Football manager Greg Hutchison says Clarke’s hamstring injury is back-related.
The Saints defender suffered the injury in his team’s 15-point win over the Sydney Swans at Docklands on Saturday night.
“He’s fairly tight in the back … which obviously impacts on his hamstrings,” Hutchison said.
“I think he’s going to have a few more scans and get the stuff done that he needs to get done.
Hutchison was reluctant to speculate on just how long the 23-year-old might be on the sidelines but remained optimistic.
“If it’s back-related it may not necessarily be that bad,” he said.
“We’ve just got to try and fix up the back problem; he’s very stiff in his lower back.”
COLLINGWOOD will consider bringing Anthony Rocca straight back to senior level after he impressed in his first match of the 2009 campaign at the weekend.
Magpies football manager Geoff Walsh said Rocca might play against Melbourne on Saturday after he booted six goals for Collingwood’s VFL team, which comfortably beat Old Scotch.
“The pleasing thing about Anthony is his last three sessions – and then that game that he played on Saturday against [Old] Scotch – he’s really been up and about,” Walsh told SEN.
“For a guy who’s missed so much competitive action over the summer, where he’s been restricted to a limited training program and [done] very little unfettered work, his last three or four sessions have been sensational.
“So there’s no doubt that he’ll be seriously considered for this week’s game against Melbourne.”
Meanwhile, running defender Heath Shaw is expected to be fit for the round two clash with the Demons.
Shaw has not played since coming off in his team’s NAB Cup semi-final win over Essendon. However the Magpies believe Shaw, listed as having a hamstring injury, will have recovered in time to make his 2009 season debut.
