Round 8 AFL teams: All the latest selection news and updates
Buku #Buku
Hawthorn will give key playmakers Jaeger O’Meara and Chad Wingard every possible chance of proving their fitness ahead of Sunday’s clash with West Coast at the MCG.
But veteran Hawk Shaun Burgoyne faces at least another week on the sidelines.
O’Meara and Wingard, who both missed last week’s thrashing at the hands of St Kilda, were put through a key training session at Waverley on Thursday.
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Coach Alastair Clarkson said the club would monitor their progress and was hopeful of playing against the Eagles, but stressed the club won’t be taking any unnecessary risks.
“We are hoping (they will play), they will both train and we will see how they go,” Clarkson said. “They have both had sore spots that you normally would be able to carry in games … particularly (with) Jaeger (whose injury) is around the hip and groin area.
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“But if there is any doubt on them, there is not much point taking a risk with them … there is still a long season to go.
“If they slip over the edge in terms of their injuries, they could miss a period of time and we don’t want that.”
O’Meara’s injury is hip and groin-related, while Wingard has some delayed onset muscle soreness.
Clarkson hopes Burgoyne will return from an ankle injury next week.
“We were hopeful when he first did that injury that it would only be the (one) week, but when they assessed him, they thought it was going to be two weeks.” he said.
“(Hopefully) he will be back next week.”
DOGS GIVE NEXT GEN STAR DEBUT
Western Bulldogs will unveil their first ever Next Generation Academy product on Sunday – but it is not Jamarra Ugle-Hagan.
The Herald Sun can reveal South Sudanese rookie Buku Khamis will become the fourth Bulldog to make his AFL debut in 2021 when he lines up against Carlton.
It will be one of football’s more remarkable stories this season. Khamis, 21, spent time in a refugee camp in Kenya before arriving in Australia in 2006 with his parents and brothers.
The athletic 190cm defender from St Albans could match-up on Jack Silvagni, who is available to return for the Blues.
“First and foremost Buku is an outstanding person,” full-back Alex Keath told the Herald Sun.
“The reception he got when everyone heard he was playing his first game was up there with the loudest and proudest I’ve heard.
“He’s genuinely much-loved by the players and everybody knows how hard he’s worked.”
Khamis has averaged 86 SuperCoach points in the VFL as a rebounding backman this season.
It was a heartwarming day at the kennel on Thursday.
Premiership forward Toby McLean’s rapid recovery from a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament ticked another milestone as he joined in full training for the first time.
The 6-1 Dogs trained strongly at Whitten Oval as they look to bounce back against the Blues.
BEVERIDGE GIVES TIMELINE ON TOP PICK’S AFL DEBUT
Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge said Jamarra Ugle-Hagan was about a month away from making his AFL debut, confirming he would line up in Sunday’s VFL curtain-raiser against Carlton at Whitten Oval.
The number-one pick from the 2020 national draft pick booted seven goals in the first two rounds of the VFL season but had a quieter outing in Footscray’s win last weekend, finishing with 10 touches and one major against Northern Blues.
“He’s missed a lot of footy (in 2020),” Beveridge said.
“He’s played the five or six (VFL) games now, so his match fitness is getting up to the point where it’s getting close to being able to endure at the next level.
“But it’s not there yet.”
Beveridge said Josh Schache’s final quarter against Richmond was “encouraging” and he hoped the key forward would remain in the team against the Blues at Marvel Stadium.
Tim English is likely to return from concussion, having trained behind closed doors on Thursday.
The Blues’ biggest wins of 2020 and 2019 both easily came against the Dogs, by 52 and 44 points respectively.
Beveridge said ruckman Marc Pittonet’s dominance helped the Blues’ midfield give the Dogs a “hiding” last year.
Win for fans: AFL set to restore teams tradition
—Mark Robinson
Teams look set to be once again named on Thursday night after a raft of complaints from media and fans.
An AFL spokesperson confirmed Tuesday the issue was an agenda item at its meeting with club chief executives on Tuesday.
It’s understood the push is being led by AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan.
The spokesperson said the league was aware of the backlash after a policy change this year allowed clubs to name their teams the night before their game.
Historically, teams for the round were all named on Thursday night.
Tipping and SuperCoach competitions were drastically affected by the new policy.
It’s not expected to be in place this Thursday night, but it’s possible a return to normal teams night will come in for Round 9.
“I think the AFL is looking to bring that back in and the clubs were fine with that. I’m not sure how quickly they’re going to do it, but they’re certainly heading down that path,” Brisbane Lions CEO Greg Swann said on Tuesday.
“It was certainly discussed today and everybody was in agreement so I assume someone will be working on how that happens and we’ll get a memo asking for the teams on Thursday and that’s what we will do,” he said on SEN.
“It’s a strange one, we know why (teams were named the day before a game last year) because of four or five days breaks but now we’ve gone back to a more traditional draw that it’s going to come back in.”
DUSTY BACK, TIGERS STAR CONCUSSED
– Sam Landsberger, Michael Warner
Dylan Grimes has become the 30th player to be diagnosed with concussion this season and must sit out Friday night’s clash against Geelong under AFL protocols.
Grimes played out Friday night’s win against Western Bulldogs and Richmond doctor Greg Hickey remains unsure how or when the star defender suffered the brain injury.
Grimes reported “some symptoms that were consistent with concussion” at Punt Rd on Saturday morning.
“The doctor naturally had to look a little bit deeper into it because there was no obvious incident from the game,” Tigers fitness boss Peter Burge said on Monday.
“But his symptoms were consistent with some kind of concussion episode. He now falls into the AFL concussion protocol and will miss this week’s game.”
It comes as Richmond superstar Dustin Martin was back at training on Monday and will return to the senior team against the Cats.
Martin, 29, missed Friday night’s win over the Western Bulldogs with concussion and took advantage of the weekend off to visit his father in New Zealand.
Richmond will have another big name out for the Grand Final rematch after scans on skipper Trent Cotchin’s hamstring, injured in the final minutes against the Bulldogs, have revealed a “medium-term” strain.
The Tigers will be ultra-cautious with Cotchin given his long history of hamstring injuries, meaning he could miss up to a month of football.
Martin ran laps and did some light ball work during Monday’s session and will have served the 12-day concussion protocol period in time for the clash against the Cats.
Star defender Nick Vlastuin, missing since injuring his knee against Carlton in Round 1, is also a chance to return on Friday night.
That means there could be another unlucky player to come out of the team that had a rousing win against the Western Bulldogs.
Midfielders Dion Prestia (calf) and Kane Lambert (calf) are a few weeks away.
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