Injury List

Collingwood News

Collingwood v Carlton Friday July 5, 7.50pm MCG 7mate / Fox Footy 7.30pm Weather: Min 8 Max 13 Chance of rain 50%: 1-5mm Wind: NNW 29kph Betting: Collingwood $1.95 Carlton $1.85

INJURY LIST AS OF TUESDAY 2 JULY 2013
Name	Injury	Estimated Return
Dayne Beams	Quad	Test
Tyson Goldsack	Hip	Test
Darren Jolly	Toe	Test
Ben Reid	Hamstring	Test
Alan Didak	Calf	1-2 weeks
Ben Johnson	Calf	1-2 weeks
Jack Frost	Knee	1-2 weeks
Alex Fasolo	Foot	Indefinite
Dale Thomas	Ankle	Indefinite
Michael Hartley	Shoulder	Season
Alan Toovey	Knee	Season

Collingwood News Reigning Best and Fairest winner Dayne Beams is on the verge of making a long awaited return to footy after he was named a possible starter to face Box Hill in the VFL on Saturday. After enjoying a breakout season last year, Beams’ follow-up campaign has been blighted by injury, with a quadriceps concern sustained on the eve of round one conspiring to consign the All-Australian midfielder to the sidelines. Whilst Beams has sat on the cusp of a comeback only to have his hopes dashed by an injury relapse, the 23-year old has benefitted from a conservative approach to his rehabilitation which has seen him declared a contender for VFL action should he pass a fitness test later in the week. Beams’ potential return is merely but one of the bright stories to emerge from the Westpac Centre this week amid the gloom of Saturday’s loss to Port Adelaide, with Darren Jolly and Ben Reid in line for a swift recall to senior action if provided clearance by Collingwood’s medical staff. Ruled out from selection for the Port Adelaide clash due to hamstring tightness, Reid’s potential inclusion will bolster a Magpie backline which struggled under the sheer weight of pressure applied the Power, and likely to replicated in some way by Carlton at the MCG on Friday. A return for Jolly meanwhile would present coach Nathan Buckley with a welcome selection dilemma after Ben Hudson once again deputised admirably, stepping into the void as lead ruckman. On the VFL front, Tyson Goldsack may join Beams in featuring at Box Hill Oval, with the 2010 Premiership player recovering sufficiently to merit consideration, once again pending successful completion of testing. Evaluating the state of Collingwood’s injury list, coach Nathan Buckley was equivocal, reflecting that he may not be able to field his strongest side until the dying weeks of the season. “We're running out of time in regards to getting some momentum going. We don't want to be waiting until round 21 or 22 to be putting our best side together,” he said. “We've missed Beamsy. We have missed Goldy, but it has to be case by case. If they are right to go, they will come in. If not they will get an extra week.” Alan Didak (calf), Ben Johnson (calf) and Jack Frost (knee) remain at least fortnight away from availability, while Alex Fasolo (foot) and Dale Thomas (ankle) are out indefinitely. Young forward Michael Hartley joins Alan Toovey as a season-long casualty due to a shoulder injury, compounding a frustrating season for the New South Welshman. Dayne Beams

Geelong Advertiser IT has not been by design, but Nathan Buckley has Collingwood going through a mini-rebuild right now. Ideally, Buckley would not have seven players with fewer than 30 games running around in the same team, but injuries have forced his hand. Like Geelong in 2011 and 2012, Collingwood is still chasing a premiership this year, but it is also ensuring it keeps its eye on the future. The likes of Ben Kennedy, Sam Dwyer, Jamie Elliott, Marley Williams, Kyle Martin, Ben Sinclair and Josh Thomas are being given valuable AFL time ahead of veterans such as Alan Didak and Ben Johnson. There are few teams in the comp who are playing such an inexperienced cluster of players right now. Maybe the Giants have as many under 30 games, but few else. The downside of this, though, is that with such inexperience comes inconsistency and that is hurting Buckley's team. When the Pies lose this year, they tend to lose big. In fact, their average losing margin is 42 points. They are also ranked 15th for last quarters won. These are all indicators of inexperience. In many respects, the Pies are doing well to still be punching for a top four spot, even if they are looking more likely to finish seventh or eighth on form. Last week against Port, the Pies had nine out of their starting 22 missing, including Dale Thomas and Dayne Beams, who have been basically missing all year, Alan Toovey, Alex Fasolo, Tyson Goldsack, Andrew Krakouer, Ben Reid and Darren Jolly, to name a few. They are big holes to cover. But injuries cannot always act as an excuse. Where the Pies may have gone wrong, though, was at the trade table. The gambles to recruit Quinten Lynch, from West Coast, Jordan Russell, from Carlton, and Hawthorn's Clinton Young have not paid off as yet. Young hasn't had time on the park, but is a chance to line up against Carlton on Friday night. He needs a sustained run to make an impact now. The other two are struggling to get a kick. Lynch is 31 and played more than 200 games for the Eagles. If you look back over West Coast's history, there are few players who have performed consistently well once they reach the 200-game mark. I believe the travel knocks the stuffing out of them after all that time and their bodies start to fall apart. It might have happened to Lynch. The Magpies get a few key players back when they meet their old rival on Friday night and it should be a cracker. It's basically do or die for Carlton and I think Collingwood fans would love to be the team that ended the hopes of Mick Malthouse's team for 2013. The Blues have not been belted this season, which is because Malthouse's game plan keeps them in the hunt for long periods, but they have lacked the firepower to finish it off. People are questioning whether Bucks can coach, but they need to realise that he is currently coaching a vastly different team from the one Mick oversaw. Still, Mick won't want to miss the chance to get one up on him here. If I was Bucks, I wouldn't leave Dane Swan forward for too long this week, even though he is desperate to find another avenue to goal other than Travis Cloke. I would get Swanny into the middle and take the leash off him. Sometimes the secret to coaching is to keep it simple.