3 hours ago, godees said:

The good thing about an isolated MCL injury is that you can get back to straight line running relatively early in your rehab.

I had a grade 2 MCL injury a few years ago and they heal up well (good blood supply).

Being able to run is key for player's rehabbing in maintaining their aerobic base - given he's had a pretty solid preseason he should keep his fitness level up ok if he can be running say after a month

And he'll be able to do upper body work whilst in a boot, which as a key forward won't hurt.

1 hour ago, picket fence said:

As I suggested mid season for him

4 - 6 is bad enough.

6 hours ago, DeeSpencer said:

Hopefully as part of his rehab they teach Luker how to get that knee up and angled right at anyone who dares come in to his space and can then land a bit safer too.

He was hit from behind. I don't think knees are meant to bend that way.

2 hours ago, picket fence said:

As I suggested mid season for him

4-6 weeks from now is round 2-4 give or take - mid season suggests a much more significant injury than what’s being reported

8 hours ago, Whispering_Jack said:

Agreed. However, even in this age the final decision is usually only made once a specialist or specialists have had the opportunity of examining the patient.

Just pure speculation

Scan.. initial assessment..

Possible referral to another specialist for corroborating (or otherwise) diagnosis.

Might need a secondary scan/assessment if not straight forward

Edited Monday at 08:341 day by beelzebub

Does 4-6 weeks = the first 4 weeks of the season? (2 weeks of pre season)

8 hours ago, DeeSpencer said:

Think it’s a grade 2 MCL. Grade 1 is usually just a bit of rest and get back out there. Grade 3 is when they lean towards surgery to get it healed quicker.

But he’ll definitely need a period of rehab, usually at least equal to how long he’s off legs in a brace.

Maybe he can tick these steps off within a week each but with a big body young tall I’d suspect they’ll lean conservatively.

3 hours ago, binman said:

Being able to run is key for player's rehabbing in maintaining their aerobic base - given he's had a pretty solid preseason he should keep his fitness level up ok if he can be running say after a month

And he'll be able to do upper body work whilst in a boot, which as a key forward won't hurt.

A question for those in the know

• how much can one sustain aerobic fitness when one cannot run?

• how much does, say, swimming maintain general fitness?

• how soon can he maybe get on a stationary bike?

Is the 4-6 weeks including no running for a few, then regaining fitness, or is it 4-6 before getting into full training?

How is Matt Jefferson tracking? Any updates

And is checkers available for rnd 1

An update .... anyone?

In particular Jai, Checker, and AMW.

Doesn't appear to be any word from the club.

An intra-club this weekend? Apology if mentioned elsewhere.

4 hours ago, M_9 said:

An update .... anyone?

In particular Jai, Checker, and AMW.

Doesn't appear to be any word from the club.

An intra-club this weekend? Apology if mentioned elsewhere.

official injury list comes out the tuesday before the game plays

i would expect our official update in a week, although clubs may be forced to release one today as other clubs will be doing so too

On 27/02/2026 at 10:59, Demonland said:

Does Kane have a point here?

Greg Swan says he couldn’t answer the question.

I am sure after getting advice from SportsBet and their fellow parasites he will find an answer.

On 02/03/2026 at 15:47, Greg Schneider said:

Id be banking on Twomey to be the one that’s right

Sadly, thought exactly the same thing.

Probably the better end of news on Luker.

Thought it might be 8-12 weeks, if he is a quick healer could be back in 5-6 weeks.

Any updates on Jai Culley's progress with the arm?

Hiring a coach from Geelong isn’t much good for people who want injury updates.

Get used to seeing a lot of TBC this year.

Will be funny if we get penalised for doing this before the Cats do.

Given last week’s list and recent updates. The current (guesstimate) injury list:-

Jake Bowey (foot)

Jack Viney (Achilles)

Kalani White (glandular fever)

Luker Kentfield (knee)

Tom Campbell (neck)

Jai Culley (arm)

Jack Henderson (back/sacrum)

Matthew Jefferson (foot)

Aidan Johnson (hamstring)

Shane McAdam (Achilles)

Brodie Mihocek (concussion)

Andy Moniz-Wakefield (knee)

Bayley Fritsch (hand)

Of the 44 listed, likely 13 could be unavailable for round 1. That’s nearly a quarter of the list without a ball kicked in meaningful AFL action.

Anyone have word on Culley’s progress towards rd 1?

12 hours ago, DeeSpencer said:

Hiring a coach from Geelong isn’t much good for people who want injury updates.

Get used to seeing a lot of TBC this year.

Will be funny if we get penalised for doing this before the Cats do.

I haven't followed this. What is the rationale for club's having to provide injury reports at all? Is it just for the gambling industry? If so, it would be about the only area where fairness is of any concern to the AFL.

37 minutes ago, sue said:

I haven't followed this. What is the rationale for club's having to provide injury reports at all? Is it just for the gambling industry? If so, it would be about the only area where fairness is of any concern to the AFL.

There's certainly a fan communication aspect to it, it's nice to know roughly when guys will be back. AFL fantasy as well, Supercoach and the other leagues people play are a valid way to follow the game. And yes, gambling probably trumps all.

When the league takes so much money from gambling partners and players can be suspended or fined heavily for as little as telling their family that they'll be playing forward it does seem like the league should enforce some standards on injury reporting.

My updated injury list:-

Jake Bowey (foot)

Tom Campbell (neck)

Jai Culley (arm)

Bayley Fritsch (hand)

Jack Henderson (back/sacrum)

Matthew Jefferson (foot)

Aidan Johnson (hamstring)

Luker Kentfield (knee)

Shane McAdam (Achilles)

Brodie Mihocek (concussion)

Andy Moniz-Wakefield (knee)

Jack Viney (Achilles)

Kalani White (glandular fever)

The ones coloured red are unlikely to play either because they won't be in line for selection, ready or available. The ones coloured blue may be selected if declared fit.

Injury update | Fritsch eyes Round 1

Has the club released any definitive report regarding Kentfield's knee injury?

At least we don't go the NHL route for i jury updates.

Upper body. Lower body

Indefinite, week to week, short term, long term etc.

12 minutes ago, Roost it far said:

Has the club released any definitive report regarding Kentfield's knee injury?

He's officially listed as the old to 4-6.

With respect to Culley, I suspect he could (not will) be available for selection next weekend. He had surgery on 7 Feb and was quoted as a minimum of 4 weeks. This weekend will be week 4.

If he's firmly in King's frame he should be back by round 2 V Freo.

The official update came through last night: https://www.afl.com.au/matches/injury-list

PLAYER	INJURY	ESTIMATED RETURN
Jake Bowey	Foot	TBC
Tom Campbell	Neck	TBC
Jai Culley	Arm	TBC
Jack Henderson	Sacrum	TBC
Matt Jefferson	Foot	TBC
Luker Kentfield	Knee	4-6 weeks
Shane McAdam	Achilles	TBC
Brody Mihocek	Concussion	TBC
Andy Moniz-Wakefield	Knee	TBC
Jack Viney	Achilles	8 weeks
Kalani White	Glandular fever	TBC
Updated: March 3, 2026

In the mix

While no official timelines have been released by the Demons, they do have a handful of senior players unavailable for round one. Culley (arm) is racing the clock to be fit to face St Kilda after surgery on a fractured arm last month, Viney (Achilles) is ruled out until at least round eight, and Bowey (Lisfranc) is aiming for a mid-season return. In better news for the Demons, off-season recruit Mihocek should clear concussion protocols to make his first appearance for the club in round one. Promising tall forward Kentfield has avoided surgery on his knee after landing awkwardly in last week's practice match but is still expected to be sidelined for 4-6 weeks. Father-son tall White is back in Queensland with family while he recovers from glandular fever. - Alison O'Connor

MELBOURNE is hopeful mercurial forward Bayley Fritsch won’t miss any AFL football after a dog bite left him requiring surgery on the eve of the 2026 AFL Premiership Season.

Despite the bite leaving Fritsch with an infection to his hand, the Demon’s strong recovery leaves him well-placed for an attack on Round 1.

“Bayley tried to break up a fight between his two dogs and unfortunately got bitten in the process,” GM of AFL Football Performance Alan Richardson said.

“His hand got infected, so he’s had surgery to wash out the infection.

“He’ll rejoin the group again on Thursday with an eye on working towards a Round 1 appearance.”

New recruit Brody Mihocek is also aiming to take on the Saints after missing last weekend’s pre-season clash with concussion.

“Brody is progressing really well after entering the concussion protocols following the match simulation hitout against North Melbourne,” Richardson said.

“We fully expect him to be available for Round 1 selection.”

Rising forward Luker Kentfield is set for a stint on the sidelines after an unfortunate mid-air hit early in the pre-season clash with Richmond.

“After a really solid pre-season and an impressive performance against the Kangaroos, it was really disappointing result for Luker,” Richardson said.

“He sustained an MCL tear, but fortunately he doesn’t need to have surgery.

“He’ll be in a brace for at least a couple of weeks with the view to being back around the six-week mark depending on the smoothness of his rehab process.”

Second-year Demon Jai Culley is ramping up his reintroduction to training following an arm fracture in February.

“Jai is progressing really well and will continue to increase his levels of training participation as he moves back into full contact drills,” Richardson said.

“He’s doing everything in his power to give himself a chance for Round 1.”

Fritsch - test

Culley - test

Mihocek - test

Henderson - 2 weeks (source - Ghosty)

Kentfield - 6 weeks

Viney - 8 weeks

Bowser - 3 months

Now for the complete guesses

---

AMW - 1-3 weeks

McAdam - 2-4 weeks

White - 1 months?

Campbell 4-6 weeks

Johnson 8-10 (hammy surgery generally 3 months)

Jefferson 8-10