West Coast Eagles captain Luke Shuey could face a month on the sidelines as a result of an ankle injury suffered in the round six loss to Port Adelaide last Saturday at Adelaide Oval.
Shuey had his leg caught underneath an opponent when tackled in the first quarter and limped from the ground. While he received treatment and bravely returned, he was ultimately subbed out of the game in the third term.
While the ankle injury is the major concern, Shuey also reported tightness in a hamstring and the club’s medical staff will continue to explore the reasons behind that issue while the skipper is on the sidelines.
Head of health Mark Finucane said the club would continue to be conservative with Shuey’s rehabilitation.
“Luke got caught up in the tackle in the first quarter and injured his ankle,” Finucane said as part of the club’s weekly injury review. “After some treatment it was re-taped he went back out but just felt like he couldn’t function to the level required, so he was subbed out.
“After the game he cooled down and unfortunately he’s aware of some hamstring tightness as well. With the scan results of the ankle, the ligament damage and some bone bruising, we are going to take a cautious approach with Luke both with the ankle injury and his soft tissue history.”
The outlook is more optimistic for former captain Shannon Hurn, who is likely to return for the clash with Carlton on Saturday night. And a handful of emerging players are also making strong progress.
“Shannon is a test this week. He just needs to get through training, he did some extra training today and (if he completes) main training later in the week he will be available for Saturday.”
Young midfielders Campbell Chesser and Elijah Hewett, small forward Noah Long and defenders Brady Hough and Coby Burgiel are all making positive progress and should resume in the next three to four weeks.
Chesser, who injured a knee against Fremantle in the middle of a horror 30-minute injury run in round three, is out of the knee brace and is moving unimpeded with straight line running as he prepares to increase his agility and football content.
Hough is a chance to be available next week, Long and Burgiel are increasing their training intensity and Hewett is also on the mend after an ankle injury. He has been given the all-clear from medical staff to cast aside a moon boot.
“Noah has taken a little while for the hamstring to settle down, but he’s now comfortable and running strongly,” Finucane said. “We won’t take any risks with our first-year players and he will take the time to progress through a fully program.
“Coby is similar and we’re just taking a precautionary approach so he will go through a reconditioning and rehabilitation block.
“Elijah has again been the professional athlete and he has looked after it nicely, so hopefully we see him playing in the next couple of weeks.”
The outlook is also encouraging for three premiership stars with Dom Sheed, seeing a specialist this week about his throat injury, Jeremy McGovern moving into the walk/jog phase after major hamstring surgery and Elliot Yeo stepping up his program.
Coby Burgiel Hamstring 3-4 weeks
Campbell Chesser Knee 2-3 weeks
Tom Cole Ankle TBC
Jamie Cripps Ankle 12-14 weeks
Harry Edwards Wrist 2-3 weeks
Elijah Hewett Ankle 2-3 weeks
Brady Hough Hamstring 1-2 weeks
Shannon Hurn Managed Test
Noah Long Hamstring 2-3 weeks
Jeremy McGovern Hamstring 7-8 weeks
Nic Naitanui Achilles 7-8 weeks
Liam Ryan Hamstring 10-12 weeks
Dom Sheed Throat TBC
Luke Shuey Ankle / Hamstring 4-5 weeks
Jack Williams Spleen 3-4 weeks
Isiah Winder Knee TBC
Elliot Yeo Groin 3-4 weeks
