CO-CAPTAIN Nathan Jones will miss the next four to six weeks after injuring his quadriceps during last Sunday’s 57-point win over the Western Bulldogs at Etihad Stadium.
Jones, who moved to equal equal 10th with Brett Lovett for the most Melbourne games last round, is likely to miss the greatest amount of time in a season during his 235-game career, which started in 2006.
Elite performance manager Dave Misson confirmed the triple best and fairest winner would be sidelined until at least late July.
“He’s got a decent strain of his rectus femoris [muscle] – his kicking leg,” he told Melbourne TV.
“We just want to be pretty cautious with that. Sometimes that can be a tough injury to rehab and we really want Nathan at the backend of the season.
“So, he’ll probably be four to six [weeks].”
Misson said forward Jack Watts (hamstring tightness) will have to pass a fitness test before being declared right to play his 150th game against the West Coast Eagles at Domain Stadium this Saturday.
“It was really precautionary taking him off in the last quarter and he subsequently pulled up pretty well post-game,” he said.
“So, he’ll have to do all of the training on Thursday to play, but we’d be expect him to do that.”
But Misson said 2016 All-Australian Max Gawn (hamstring) would definitely play his first game since round three, and Neville Jetta (ankle) and Jayden Hunt (shoulder) were right to play after suffering injuries against the Bulldogs.
“He’ll (Gawn) definitely play. He was the first magnet on the board in match committee,” he said.
“Both of those guys (Jetta and Hunt) pulled up really well yesterday (Monday). They’d be no problems and they’ll definitely play.”
Angus Brayshaw (concussion) and Jesse Hogan (testicular cancer) were still being monitored and no timeframe had been placed on the pair.
“Both are really ticking along well in the rehab group, but they’re doing stuff with the main group also,” Misson said.
“Jesse, in particular, is going really well every session and not slipping up. Gus is really starting to enjoy his footy and his training again.
“We haven’t put any timeframes around those guys, but they’re going well and every session is a step forward for them.”
High-flyer Joel Smith, who has been sidelined since making his AFL debut in round one with a shoulder injury, is now just two weeks away. Another rookie Lochie Filipovic (hip flexor) is three weeks from playing.
“Joel will play in a couple of weeks,” Misson said.
“He’s doing most of the work with the main group now. He just needs to tick off a little bit more contact stuff with the rehab group, but he’s up and about.”
“He’s (Filipovic) got a bit of a grumbly hip and again he’s doing some good work in rehab. Being a young player, we want to give him a bit of time.”
First-year Demon Pat McKenna is progressing well after being out since early April with a hamstring injury.
“Pat’s starting to do some good running sessions, so he’s probably six to eight weeks away with that [hamstring injury],” he said.
Forward Tim Smith (navicular bone), Aaron vandenBerg (heel) and Col Garland (knee) are all in varying stages, despite being out for the rest of the season.
“Each is at different stages. It’s a big week for Col this week – he’s done his first running session today (Tuesday), so he was pretty excited about that,” Misson said.
“Aaron’s had a couple of weeks away from the club, but he’s back this week and Tim, we’re just making a decision on whether we treat that conservatively or we go down the surgical option.
“We won’t be seeing those guys back this year.”
Melbourne injury list: round 14
Angus Brayshaw (concussion) – indefinite
Lochie Filipovic (hip flexor) – 3 weeks
Col Garland (knee) – season
Max Gawn (hamstring) – available
Jesse Hogan (testicular cancer) – indefinite
Jayden Hunt (shoulder) – available
Neville Jetta (ankle) – available
Nathan Jones (quadriceps) – 4-6 weeks
Pat McKenna (hamstring) – 6-8 weeks
Joel Smith (shoulder) – 2 weeks
Tim Smith (navicular bone) – season
Aaron vandenBerg (heel) – season
Jack Watts (hamstring tightness) – test
