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.
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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