MELBOURNE forward Jacob van Rooyen will be available for selection in the club’s AFL season-opener this Sunday.
Van Rooyen was pulled from the Dees’ practice match against Fremantle earlier this month with a back spasm but has returned to full strength just in time for the afternoon clash against the Giants.
“Jacob had a back spasm in the first couple of minutes of the game, which was unfortunate for him, but he's recovered really well,” said Selwyn Griffith, Melbourne’s High Performance Manager.
“He fully trained last week and will be available for selection this week.”
Marty Hore was another unlucky Demon during the pre-season games, fracturing his hand in the hit-out against North Melbourne.
“Marty had surgery and is recovering from that at the moment,” Griffith said.
“It's day to day based on his function, but he has returned to running and some skill work.
“We're making sure that he's comfortable with contest and contact-based training to clear him, so he’s possibly available for this week, but we'll just progress him day to day.”
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In disappointing news for recent recruit Jai Culley, the new Demon has been sidelined with bone stress in his foot.
“Following one of our VFL practice matches, Jai reported some foot soreness. His scans showed signs of bone stress, but thankfully there was no fracture,” Griffith said.
“He's been in a boot for a week and has come out of it successfully today, so he'll just start to reload and recondition across the next couple of weeks to look to be available in a few weeks’ time.”
Judd McVee and Jake Melksham have both had interrupted pre-seasons with hamstring injuries of varying levels, but will be looking to eye off returns to footy in the next month.
“Judd’s recovering from his hamstring strain from a few weeks ago and has returned to some skills-based conditioning and high speed running,” Griffith said.
“He'll look to ramp that up with training integration this week and continue to build forward over the coming weeks.
“Jake’s had a frustrating pre-season with a couple of hamstring injuries, but he's in a really good training block.
“He's been exposed to some high speed and sprint training, and then we'll integrate him into training this week, with the likely return in Round 3.”
Similarly, young Demon Koltyn Tholstrup has been sidelined for much of his February pre-season with bone stress in his back.
“Koltyn’s returned to running and some skill-based conditioning,” Griffith said.
“He's just in a reloading phase and reconditioning phase at the moment. He'll look to start integrating into skills end of this week and next week to then hopefully be available in the coming weeks.”
Luker Kentfield has made a return to the club in the past month after illness restricted his return from Perth over the December break.
“Unfortunately for Luker he had some illness over the Christmas period, which really compromised his ability to both travel, but then also to do any form of aerobic or physical training.
“He's returned to training since that and has recovered really well. Now he's just in a reconditioning phase to ensure that there's no real aggravation of his illness, but also that he's coping with the training intensities that are required for him to play.”
Andy Moniz-Wakefield (knee) and Shane McAdam (Achilles) are both recovering from their respective surgeries and have begun working with the rehab team to create the best plan forward across their next nine to 12 months.
“Steven was able to get a good session done over the weekend and integrated into training today,” Griffith said.
“We'll assess how he pulls up from training today to determine his availability for Thursday night.”
“Jake sustained that cut in the first quarter, which fortunately our medical team were able to clean and stitch up so that he could play out the game,” Griffith said.
“The main concern now is infection, wound care and making sure that Jake is able to function.
“We've got him on a lower training program to allow that wound to heal as best it can and we’ll assess that as we come into Thursday night's game.”
“It was an unfortunate incident for Daniel, but he's recovered really well,” Griffith said.
“He was back in today to start those concussion protocols. He'll progress as quickly as his symptoms allow, with the hope that he’ll be available for the game against West Coast.”
“Jake's progressed really well following surgery,” Griffith said.
“He's come out of that cast and is in a moon boot. He's just progressing his ankle and calf strength as tolerated at the moment.
“He’ll have another review at the end of this week and then hopefully we'll be able to start ramping up the next phase of his rehabilitation.”
“Shane went to accelerate during match play on Friday, and has unfortunately ruptured his Achilles tendon in the process.
“This is an incredibly disappointing outcome for Shane, who was starting to get some real momentum and confidence in his body, following a strong pre-season.
“Shane will meet with a surgeon in the coming days, with the view to undergo surgery. From here, we will have a greater understanding of what his recovery timelines will look like.
“We will wrap our arms around Shane and fully support him throughout this next period.”
“Unfortunately, scans have confirmed what we all feared, with Andy to miss the season with an injury to his ACL, MCL and PCL,” Richardson said.
“This is incredibly disappointing news for Andy, who has had a really strong pre-season. We have been so impressed by his attitude and will to get better, and he was starting to reap the rewards of his hard work.
“Andy will undergo surgery in the near future, before beginning to work through his recovery. As a club, we will wrap our arms around him and make sure he is well-supported.
“Despite being on the sidelines, we know Andy will still play an important role for us this season, particularly with the positive energy he brings to the club every single day.”
“Steven was able to get a good session done over the weekend and integrated into training today,” Griffith said.
“We'll assess how he pulls up from training today to determine his availability for Thursday night.”
“Jake sustained that cut in the first quarter, which fortunately our medical team were able to clean and stitch up so that he could play out the game,” Griffith said.
“The main concern now is infection, wound care and making sure that Jake is able to function.
“We've got him on a lower training program to allow that wound to heal as best it can and we’ll assess that as we come into Thursday night's game.”
“It was an unfortunate incident for Daniel, but he's recovered really well,” Griffith said.
“He was back in today to start those concussion protocols. He'll progress as quickly as his symptoms allow, with the hope that he’ll be available for the game against West Coast.”
“Jake's progressed really well following surgery,” Griffith said.
“He's come out of that cast and is in a moon boot. He's just progressing his ankle and calf strength as tolerated at the moment.
“He’ll have another review at the end of this week and then hopefully we'll be able to start ramping up the next phase of his rehabilitation.”
“Shane went to accelerate during match play on Friday, and has unfortunately ruptured his Achilles tendon in the process.
“This is an incredibly disappointing outcome for Shane, who was starting to get some real momentum and confidence in his body, following a strong pre-season.
“Shane will meet with a surgeon in the coming days, with the view to undergo surgery. From here, we will have a greater understanding of what his recovery timelines will look like.
“We will wrap our arms around Shane and fully support him throughout this next period.”
“Unfortunately, scans have confirmed what we all feared, with Andy to miss the season with an injury to his ACL, MCL and PCL,” Richardson said.
“This is incredibly disappointing news for Andy, who has had a really strong pre-season. We have been so impressed by his attitude and will to get better, and he was starting to reap the rewards of his hard work.
“Andy will undergo surgery in the near future, before beginning to work through his recovery. As a club, we will wrap our arms around him and make sure he is well-supported.
“Despite being on the sidelines, we know Andy will still play an important role for us this season, particularly with the positive energy he brings to the club every single day.”
