Latest news with #OscarMcInerney
News.com.au
28-05-2025
- General
- News.com.au
Brisbane stars Oscar McInerney and Keidean Coleman to remain sidelined for at least another week
Lions coach Chris Fagan says there's no reason to gamble on the fitness of ruckman Oscar McInerney and defender Keidean Coleman, with the pair set to miss Brisbane's battle with Essendon at the Gabba on Thursday night. McInerney, who has a 'few issues', including a back problem, will be sidelined for a third successive match. Coleman made his long-awaited AFL return from a knee reconstruction in Brisbane's loss to Melbourne on May 18 but didn't play in the Lions' win over Hawthorn last Saturday due to swelling. 'Scans didn't reveal anything – everything's intact (with Coleman's knee),' Fagan said. 'It's just a reaction to more stress and more effort. He's improved but not enough to play. 'We've just got to look at the signs and deal with it and give them the right amount of time to come back and play. 'We're not in a rush. We've got other guys doing a good job. I was hoping 'Kiddy' would be all right for this game, but he's not, so that's the way it goes.' Fagan is happy to take a similarly cautious approach with McInerney, particularly when having premiership-winning ruckman Darcy Fort as his replacement. 'He trained really well (on Tuesday). It's the best he's moved in ages, (but) it's probably unlikely that he'll play (against Essendon),' the Lions mentor said. 'We'll give him another week. He's had quite a few different things going on as ruckman do. You do about 80 or 90 contests a game, and you keep doing that week in, week out, so we're just looking after him. 'Darcy Fort's playing really well, so we don't feel like we need to rush Oscar back into the team.' Fagan was reluctant to reveal the specifics of McInerney's fitness problems. 'He's got a few issues. It's not my job to share the details of people's injuries. It's private and confidential, he said 'We'll keep that up our sleeve. He's had a few different things going on. 'It's probably me more than anyone giving him a little bit more time because he was banged up physically and mentally. 'When you're physically banged up, it starts to affect you mentally. I'm happy to give him another week.' The Lions have tinkered with their training schedule this week after failing to fire against Collingwood earlier this season after backing up from a Saturday game on a Thursday night. 'We haven't done a lot (since beating Hawthorn on Saturday). We've just been really in recovery mode,' Fagan said. 'We had a reasonably short hitout (on Tuesday), but the good thing is everyone's recovered well from the game on the weekend, so that's all you can ask. 'We changed our schedule around a little bit. We've done training a little bit differently, so we're hoping that will help us.'
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Lions hope sore AFL star only needs the weekend off
Keidean Coleman is smarting from the "shock" of his AFL return, with Brisbane coach Chris Fagan hopeful the Lions star will only be out for one game. Coleman returned from his knee reconstruction in last weekend's loss to Melbourne and then went out of the side for the big game against Hawthorn on Saturday at the MCG. Fagan said next week's six-day break was a factor and he was upbeat about Coleman returning for the Thursday night home game against Essendon. "We just made the decision to give him a little bit longer to get ready," Fagan said on Friday. "His knee was a little bit sore as well - there's nothing sinister there - but it's all just a part and parcel of not having played at the highest level for an extended period. "We'll just see how that pans out. Hopefully he'll be right for Thursday. "He got a shock with the difference in intensity between VFL and AFL footy ... it is poles apart." Lions ruckman Oscar McInerney is also set to miss a second-straight game. He is listed as an emergency and will only play if Darcy Fort has to go out of the side. "He was pretty banged up ... it's a pretty conservative approach," Fagan said. While Brisbane's premiership defence is well-set with an 8-2 record and second spot on the ladder, they are coming of a bad last quarter against the Demons and the previous week's shock draw with North Melbourne. They also have a five-game losing streak against the Hawks, having last beaten them in 2019. But none of this is new territory for Fagan, who will coach his 200th AFL match this weekend. Fagan noted the Lions took "a bit of a punt" on him and the gamble has paid off spectacularly. What an amazing achievement 😍 — Brisbane Lions (@brisbanelions) May 22, 2025 He joined Brisbane after playing a key role in Hawthorn's four-premiership era between 2008-15, as an assistant coach and football manager. But his early days in Brisbane were hard going - Fagan noted they only won 10 of his first 44 games in charge. He called his start "ground zero". Back then, the focus was winning more quarters - then games, then seasons, ultimately finals and now premierships. "Just like every other challenge - we've had hundreds of challenges over the years and they'll always keep presenting themselves in AFL footy," Fagan said of their losing stretch against the fourth-placed Hawks. "It's all part of the ebb and flow ... sometimes these little quirky things pop up. "It's just another one of those challenges and it's no bigger or smaller than any other one we've ever faced." Fagan admitted he had allowed himself a pause to reflect on reaching the milestone. He is a rarity, having become a senior coach despite never playing in the AFL. "I probably thought I'd never coach a game of AFL, let alone 200, so ... it's pretty special for me and my family," he said.
News.com.au
23-05-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Brisbane Lions coach Chris Fagan takes no risks with Keidean Coleman and Oscar McInerney
Keidean Coleman has a 'sore' knee, but Lions coach Chris Fagan has eased fears that the Brisbane star has suffered a significant setback in his return from a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament. After making his first AFL appearance in 14 months last Sunday in Brisbane's 11-point loss to Melbourne at the Gabba, Coleman hasn't been named in the Lions team for Saturday's clash against Hawthorn at the MCG on Sunday, 'Soreness' has been given as the reason for Coleman's absence, with Fagan mindful that the Lions also have a home game on Thursday night against Essendon in not wanting to overload the 25-year-old half-back. 'We just made the decision to give him a little bit longer to get ready,' Fagan said on Friday. 'His knee was a little bit sore as well. There's nothing sinister there, but it's just all part and parcel of not having played at the highest level for a fairly extended period of time.' Before his AFL return last weekend, Coleman played two matches for Brisbane's VFL team. 'He was a little bit sore after those games but nowhere near as sore as the other day (after the AFL loss to Melbourne),' Fagan said. 'He got a shock with the difference in intensity between VFL footy and AFL footy. We all underestimate that. 'VFL is the best that we've got to prepare our players, but it is poles apart from what you get in AFL footy and the non-stop nature of it.' The Lions will also be without first-choice ruckman Oscar McInerney, who will be 'managed' for the second successive week. McInerney will travel to Melbourne as an emergency but won't play unless Darcy Fort suffers a pre-match injury. 'He's still sore. He was pretty banged up,' Fagan said before adding that the Lions were 'trying to manage things carefully' as another member of the club's ruck brigade, Henry Smith, was sidelined with a foot problem. 'We're operating with two ruckmen (Fort and McInerney) at the moment, and one of them is a bit sore. 'It's a conservative approach.' Saturday's match will he Fagan's 200th as an AFL coach after starting his top-flight coaching career with Brisbane in 2017. 'I probably never thought I'd coach a game of AFL football, let alone 200, so to get to that milestone is special for me and my family,' said the premiership-winning mentor, who was 56 when he was appointed by the Lions. 'My greatest feeling is one of gratitude to all the people who have helped me along the way, whether that be my parents, the coaches that I had as a player that I learnt from, the coaches that I worked with in the AFL, people like Neale Daniher and Alastair Clarkson and mentors that I've had, people like Phil Smyth, Danny Daly and Leigh Matthews. 'Then … the Brisbane Lions. I'm so thankful to them for giving me the opportunity. It was a bit of a punt, taking a bloke who didn't have an AFL playing background, who was a footy manager, to be their coach eight or nine years ago. 'That was a brave decision, particularly by (Lions chief executive officer) Greg Swann and then people who selected the (coaching) group. 'Then there are all the coaches, the football department staff and obviously the players. 'I wouldn't have got to 200 if it wasn't for the players, the high quality group that they are, the resilience that they've been able to show over the last eight or nine years.'
