Collingwood star Jordan De Goey’s leg injury could be much worse than first reported and is likely to keep the young star out for the rest of the AFL season, according to former Essendon captain Tim Watson.
The Magpies’ effort against Richmond on Saturday showed they can be a genuine flag contender, but further injuries in both the AFL and VFL have made the ultimate success look near impossible.
Matt Scharenberg’s season ended when he suffered yet another knee injury against the Tigers and Jeremy Howe suffered a nasty concussion, while star small forward Jamie Elliott left the Pies’ VFL game with yet another hamstring injury.
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The news that De Goey could be done for the year may be the straw that breaks the camel’s back.
“It seems to me that it’s very optimistic that he’ll be back in a couple of weeks,” Watson told SEN Breakfast on Monday morning.
“I was told it was very, very similar to Nathan Fyfe’s where it started out as a hairline and it may be a crack now.
“If that’s the case, it may be very doubtful that we’ll see him again this year.”
Just last Thursday coach Nathan Buckley said De Goey would miss the Richmond game and possibly Sydney this week, but that he should be good for the run into finals.
"We're told it'll be two weeks before we can get back and have a look at where that has settled," Buckley said.
"He should be right to complete the season as it stands.”
However, if Watson is proved right, it seems the weight of injuries will prove too much for Collingwood to have any realistic chance of winning through to the Grand Final.
“Collingwood has been great at covering their injury losses,” Watson’s co-host Garry Lyon said.
“They're fighting a really good fight, but I wonder at some stage whether it's going to hit them hard.”
Jamie Elliott hurt his left hamstring after laying this tackle in the @VFL today. pic.twitter.com/rnNuYdYpiJ
— AFL.com.au (@AFLcomau) July 29, 2018
Collingwood’s injury list:
Flynn Appleby Hamstring 2 weeks
Tim Broomhead Leg Season
Jordan De Goey Leg Indefinite
Lyndenn Dunn Knee Season
Jamie Elliott Hamstring To be confirmed
Tyson Goldsack Knee 2 weeks
Jeremy Howe Concussion To be confirmed
Kayle Kirby Heart Indefinite
Ben Reid Leg 2 weeks
Matt Scharenberg Knee Season
Adam Treloar Hamstrings 6 weeks
Daniel Wells Foot Season