Blues midfielder under new umpire contact rules; Dons lose two talented forwards as injury crisis deepens
Bombers injury woes deepen
Essendon's lengthy injury list grew longer on Tuesday, with news that emerging star Nate Caddy and fellow forward Ben Hobbs were unavailable for the Thursday-night game against Greater Western Sydney.
With the young pair sidelined, the Bombers have 14 players listed as unavailable for the prime-time match – almost 30 per cent of their extended playing list of 47.
The Bombers said Caddy had 'pulled up sore' from the weekend's loss to Richmond and would miss the game, while Hobbs will absent because of a minor groin injury. The short turnaround from Saturday night's game to the clash with GWS on Thursday was part of the reason both players were ruled out, with the club expecting them both to be available the following week against the Western Bulldogs.
The Bombers had already lost Will Setterfield and Nic Martin from the team that played the Tigers last week for the rest of the season. Setterfield sustained a Lisfranc foot injury which requires surgery, while Nic Martin is to undergo a knee reconstruction next week after tearing his ACL.
The Bombers injury list was already extensive, with just half the players who filled the top-10 in their best and fairest award last season unavailable for selection. In a cruel twist of fate for the Dons, Jake Stringer (ninth in last year's best and fairest award) will be a key player for GWS on Thursday, having returned to his best form with four goals against Geelong last week after his own injury woes earlier this season.
Searching for positive news, the Bombers said Mason Redman recovered well after his return game from a hamstring injury, while came back through the VFL team without mishap.
The Giants, meanwhile, will welcome back veteran Stephen Coniglio for his long-awaited AFL return, but will be without midfielder Josh Kelly, who has a recurring hip complaint, and spearhead Jesse Hogan.
Coniglio is set to line-up against Essendon after spending 15 weeks on the sidelines.
The 31-year-old has not played at AFL level since round three after suffering a glute complaint stemming from a nerve issue.
Coniglio, who was originally slated to miss just one week, returns to the senior team after a two-week stint in the VFL.
'I think 'Cogs' will be good. He got through main training today, felt really good,' Giants coach Adam Kingsley said on Tuesday.
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'He's had two games back. We think he's probably ready to go, so I'd expect to see him.'
The Giants will hope Coniglio's return will soften the blow of losing both Jesse Hogan and Kelly.
With Hogan already confirmed out with a foot injury following their 26-point win over Geelong, Kingsley was forced to also rest Kelly.
'His hip is giving him a little bit of grief, so we need to give him a week off,' Kingsley said.
'It (the hip injury) settles, but it's something that's ongoing.
'We need to manage him, and this may not be the last game that he misses for the remainder of the season.
'We'll just sort of play it symptomatically, and a little bit like Jesse, you've got to make the calls when you think you need to make the call.'
All-Australian defender Sam Taylor remains on the sidelines for at least one more week with a fractured toe.
Elsewhere, Gold Coast will be without Touk Miller for at least three weeks.
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The fifth-placed Suns lose the in-form midfielder ahead of a tough two-game stretch against top-eight teams Adelaide and Brisbane.
Miller had suffered the injury in the second quarter of their thrilling six-point win over Collingwood.
The 29-year-old has averaged 25.3 disposals and 5.4 clearances in a star-studded midfield including Matt Rowell and Noah Anderson.
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The Age
9 hours ago
- The Age
A mid-season competition: Footy's next frontier, or AFLX 2.0?
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The Advertiser
11 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Swan stakes All-Australian claim in win over Bombers
Sydney have handed Essendon a ninth consecutive loss, defeating the Bombers by 14 points in a scrappy contest in slippery conditions at the superstar Errol Gulden kicked the first goal of the game in his 100th AFL match, and the hosts were never headed thereafter, cruising to a 9.14 (68) to 7.12 (54) win on Saturday. Ruckman Brodie Grundy continued his excellent form, giving Sydney's midfielders first use around stoppages while winning 13 clearances and 39 disposals, including 16 in the final 31-year-old has polled coaches' votes in his last seven games and is making a late run as a contender for the All-Australian ruck mantle. "Not only his ability to cover the ground, but his intensity around the ball has been a big highlight for a long period of time," Sydney coach Dean Cox said post-match. "He's had a very, very impressive season." With Nick Blakey (28 disposals, 678m gained) controlling play from the back half, and Gulden (30 disposals, 575m gained) and Isaac Heeney (28 disposals, 14 contested) dominant through the middle, the Swans never looked like losing. Sydney lacked an obvious focal point in attack, with Joel Amartey, Logan McDonald and Hayden McLean on the sidelines, but found goals through Braeden Campbell and Justin McInerney, who kicked two each. Jack Buller's classy drop punt goal from a set shot on the boundary was a rare highlight on a scrappy day where the two sides combined for 26 behinds and only 16 goals. Livewire Tom Papley managed just one goal and was well-held by first-gamer Jayden Nguyen, Essendon's 14th debutant for 2025. Essendon battled hard around the contest throughout, finishing with just eight fewer contested possessions, six more tackles and four more clearances than the Swans. But the gap in class was clear when it came to ball use. The Swans had 115 more uncontested disposals, and were able to change angles and string together chains of handballs, while the Bombers were impotent with the ball in 16 players unavailable due to injury, Essendon looked undermanned and often uninspired, regularly kicking the ball long down the line for little reward on the scoreboard."We fought hard but there are just a lot of things we've got to improve on," Bombers coach Brad Scott said. "I don't think our supporters would've watched that and thought there was a lack of effort from our players - maybe a lack of class and experience, but we'll keep working on that." Essendon managed just four goals to three-quarter time, but mounted a late challenge in the final term through goals from Mason Redman, Isaac Kako and Lachie Blakiston. But with the margin trimmed to 13 points, Sydney settled and took control, slowing down play and chipping the ball around to wind down the clock for the final 10 minutes. Sam Durham battled manfully for the Bombers, while Rising Star contender Archie Roberts showed great composure in the back half. In an unusual sight, play was stopped for a short period in the first quarter while a grounds-keeper took to the field to fill a hole in the ground with sand. It's not the first issue the SCG has had with its surface this year, with the ground called into question after Sydney's round 16 loss to the Western Bulldogs, in which players continually slipped over. Finals is out of the equation for Sydney, but the Swans are desperate to head into 2026 with confidence and momentum. "I didn't find it tough to get motivated," Cox said. "As a footy club we have to finish the year off as well as we possibly can." 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With Nick Blakey (28 disposals, 678m gained) controlling play from the back half, and Gulden (30 disposals, 575m gained) and Isaac Heeney (28 disposals, 14 contested) dominant through the middle, the Swans never looked like losing. Sydney lacked an obvious focal point in attack, with Joel Amartey, Logan McDonald and Hayden McLean on the sidelines, but found goals through Braeden Campbell and Justin McInerney, who kicked two each. Jack Buller's classy drop punt goal from a set shot on the boundary was a rare highlight on a scrappy day where the two sides combined for 26 behinds and only 16 goals. Livewire Tom Papley managed just one goal and was well-held by first-gamer Jayden Nguyen, Essendon's 14th debutant for 2025. Essendon battled hard around the contest throughout, finishing with just eight fewer contested possessions, six more tackles and four more clearances than the Swans. But the gap in class was clear when it came to ball use. The Swans had 115 more uncontested disposals, and were able to change angles and string together chains of handballs, while the Bombers were impotent with the ball in 16 players unavailable due to injury, Essendon looked undermanned and often uninspired, regularly kicking the ball long down the line for little reward on the scoreboard."We fought hard but there are just a lot of things we've got to improve on," Bombers coach Brad Scott said. "I don't think our supporters would've watched that and thought there was a lack of effort from our players - maybe a lack of class and experience, but we'll keep working on that." Essendon managed just four goals to three-quarter time, but mounted a late challenge in the final term through goals from Mason Redman, Isaac Kako and Lachie Blakiston. But with the margin trimmed to 13 points, Sydney settled and took control, slowing down play and chipping the ball around to wind down the clock for the final 10 minutes. Sam Durham battled manfully for the Bombers, while Rising Star contender Archie Roberts showed great composure in the back half. In an unusual sight, play was stopped for a short period in the first quarter while a grounds-keeper took to the field to fill a hole in the ground with sand. It's not the first issue the SCG has had with its surface this year, with the ground called into question after Sydney's round 16 loss to the Western Bulldogs, in which players continually slipped over. Finals is out of the equation for Sydney, but the Swans are desperate to head into 2026 with confidence and momentum. "I didn't find it tough to get motivated," Cox said. "As a footy club we have to finish the year off as well as we possibly can." Sydney have handed Essendon a ninth consecutive loss, defeating the Bombers by 14 points in a scrappy contest in slippery conditions at the superstar Errol Gulden kicked the first goal of the game in his 100th AFL match, and the hosts were never headed thereafter, cruising to a 9.14 (68) to 7.12 (54) win on Saturday. Ruckman Brodie Grundy continued his excellent form, giving Sydney's midfielders first use around stoppages while winning 13 clearances and 39 disposals, including 16 in the final 31-year-old has polled coaches' votes in his last seven games and is making a late run as a contender for the All-Australian ruck mantle. "Not only his ability to cover the ground, but his intensity around the ball has been a big highlight for a long period of time," Sydney coach Dean Cox said post-match. "He's had a very, very impressive season." With Nick Blakey (28 disposals, 678m gained) controlling play from the back half, and Gulden (30 disposals, 575m gained) and Isaac Heeney (28 disposals, 14 contested) dominant through the middle, the Swans never looked like losing. Sydney lacked an obvious focal point in attack, with Joel Amartey, Logan McDonald and Hayden McLean on the sidelines, but found goals through Braeden Campbell and Justin McInerney, who kicked two each. Jack Buller's classy drop punt goal from a set shot on the boundary was a rare highlight on a scrappy day where the two sides combined for 26 behinds and only 16 goals. Livewire Tom Papley managed just one goal and was well-held by first-gamer Jayden Nguyen, Essendon's 14th debutant for 2025. Essendon battled hard around the contest throughout, finishing with just eight fewer contested possessions, six more tackles and four more clearances than the Swans. But the gap in class was clear when it came to ball use. The Swans had 115 more uncontested disposals, and were able to change angles and string together chains of handballs, while the Bombers were impotent with the ball in 16 players unavailable due to injury, Essendon looked undermanned and often uninspired, regularly kicking the ball long down the line for little reward on the scoreboard."We fought hard but there are just a lot of things we've got to improve on," Bombers coach Brad Scott said. "I don't think our supporters would've watched that and thought there was a lack of effort from our players - maybe a lack of class and experience, but we'll keep working on that." Essendon managed just four goals to three-quarter time, but mounted a late challenge in the final term through goals from Mason Redman, Isaac Kako and Lachie Blakiston. But with the margin trimmed to 13 points, Sydney settled and took control, slowing down play and chipping the ball around to wind down the clock for the final 10 minutes. Sam Durham battled manfully for the Bombers, while Rising Star contender Archie Roberts showed great composure in the back half. In an unusual sight, play was stopped for a short period in the first quarter while a grounds-keeper took to the field to fill a hole in the ground with sand. It's not the first issue the SCG has had with its surface this year, with the ground called into question after Sydney's round 16 loss to the Western Bulldogs, in which players continually slipped over. Finals is out of the equation for Sydney, but the Swans are desperate to head into 2026 with confidence and momentum. "I didn't find it tough to get motivated," Cox said. "As a footy club we have to finish the year off as well as we possibly can."
Sydney Morning Herald
16 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Scrappy Swans get the job done over Essendon in Gulden's 100th
If anybody needed a metaphor for Sydney's 2025 season, it came in the form of a paint bucket filled with sand. When, about 10 minutes into Saturday's wild and briefly wet 14-point defeat of Essendon, a work-booted groundsman lolloped onto the field and out to the centre square, then reached into the weathered white bucket and used its contents to fill a pronounced divot in the SCG pitch. A mid-game turf repair at a venue notorious all year for its patchy surface since that Andrea Bocelli concert in April. A venue that is also the Swans' home ground in their own fitful campaign that was confirmed as fruitless even before the bounce. Last weekend's capitulation to crosstown rivals GWS hammered the final nail in the coffin of a tough first year for coach Dean Cox marked by relentless injuries and dampened confidence. On Saturday everything was a bit damp, and the weather could not be held solely responsible for the poor kicking and lacklustre play as both sides saw out this consolation clash in front of a comparatively sparse crowd by Swans standards. And the younger among the 20,805 who turned up to watch the hosts withstand a nervy late Bombers comeback, a win that's building towards nothing must feel kind of foreign. This time last year, the Swans were headed for a 24th finals campaign in 29 years. Here they bettered the Bombers in the bleak knowledge that this September will not feature any footy for only the sixth time in the last 30 years. Only the rusted-on of pre-1996 – the year John Howard was elected prime minister and The Wiggles released Wake Up Jeff! – will fully understand the half a century of pain before it, dating back to the Bloodbath grand final of 1945.
