MELBOURNE midfielder Luke Tapscott is expected to be sidelined for up to two weeks after injuring the medial ligament in his right knee in Thursday's intraclub match at Gosch's Paddock.
Tapscott went down early in the game and was assisted off the ground by trainers, before applying an ice pack to the affected area on the sidelines.
Demons football manager Josh Mahoney confirmed the diagnosis after training.
"This time of year you never want to get any injuries, but first reports are that he's tweaked his medial ligament," Mahoney said.
"At this stage, it'll be a couple of weeks so it's not a major one for him."
The injury blow was disappointing for the Demons although the club found plenty of positives out of the hit-out, and none more so than the performances of midfield pair Jack Watts and highly-rated youngster Dom Tyson.
Watts trained with the on-ball group during the pre-season and looked right at home in a specific outside midfield role on Thursday morning.
The 22-year-old's precise kicking – to lead teammates into space – was a feature. But it was his follow-up work, long kicking in congested situations and poise with ball in hand that would have impressed coach Paul Roos the most.
Tyson was perhaps 'best on ground'. The Greater Western Sydney recruit dominated the clearances out of the middle and moved smoothly to create for his team.
Demons forward Chris Dawes played his first competitive game of the year after finally shaking the effects of off-season knee surgery.
Second-year midfielder Jack Viney also played – exhibiting his typically aggressive style – and Mahoney said he was a chance to play against Geelong in the club's NAB Challenge clash in Alice Springs.
Rookie ruckman Max King also impressed with his mobility around the ground, although Mahoney said veteran ruckman Mark Jamar was close to a return.
The Demons decided to rest several players from the clash, including co-captains Jack Grimes and Nathan Jones, James Frawley, Jimmy Toumpas, Bernie Vince, Jeremy Howe and Daniel Cross.
Luke Tapscott is assisted from the field during Melbourne's intraclub game. Picture: melbournefc.com.au
