Jeremy Howe set for surgery on injured hamstring

Collingwood defender Jeremy Howe will undergo surgery on his right hamstring after injuring it against West Coast in round five.

Howe had been recovering well from the injury and was a strong chance to return for the Magpies’ clash with the Swans this weekend.

However, the club’s GM of Football Graham Wright confirmed on Monday that Howe’s hamstring gave him grief during a training session over the weekend, putting surgery on the cards.

“On the weekend he felt a grumble and we decided to have him re-examined today,” Wright said in a statement.

“Jeremy is understandably disappointed. He put so much work into recovering from a serious knee injury in 2020 and to lose a significant part of another season hurts.”

Howe is set for a lengthy stint in the casualty ward but the possibility of a late-season return hasn’t been ruled out.

The 30-year-old’s teammates Jordan Roughead and Nathan Murphy will also sit out this week’s match against Sydney after picking up head knocks in round eight.

“The (concussion) protocols involve a fair bit more than the match day test and with all of the factors considered our doctors determined that it is in Nathan’s and Jordan’s best interests to miss,” Wright said.

They’ll join the likes of Taylor Adams, Mason Cox and Jamie Elliott on the club’s injury list.

The Magpies fought off a gallant Kangaroos outfit to claim their second win of the season on Saturday.

After the game, under-fire coach Nathan Buckley said he was pleased that his side was showing signs of improvement.

“It’s better to win. We defended the ground pretty well for the most part,” he said.

“(We) lacked a little bit of polish to go back and finish it off as much as we would’ve liked to but for the most part that was an improvement.”