Casualty Ward

[Mb.Eddie]

Murphy set for hip surgery

CARLTON midfielder Marc Murphy will undergo hip surgery later this week and will miss the start of the Blues’ NAB Cup campaign.

Murphy will be sidelined for four weeks as he goes under the knife to repair damage to his hip.

Carlton’s football operations manager Steven Icke said Murphy had been managing his troublesome hip for much of the pre-season.

“Marc had been on a revised program since Christmas, and it was hoped that the injury would have responded to treatment,” Icke told carltonfc.com.au.

“However, after further consultation with our medical staff it was decided that surgery was the best option.”

Murphy finished equal ninth in the 2009 Brownlow Medal count, polling 15 votes.

His surgery is the latest pre-season setback for the Blues after Eddie Betts, Ryan Houlihan and Andrew Walker were suspended for a month for off-field incidents in December.

Captain Chris Judd will also miss the first three matches of the home and away season following a suspension from last year’s final against the Brisbane Lions.

The Blues are expecting Murphy to be available for the season opener against Richmond.

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[Scruffy]

Ah very lucky for the Blues that he is getting this over and done with.
It would be very bad for them if he had to undergo surgery during the season, would be a big blow.

[Mb.Eddie]

Knee injury sidelines Adelaide's Patrick Dangerfield

ADELAIDE'S tough young gun Patrick Dangerfield has suffered a knee injury which will put him out of action for three weeks.

The Crows website reported today that Dangerfield, 19, strained his medial ligament at training on Monday in a marking contest.

Physical performance manager Stephen Schwerdt said on the website that the injury was not a major concern.

"Patty was in a marking contest and he just gave his medial a bit of a tweak. It's down the lower end of the scale, so it will probably keep him out at least a week," Schwedt said.

"It's a little bit open-ended, but we don't think it will be a long-term injury.

"It's the nature of our training. If you're going to do competitive-type training there's always the risk of this sort of thing happening.

"But Patty hadn't missed any training prior to the injury, so he's got a bit of training in the bank."

Dangerfield played 20 games for the Crows last year in his second season, and was expected to become a regular in the midfield this year.

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[Scruffy]

Dangerfield is a good player, and he will be good, just needs a bit more work done.

At least it is only three weeks and not three months or worse.

[Mb.Eddie]

Hamish Hartlett suffers hamstring injury

YOUNG Port Adelaide star Hamish Hartlett will miss most of the NAB Cup after tearing a hamstring at training.

Fox Sports reports that Hartlett, 19, entered pre-season in peak shape and was on track to graduate to a regular midfield spot this season.

"We are in a big training phase but the reality is we are going to lose players despite our best efforts to manage them," Power fitness coach Cameron Falloon said.

"We are pushing the guys to the limit to make sure they are ready for Round 1."

Falloon said Hartlett, who was troubled by hamstring problems during his debut 2009 season, would be fit to play against North Melbourne in Round 1.

"He has done a standard hammy but it is different to the previous ones he has had," he said.

"It will be a four-weeker so he won't be around for the start of the NAB Cup, but could play at some stage. He has to go through the rehabilitation process and will have two months to get himself right for Round 1."

In better news for Port, Falloon said David Rodan was continuing to impress in his recovery from knee surgery.

Rodan's surgeons used the new LARS technique that uses synthetic fibres and dramatically reduces recovery time.

"David is progressing well. It is almost five weeks post-surgery and he is obviously much further ahead than he would be having the traditional knee reconstruction," Falloon said.

Meanwhile, Adelaide forward Jason Porplyzia will miss the Crows' NAB Cup opener against Port Adelaide with a pelvic injury.

Coach Neil Craig said Porplyzia had been placed on a modified training program.

"Jason's just got a problem with his pelvis, so we've had to back him off," Craig told Adelaide radio station FIVEaa.

"We just have to be patient with him, but unless something goes wrong I'm really positive he'll be available for the second round of the NAB Cup."

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[Mb.Eddie]

Eagleton hit by freak knee injury

VETERAN Western Bulldogs midfielder Nathan Eagleton has broken down in bizarre circumstances and appears likely to miss the side's NAB Cup campaign.

Eagleton had finished Friday's training session and was crouching down to get his breath back when his knee locked.

The 31-year-old had an arthroscopy later on Friday at The Avenue Hospital in Windsor, and Doggies medical service manager Andrew McKenzie told westernbulldogs.com.au that it happened in the most innocuous way.

"It was quite undramatic, really, how Eags locked his knee - he just had a little bit of cartilage jam up the joint, and unfortunately we needed to get that fished out by a surgeon," he said.

"So he had a little arthroscope, the knee was cleaned out - he removed a little bit of frayed cartilage.

"But Nathan's got his full range back, his full movement now, so we're not expecting him to be out for long, it should only be probably three weeks that it disrupts his pre-season for."

McKenzie said condition of the cartilage was such that the problem could have occurred at any stage of the year.

"If it had to happen, now is the best time for it, because he's got a good base fitness, we've got through the major part of our training loads, and he's only missing three weeks.

"He'll be able to condition fairly shortly, as long as we can get the wound and the swelling in the knee under control.

"He'll be up and going very quickly."

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[Mb.Eddie]

Nathan Foley to miss season start with ankle injury

RICHMOND midfielder Nathan Foley will be a late starter this season after suffering another setback with his injured ankle.

Foley underwent minor surgery yesterday to relieve some soreness in the same ankle which prematurely ended his 2009 season.


"Nathan had been progressing well with his rehabilitation program, but has experienced some soreness in the last week,'' said Richmond's elite performance manager Matthew Hornsby.

"The medical staff decided the best course of action was for him to have minor surgery.

"The surgery will prevent him from running for the next couple of weeks, and we will continue to take a cautious approach with his recovery.''

While Foley faces a long stint on the sidelines his teammates have stepped up their pre-season campaign.

The players went through a match simulation yesterday with two umpires controlling play.

Graham Polak, Brett Deledio and new recruit Dustin Martin were standouts during the hour long session at Craigieburn.

The buffed up bodies of Alex Rance and Kelvin Moore were also noticeable.

Trent Cotchin didn't participate but was part of the kicking, marking and tackling drills.

Ben Cousins also did a separate sprint session.

Richmond meets Hawthorn in Launceston on February 13.

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[Mb.Eddie]

Groin and hip injuries force Rioli to rest

HAWTHORN'S young match-winner, Cyril Rioli, will be rested from training for at least the next couple of weeks and miss the opening of the NAB Cup as the club takes a ''no risk'' policy with the forward's groin and hip injury.

But the Hawks are confident that Rioli will be ''fine'' for the regular season, the club's young human highlight reel having completed an excellent pre-season before he developed soreness in the groin and hip within the past fortnight.

Hawthorn football operations manager Mark Evans last night confirmed that Rioli had been rested from training and that the club would see how he progressed after a break.

He said the Hawks would ''gradually build'' Rioli's training load once he resumed.

''He's certainly got some hip soreness and some groin soreness,'' said Evans. ''He won't play the first part of the NAB Cup campaign.

''He hasn't had it very long at all. To date, it seems to have settled pretty quickly.''

But Evans said the club would follow ''a no-risk policy'' in handling the young star's injury, which caused some pain but did not restrict his movement.

''It hasn't really affected his function all that much … we still expect it to be fine for the season.''

Evans said the club would monitor Rioli and see how he recovered during his rest before determining his training regime.

''Over the next couple of weeks we'll assess how it goes,'' he said.

Rioli had been enjoying a brilliant pre-season - having improved his fitness levels and trained exceptionally well - up until his setback.

The Hawks believe Rioli, one of the game's most electrifying talents, has completed sufficient work to have an excellent fitness base for the coming season.

Hawthorn, in effect, pulled Rioli back from full training at the end of January, with Hawthorn's community camp in Tasmania involving light duties for all players.

Ruckman Brent Renouf, too, will miss the opening of the NAB Cup - a result of burns that required skin grafts. Renouf was accidentally knocked into a fire on a Queensland beach, receiving burns to his forearm that required the grafts, with minor burns to his leg and lower back.

Evans said Renouf, whose importance to Hawthorn has been elevated by the retirement of Robert Campbell and Max Bailey's latest knee reconstruction, has been running, but has avoided contact to the graft itself. Renouf had a replacement graft on the forearm after there were concerns that the initial graft wasn't healing well enough.

''He won't play early in the NAB Cup,'' said Evans.

Hawthorn's major recruit, Shaun Burgoyne, is back training and progressing well, but has been spared from competitive work. Burgoyne, acquired from Port Adelaide in a major trade back in October, has been eased into training, with the Hawks mindful of his knee cartilage problem.

Hawthorn plays Richmond in Launceston on Saturday in the opening round of the NAB Cup.

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[Mb.Eddie]

Knee surgery puts Adelaide Crows forward Brett Burton out for six weeks

HIGH-flying Crows forward Brett Burton will be grounded for up to six weeks after corrective surgery today.

Burton at 3pm had a tear in the lateral meniscus of his rebuilt left knee repaired.

The injury first flared up last month and recurred in Saturday's NAB Cup loss to Port Adelaide at AAMI Stadium.

Burton flew back from the Crows' training camp on the Gold Coast last night.

Adelaide football operations manager Phil Harper confirmed the surgery to AdelaideNow today.

"The knee blew up after a hard week on the training track three weeks ago - and settled down after five days," Harper said.

"Now, after the game, it has blown up again.

"He will be out of action for 4-6 weeks."

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[SportsFan]

Best time for it. No more Nab games for the crows.