AARON vandenBerg and Pat McKenna are set to play their first match of any sorts this year, after they were declared fit for Casey’s clash against North Melbourne at Casey Fields on Saturday.
Elite performance manager Dave Misson confirmed the pair would line-up in the VFL this weekend.
“It’s something that’s been highlighted internally and has really lifted the playing group,” he told Melbourne Media.
“Both of these guys have been out for more than 12 months and have been really dedicated and professional in their rehabs.
“It’s been a long slow process, but we’re ecstatic that they’re back out playing this week. They’ll be on limited game time and probably will be for a couple of weeks. But, just to get out on the field is a great achievement for them, and something that has lifted everyone around here.”
Dasher Jayden Hunt (ankle) remains out for four to five weeks, while defender Jake Lever (knee) and ball-winner Corey Maynard (hip) are out for the rest of the season.
Misson said the team was determined to hit back strongly against Fremantle in Darwin this Saturday night.
“As with Alice Springs, we love heading up to the NT – even more so with Melbourne being so cold, so I think everyone in the touring party is looking forward to getting a bit of sun and heat,” he said.
“But we’re playing a team that’s going to be pretty fired up after the result they had last week – and they’re a good team.
“So, we’re really looking to really bounce back and show what we can do, after a few disappointing weeks.”
Misson’s injury assessments
Jayden Hunt (ankle) – 4-5 weeks
“Jayden’s taken a little bit longer than we thought he would running. He had his first running session outside today (Wednesday), but in saying that, seeing him run today without a limp – and running faster than we wanted him to run – probably tells us that his rehab from here will hopefully go reasonably smoothly. He’s still probably a month away, but as we’ve said to Jayden, it’s going to be a great opportunity for him to touch back in to his speed, which is his real strength. So, again, we’re hoping to see good things from at the backend of the season.”
Jake Lever (knee) – season
“Jake actually saw the surgeon, which is the usual three-week post-op surgical review, today. [Surgeon] Julian [Feller] was really happy with how it looked, so Jake’s already started doing a fair bit of work in the gym and he’ll continue to do that.”
Corey Maynard (hip) – season
“Corey is going well. He’s off the crutches and is walking around, so he’ll start to get into some rehab exercises next week.”
Pat McKenna (hamstring) – available
“With a hamstring rehab, he’s had a couple of surgeries, which is unusual in itself. I think we’ve seen a few things within that rehab that not many of the medical people have seen. He reinjured his hammy in the gym a couple of times, which is very unusual. But we’ve taken a couple of different approaches, which have worked up until now. But the proof’s going to be in the pudding after a month of footy. He’s playing good footy and big minutes, and performing as he’d like to perform.”
Aaron vandenBerg (ankle) – available
“He had multiple surgeries and the last one he had was the last roll of the dice. The surgeon said he wouldn’t go in and do anything else, so this was either going to work or it wasn’t. That’s probably been in the back of Aaron’s mind right through his rehab, but it hasn’t stopped him attacking his rehab and really putting 100 per cent into it. He’s a big powerful athlete and we’ve seen a lot of that in rehab and it’s going to take a long time for that to come through with his football. But we’re really hopeful that we’re going to see great form from Aaron and Pat McKenna by the end of the year.”
Melbourne injury list: round 16
- Jayden Hunt (ankle) – 4-5 weeks
- Jake Lever (knee) – season
- Corey Maynard (hip) – season
- Pat McKenna (hamstring) – available
- Aaron vandenBerg (ankle) – available
