GREATER Western Sydney midfield gun Finn Callaghan is confident he'll be fit in time for Opening Round after picking up a minor pre-season injury, but the news is not so good for fellow midfielder Tom Green or star defender Sam Taylor.
Scans have confirmed fears that Green has ruptured his ACL, ruling him out for the entire 2026 season, while scans on Monday have revealed Taylor suffered a high-grade hamstring strain in AAMI AFL Origin on Saturday.
The club had initially believed Taylor's injury was on the minor side, but he has been ruled out of at least the opening rounds of the season, with a full timeline for his return to become clearer in the next few weeks.
Callaghan, meanwhile, won't feature in the club's pre-season matches against Collingwood and Sydney as he manages a light hip flexor strain.
Callaghan, who didn't play in last Friday's simulation, will be on the sidelines until at least the club's March 7 clash against Hawthorn.
"It's a little bit frustrating. I just felt a little bit tight in my hip flexor, and it didn't settle down there for a few days," Callaghan told AAP.
"It shouldn't be too bad. I won't play any of the practice matches, but I should be back for Opening Round.
"I'd love to play the practice games, but priority is to make sure I'm ready to go for the opening round against the Hawks."
Small forward Toby Bedford was also among the casualties from the intraclub clash, and is set for at least four to six weeks on the sidelines with a hamstring issue.
Veteran midfielder Josh Kelly (hip) and forward Darcy Jones (ACL) aren't expected to appear until the second half of the season at the earliest.
Callaghan said he was "nearly in tears" after Green's injury, but was buoyed by the skill brought in by star recruit Clayton Oliver.
"It's great that we have him because, I'm not going to say he plays similar to 'Greener', but he can just play his own style," Callaghan said.
"It would've been nice to have everyone together, but that's not the case.
"It's nice having Clayton, he's had a great pre-season and I'm looking forward to seeing him go about his business this year anyway."
