Latest news with #JoshWeddle
Courier-Mail
5 days ago
- Sport
- Courier-Mail
AFL 2025: Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell on Cooper Hodge
Don't miss out on the headlines from AFL. Followed categories will be added to My News. Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell doesn't want to add to any pressure already facing former teammate Luke Hodge's teenage son Cooper but labelled him a 'nice talent' after seeing him train at Waverley earlier this week. Cooper Hodge, 16, spent time at the club his famous father led to three premierships before heading back to Brisbane, where he lives, having caught the eyes of plenty with a big decision looming. The teenager is an obvious father-son candidate for Hawthorn, but also is in the Brisbane academy and should he decided to enter next year's draft would have to decide which club to align himself to. Mitchell liked what he saw from Cooper, who is playing senior football in Queensland this weekend, buit refrained from entering any discussion about a possible AFL future. 'He's getting a game in the seniors at the moment, so he had to go back up to Brissy to make sure he holds his spot, they've got training tonight,' he said. 'He was with us for a few days, which was great. We've got Mark Williams' young lad out here today. Cooper Hodge plays for the Brisbane Lions Academy during the AFL National Championships. (Photo by Chris Hyde/AFL Photos/via Getty Images) 'It's great when we can see some of our father sons come down and have a run around with the boys. 'I think the thing with a guy like Coop is he's still a young man and because of his dad's fame and accolades there's a lot more pressure on him. 'The last thing I want to do is add anything to that. He was great, he is a really energetic kid, (but) he's quiet, respectful and goes about his business. 'He wants to learn, he's going to be a nice talent.' Mitchell's focus however is on the present with their campaign to finish in the top-four facing a stern test against Fremantle on Saturday in Perth. The Hawks are having to plough on without Josh Weddle who was storming away to a top finish in the Hawks' best and fairest count before going down with a stress fracture in his back. His timeline on Hawthorn's injury list remains 'to be confirmed' and he could very well miss the remainder of the 2025 season. But Mitchell says the improved and versatile Weddle is using the stint on the sidelines as a chance to advance his game and is confident he will return a better player as a result. 'At the four-week mark he'll get a scan and then you'll either rule him out for the season or say, 'We're a chance here, let's see what we can do',' he said. Hawthorn star Josh Weddle could come back from injury a better player, according to coach Sam Mitchell. Picture:'It's very easy to focus on who's not there … if you're going to lose Josh Weddle to bring in James Sicily, we'll take that and not worry too much about it. 'Any good learning for Wedds, he sat in the coaches' box and he's looking at vision – he'll be a better player when he comes back. 'Hopefully, it's this year, if not, when he comes back he'll have a greater game understanding than when he left.' Originally published as AFL 2025: Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell says there's no pressure on Cooper Hodge to choose a club
News.com.au
5 days ago
- Sport
- News.com.au
AFL 2025: Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell on Josh Weddle and Cooper Hodge
Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell says the recent injury setback to young star Josh Weddle has allowed the dashing defender to sharpen his game. Weddle was storming away to a top finish in the Hawks' best and fairest count before going down with a stress fracture in his back. His timeline on Hawthorn's injury list remains 'to be confirmed' and he could very well miss the remainder of the 2025 season. But Mitchell says the improved and versatile Weddle is using the stint on the sidelines as a chance to advance his game and is confident he will return a better player as a result. 'At the four-week mark he'll get a scan and then you'll either rule him out for the season or say, 'We're a chance here, let's see what we can do',' he said. 'It's very easy to focus on who's not there … if you're going to lose Josh Weddle to bring in James Sicily, we'll take that and not worry too much about it. 'Any good learning for Wedds, he sat in the coaches' box and he's looking at vision – he'll be a better player when he comes back. 'Hopefully, it's this year, if not, when he comes back he'll have a greater game understanding than when he left.' The Hawks have another young star in their sights, with father-son prospect Cooper Hodge training at Waverley earlier this week. Hodge is the son of AFL great and club champion Luke Hodge, who won four premierships in the brown and gold. The son of a gun will have to choose between his eligibility as a Hawk through the father-son ruling and Brisbane as an Academy product. Mitchell says the son of his former premiership teammate looks a 'nice talent', but he will resist heaping pressure on the teenager. 'He's getting a game in the seniors at the moment, so he had to go back up to Brissy to make sure he holds his spot, they've got training tonight,' he said. 'He was with us for a few days, which was great. We've got Mark Williams' young lad out here today. 'It's great when we can see some of our father sons come down and have a run around with the boys. 'I think the thing with a guy like Coop is he's still a young man and because of his dad's fame and accolades there's a lot more pressure on him. 'The last thing I want to do is add anything to that. He was great, he is a really energetic kid, (but) he's quiet, respectful and goes about his business. 'He wants to learn, he's going to be a nice talent.'
News.com.au
03-07-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Hawthorn not concerned about training loads and programs despite Josh Weddle's back injury
Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell concedes Josh Weddle may not play again in 2025 no matter how deep into September the Hawks go as he confirmed captain James Sicily was set to return against St Kilda on Saturday. After Weddle reported soreness following last weekend's win in Tasmania, scans revealed he had a bone stress reaction in his back and he was immediately sidelined for an extended period. Medical staff wouldn't rule the 21-year-old out for the entire season, but Mitchell revealed on Thursday that he was planning without Weddle in mind, knowing his response to treatment would determine his availability, and no risks would be taken no matter where the Hawks' premiership ambitions lay. 'He pulled up from the game pretty sore in his back, and as you do, you get a scan and obviously a disappointing result. Realistically, we don't know and we won't know for a month,' Mitchell said. 'We've had a couple of these: Will McCabe came in with some back trouble and Calsher (Dear) at the start of the year. It's reasonably similar; the process is wait a month, don't do much in that time, rescan it and see how it's gone. 'If in a month's time there is a bit of healing and it's on the right track, that will keep the door open for the season. 'If in a month's time they rescan and it doesn't look as progressed as they would have liked, then they will rule him out.' Mitchell said the club would 'look into' anything in the training program that might be contributing to back issues but was overall happy with his club's medical staff. 'That's three over a couple of years now. Is that worth something changing too much? Probably not,' he said. Sicily hasn't played since round 12 after succumbing to a nagging hip issue that impacted his normally proficient kicking during a run of three-straight losses. He had some work done but did not undergo surgery and Mitchell said both Sicily and James Worpel, who has been sidelined since round 14 with a bad cork, needed to get through Thursday's training and then 'wake up well' to take on the Saints. 'It is probably more how they wake up tomorrow, so even if they get through training today we'll name them, but for both of those guys, how they wake up the next day is important,' Mitchell said. 'Worpel's corkie ended up being quite a nasty bleed. He is as professional and as diligent a player that we have. He has done a good job to get back this quickly; I don't think anyone would have got back quicker.' Gun midfielder Will Day has also stepped up his training workload this week and is targeting a return to the team by round 20 after overcoming a stress fracture in his foot.
News.com.au
01-07-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Hawthorn star Josh Weddle could miss rest of home and away season with back injury
Hawthorn hope the early detection of a stress fracture in star playmaker Josh Weddle's back will help him be back before the finals but not before he misses most, if not all, of the final eight games of the season. After reporting soreness following last Saturday's big win over North Melbourne in Launceston, the 21-year-old was sent for scans. They revealed early stages of lumbar bone stress and Hawthorn doctor Liam West said depending on how Weddle responded to treatment, he could yet return to play in the finals series. 'We will need to take some time to deload Josh during this initial phase before we can identify just how long he will be sidelined for,' Dr West said. 'Given how early the injury was discovered, we are hopeful he can return to play before the end of the season. 'While this is obviously disappointing for Josh, our priority right now is taking a careful and cautious approach to ensure Josh makes a safe return but as quickly as possible. 'We will ensure to provide further updates on Josh's injury as soon as we can.' The Hawks have eight more games before finals, making Weddle's return tight.
