Brownlow winner's year-long absence to end
Brownlow medallist Tom Mitchell is set to make his long-awaited return with Collingwood's VFL side this weekend on managed minutes after finally overcoming a foot injury.
Mitchell, 30, hasn't played at AFL level since Anzac Day in 2024, with his Saturday appearance ending a 380-day absence from the field.
As well as his foot injury, Mitchell, who won his Brownlow medal in 2018,also had his appendix removed last year and will build his way back up to AFL level.
'Tom has one more training session to get through,' Collingwood's Head of High Performance, Jarrod Wade said,
'If all clear, he will play limited minutes on Saturday, with the plan to increase game time over the coming weeks. Tom Mitchell last played AFL on Anzac Day, 2024. Mark Stewart Credit: News Corp Australia
ESSENDON has lost star defender Jordan Ridley for eight weeks with a bad hamstring strain suffered in the win over North Melbourne which also resulted in a bad ankle injury to forward Harrison Jones with his return yet to be decided.
Jade Gresham will also miss a week with a low-grade adductor strain but key midfielder Jye Caldwell has been cleared to make his return from a hamstring injury.
The 24-year-old hasn't featured since round three.
The Brisbane Lions will be without forward Sam Day for six weeks after he injured his hamstring in Saturday's Q-clash win over his old side the Gold Coast Suns.
Day was subbed out during the first quarter and back running at training on Tuesday but was sent for scans which confirmed a bad hamstring strain
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Brisbane premiership coach Chris Fagan made a presentation to the AFL commission late last year, while league chief executive Andrew Dillon has had a series of meetings in the past few weeks with senior coaches. "The soft cap is in place to provide some guard rails, such that each club can afford to put together a competitive football program," Dillon said. "How clubs choose to allocate and spend it across their football department is at their discretion to suit their specific circumstances. "Coaches are key leaders who play a pivotal role in our game and at their clubs. This additional soft cap space, earning capacity and support, recognises this importance. "The meetings we have had across the year allowed me to see first-hand their passion for the game and pressures associated with being a coach in such a high-profile role." Coaches' association chief executive Alistair Nicholson welcomed the changes, also noting the league would provide more detail soon. 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