Wonaeamirri (hamstring)

Will miss 2-3 weeks

Cameron Bruce (hamstring)

Matthew Bate (quadriceps)

Out Long Term

Paul Johnson (fractured foot)

Max Gawn (knee)

John Meesen (ankle)

Disappointing, but I'm sure the conservative approach which the Club is adopting is best for the longer-term futures of Watts and the other youngsters.

BUGGER

Pretty annoying to have 5 or 6 unavailable already

No mention of Tapscott?

Youd excpect Bruce, Bate and Wona to be fit for round 1, Garland and Watts wouldnt to far behind. Hopefully we dont pick up to many more during the pre season games.

Sounds like Jordie will get a promotion.

BUGGER

Pretty annoying to have 5 or 6 unavailable already

It is annoying when teams like Collingwood are boasting the fact that they have a full list to choose from.

Out of the 8 injured players - only Bate, Aussie, Bruce and Garland are in our best 22 and most of these blokes should be right for round 1. As long as we don't incur injuries during the NAB series then we'll be close to full strength in round 1.

Well Watts' injury is listed as 3-4 weeks and the season opener is still 5 and a half weeks away, so it's still a possibility.

settle down guys-it's still pre season...Long Hard season ahead

Better to get the guys right now, come home strong than the other way around.

Nobody remembers a March Champion.

I don't think we will ever see Jack Watts play the way things are going! It's so frustrating!!!GRRGRRGRRGRRGRR

We were told last w/e Watts had a "Slight Quad strain". Now it's reported to be a back problem. What will it be next week? A little bit of the truth goes a long way with supporters/members.

What is going on with Meeson? Might be time to consider his future again. Personally I would advise the club to pay him out and promote a rookie.

This time of year I would have thought some honesty re the players would be forthcoming!

People considering memberships might be interested in knowing who they will see onfield in the short term.

What is going on with Meeson? Might be time to consider his future again. Personally I would advise the club to pay him out and promote a rookie.

Meesen is a rookie himself and paying him out won't alter our senior list one schmick. Therefore we can't promote a rookie on the basis of Meesen's injury.

Absolute joke of an injury list if you ask me, don tknow what they are doing down there. Back injuries are nasty, just look at gumbleton. Grimes missed a whole year with his stress fractures. Saying its a coutious approach is a good way of fending off supporter concerns but it doesnt wash with me.

We were told last w/e Watts had a "Slight Quad strain". Now it's reported to be a back problem. What will it be next week? A little bit of the truth goes a long way with supporters/members.

What is going on with Meeson? Might be time to consider his future again. Personally I would advise the club to pay him out and promote a rookie.

This time of year I would have thought some honesty re the players would be forthcoming!

People considering memberships might be interested in knowing who they will see onfield in the short term.

The club has released its first full injury list for the year the week before the first competitive hitout.

How much more honesty do you want? A weekly update of who's got what little niggling injury in the middle of January?

The club has better ways to be spending its time and energy. Members and supporters have been given the information when it counts.

And as others have already suggested, if you'd paid a little more attention to the club's dealings in the off-season, you might have some clue as to where Meesen is at.

Absolute joke of an injury list if you ask me, don tknow what they are doing down there. Back injuries are nasty, just look at gumbleton. Grimes missed a whole year with his stress fractures. Saying its a coutious approach is a good way of fending off supporter concerns but it doesnt wash with me.

You'll also note that Jack Grimes was outstanding in last weekend's intraclub game and has completed an incident-free pre-season, two years after coming to the club crocked with said back injury.

That's not the result of a medical department that has no idea what they're doing.

I'm no doctor but I'm satisfied that Watts' injury is simply the result of a growing young man increasing his training workload by a considerable amount, and suffering a common setback. 3-4 weeks off the track is a small price to pay in the middle of February.

You'll also note that Jack Grimes was outstanding in last weekend's intraclub game and has completed an incident-free pre-season, two years after coming to the club crocked with said back injury.

That's not the result of a medical department that has no idea what they're doing.

I'm no doctor but I'm satisfied that Watts' injury is simply the result of a growing young man increasing his training workload by a considerable amount, and suffering a common setback. 3-4 weeks off the track is a small price to pay in the middle of February.

I sure hope youre right about it just being soreness. 3-4 week seems a long time for that.

I sure hope youre right about it just being soreness. 3-4 week seems a long time for that.

In the context of major surgery a la Gumbleton and Winderlich, 3-4 weeks to ensure that any soreness or discomfort disappears is a drop in the proverbial ocean. I repeat, it's the middle of freaking February.

Edited February 17, 201015 yr by MikeyJ

The club has just issued its first injury list of the year and it's likely that an injury list will be issued the week before each competitive hitout between now and the end of the season. I think anyone expecting anything more than that is being unreasonable.

I don't really understand what you're talking about with regard to the injury list being accurate or otherwise, but I suspect direct quotes from Chris Connolly telling supporters that Watts has a back injury will convince the sceptics.

Finally, with regard to Aussie - he simply acknowledged that he was more prone to injury when he was carrying excess weight. It's not exactly rocket science. His NAB Cup hamstring injury healed in the expected time and then he suffered a bad knee injury playing for Casey. I'm unsure what that has to do with a questionable medical department, as you seem to be intimating.

It is annoying when teams like Collingwood are boasting the fact that they have a full list to choose from.

They were boasting that leading up to last year's finals too.

Then Pendles broke his leg and the wheels came off.

Football is a hard, fast contact sport. Players have to train and play hard.

Players get injured doing so. Get over it.

undisclosed

Luke Tapscott (hip injury) ?

Unfortunately, the club's injury list has always been a bit rubbery starting from the days and months when Nick Smith was routinely listed as being out for 4 to 6 weeks. Now we have Jack Watts' slight quad strain transmogrifying into a back injury and poor Luke Tapscott is not listed as being injured at all but he ain't doing much training either. It's all good because if we the supporters are confused then imagine the opposition clubs. They must be quaking in their boots wondering whether or not Tapscott might bob up from nowhere to singlehandedly destroy them in the NAB Cup.

Unfortunately, the club's injury list has always been a bit rubbery starting from the days and months when Nick Smith was routinely listed as being out for 4 to 6 weeks. Now we have Jack Watts' slight quad strain transmogrifying into a back injury and poor Luke Tapscott is not listed as being injured at all but he ain't doing much training either. It's all good because if we the supporters are confused then imagine the opposition clubs. They must be quaking in their boots wondering whether or not Tapscott might bob up from nowhere to singlehandedly destroy them in the NAB Cup.

I heard that tapscott returned to Adelaide for some reason, not sure if it was injury related or for personal reasons.

I heard that tapscott returned to Adelaide for some reason, not sure if it was injury related or for personal reasons.

Schwabby announced on Saturday that Tapscott went to Adelaide because his grandmother died.

You'll also note that Jack Grimes was outstanding in last weekend's intraclub game and has completed an incident-free pre-season, two years after coming to the club crocked with said back injury.

That's not the result of a medical department that has no idea what they're doing.

I'm no doctor but I'm satisfied that Watts' injury is simply the result of a growing young man increasing his training workload by a considerable amount, and suffering a common setback. 3-4 weeks off the track is a small price to pay in the middle of February.

Perfect reply to a silly, short-sighted post Mikey.

Perfect reply to a silly, short-sighted post Mikey.

Agree. Our clubs medical staff would be more in tune with anyone outside the club. Questionning their competence is pretty low.