Injury cloud on key Bombers
5:17:54 PM Wed 7 May, 2003
Barry Levinson
afl.com.au
Essendon could face injury-hit Richmond with an equally-depleted side when the teams clash at the MCG on Saturday.
Already without speedy wingman Adam Ramanauskas - still recovering from surgery to remove a benign growth - the Bombers have six regular senior players under a fitness cloud, including two of their biggest names.
Star full-back Dustin Fletcher did not train at Windy Hill on Wednesday afternoon due to an ankle injury and will not play, while captain James Hird spent much of the session speaking to club medical staff about his leg injury.
“It’s not actually a thigh,” coach Kevin Sheedy said of Hird’s concern. “It’s a leg muscle that makes it annoying for him to run properly.”
Sheedy said his brilliant skipper was still a chance to line-up against the Tigers, but midfielder Dean Rioli will miss with a hamstring strain.
Paul Barnard (hamstring) and Mark Mercuri (knee) – both late withdrawals last week – are hopeful of playing, while goalsneak Damian Cupido is expected to play despite joining the session late.
But Sheedy felt the Bombers were fortunate that Fletcher would only miss one match, after initially fearing the worst when he limped off in the loss to Fremantle last Sunday.
“When Dustin Fletcher went down, we probably thought he’d be out for two or three months, but it’s much better than that. If he misses this week he’ll play the next week.”
Jason Winderlich, a lightly-built 18 year-old from Thorpdale, via the Gippsland Power, will debut for the Bombers on Saturday.
“Out of that situation an opportunity can develop for a young player,” Sheedy said. “We’ll play a first-gamer this week, Jason Winderlich.
“He’s a pretty good little player. He’s a Mark Johnson – Jason Johnson style.”
Winderlich will don the number eight guernsey, the number worn proudly at Essendon by his coach at Gippsland, Darren Bewick.
Sheedy revealed that the youngster spent a game in the coaches’ box a fortnight ago, as part of his football education. Jordon Bannister and Ramanauskas have also recently been afforded the same experience.
“It’s another way to develop your players by bringing them into the box and try to fast-track their capacity to understand the game and their ability to play along with what coaches want.”
The Tigers will be missing captain Wayne Campbell, Matthew Richardson, Brad Ottens, Justin Blumfield, Ben Holland and Adam Houlihan from their best 22.
Sheedy said that other than Brisbane and Port Adelaide - who he nominated as the best two teams in the competition – all clubs will be jockeying for the remaining six spots in the top eight in the run home to the finals.
“At the moment Brisbane is up there, Port’s climbing the ladder and everyone else is in the middle order,” he said.
“You’ve probably got 14 coaches trying to get there at the present time. I’d say that at the moment you’d have to consider that Brisbane and Port will be one-two (and) everyone else is trying to develop their team to get in the ball park.”
5:17:54 PM Wed 7 May, 2003
Barry Levinson
afl.com.au
Essendon could face injury-hit Richmond with an equally-depleted side when the teams clash at the MCG on Saturday.
Already without speedy wingman Adam Ramanauskas - still recovering from surgery to remove a benign growth - the Bombers have six regular senior players under a fitness cloud, including two of their biggest names.
Star full-back Dustin Fletcher did not train at Windy Hill on Wednesday afternoon due to an ankle injury and will not play, while captain James Hird spent much of the session speaking to club medical staff about his leg injury.
“It’s not actually a thigh,” coach Kevin Sheedy said of Hird’s concern. “It’s a leg muscle that makes it annoying for him to run properly.”
Sheedy said his brilliant skipper was still a chance to line-up against the Tigers, but midfielder Dean Rioli will miss with a hamstring strain.
Paul Barnard (hamstring) and Mark Mercuri (knee) – both late withdrawals last week – are hopeful of playing, while goalsneak Damian Cupido is expected to play despite joining the session late.
But Sheedy felt the Bombers were fortunate that Fletcher would only miss one match, after initially fearing the worst when he limped off in the loss to Fremantle last Sunday.
“When Dustin Fletcher went down, we probably thought he’d be out for two or three months, but it’s much better than that. If he misses this week he’ll play the next week.”
Jason Winderlich, a lightly-built 18 year-old from Thorpdale, via the Gippsland Power, will debut for the Bombers on Saturday.
“Out of that situation an opportunity can develop for a young player,” Sheedy said. “We’ll play a first-gamer this week, Jason Winderlich.
“He’s a pretty good little player. He’s a Mark Johnson – Jason Johnson style.”
Winderlich will don the number eight guernsey, the number worn proudly at Essendon by his coach at Gippsland, Darren Bewick.
Sheedy revealed that the youngster spent a game in the coaches’ box a fortnight ago, as part of his football education. Jordon Bannister and Ramanauskas have also recently been afforded the same experience.
“It’s another way to develop your players by bringing them into the box and try to fast-track their capacity to understand the game and their ability to play along with what coaches want.”
The Tigers will be missing captain Wayne Campbell, Matthew Richardson, Brad Ottens, Justin Blumfield, Ben Holland and Adam Houlihan from their best 22.
Sheedy said that other than Brisbane and Port Adelaide - who he nominated as the best two teams in the competition – all clubs will be jockeying for the remaining six spots in the top eight in the run home to the finals.
“At the moment Brisbane is up there, Port’s climbing the ladder and everyone else is in the middle order,” he said.
“You’ve probably got 14 coaches trying to get there at the present time. I’d say that at the moment you’d have to consider that Brisbane and Port will be one-two (and) everyone else is trying to develop their team to get in the ball park.”
