DEFENDER Oscar McDonald will be available for Friday night’s clash against Port Adelaide at Adelaide Oval, after recovering from concussion.
McDonald experienced some blurred vision in last week’s Queen’s Birthday match, but elite performance manager Dave Misson said the extended break has given him chance to fully recover.
Meanwhile, Dean Kent continues to progress with his hamstring injury, with the forward set to make a return via the VFL next week.
Aaron vandenBerg (foot) and Pat McKenna (hamstring) are also edging closer.
Returning to the main training group after a long hiatus – 428 days for McKenna and 463 days for vandenBerg – the two have clocked up their second session.
Misson said while they still need to get a decent block of training in, both are about three weeks off from playing.
In contrast, speedster Jayden Hunt will miss at least four weeks, sustaining an ankle injury in the last 20 seconds of the Casey Demons’ win over Collingwood.
The news isn’t positive for Corey Maynard either.
The midfielder is set to undergo an operation on his troublesome hip, which will see him miss the remainder of the season.
In what is a disappointing outcome for Maynard, Misson said it was the best decision to get him ready for the pre-season.
Misson’s injury assessments
Oscar McDonald (concussion) – available
“Oscar sat out part of the game with concussion on the Monday, but he’s fine. He trained fully today, and he’ll be right.”
Jayden Hunt (ankle) – 4-6 weeks
“He sustained that injury in the very last contest in the VFL game against Collingwood unfortunately, so he’s probably four to six weeks away.”
Jake Lever (knee) – season
“He had the op last week, which went well. Now it’s about the wound healing before he can get stuck into some rehab stuff.”
Dean Kent (hamstring) – 1 week
“Dean’s going well – he’s due to play next week. He’ll do a full week of training next week, with a view of him playing VFL.”
Aaron vandenBerg (foot) and Pat McKenna (hamstring) – 3 weeks
“Vanders and Patty McKenna are now both in full training. They did their second session with the group today, but they’ll need another two or three weeks of training before they play.”
Corey Maynard (hip) – season
“Corey’s been bothered by this hip complaint for a while now. We got him to have a chat to the surgeon, who feels that the surgical option is probably the best way to go. He’s going to have an operation on that hip next week, and unfortunately he’s done for the rest of the year but we’re looking to get him up for day one of pre-season.”
