The Lions set an unenviable AFL record last season when their players combined for a total of 200 matches missed through injury. Nigel Lappin, Chris Scott and Richard Hadley missed the entire 2006 season while Jonathan Brown was sidelined for more than half the year with a hip injury.However, fans will be pleased to hear that the recoveries of a number of key players are progressing well. “It has been a good news week,” Lions Senior Coach Leigh Matthews said prior to training yesterday.
“Nigel Lappin, after being in limbo for a few weeks, has started to have some massive improvements in his elbow,” Matthews said.
“With Nigel’s elbow, nothing much was happening there for a while. Finally in the last week, the inflammation has started to settle down and hopefully that improvement will continue. He should be back training with the group next week.
“He has been able to do all of the running training, he just hasn’t been able to handball.
With Lappin likely to resume in a couple weeks time, there was also positive news on three of the Club’s key forwards.
“Jonathan Brown will just about play Saturday week and Mitch Clark is just about back,” Matthews said.
“Daniel Bradshaw has had a couple of hiccups with his recovery so we didn’t think we would risk giving him a fitness test this week. We want to make a certainty of him for the third round (of the pre-season competition).”Chris Johnson will miss tomorrow night’s clash with the Bulldogs at Telstra Dome due to a minor foot injury that will only keep him off the field this weekend.
Jed Adcock was passed fit to play this weekend despite a scare against the Saints in Cairns in the team’s opening NAB Cup match. Adcock received a heavy bump to his lower left leg which caused some bruising. He trained without discomfort last night and will take his place in the 24-man team tomorrow night.
Lions rookie Haydn Kiel was the only real casualty from last weekend and is set to miss up to six weeks with a hamstring injury.
Knee reconstruction victims Richard Hadley and Pat Garner have made steady progress with their 12 month rehabilitation. All precautions will be taken with both Hadley and Garner to ensure that they are 100 per cent ready to resume playing competitive matches. Both players will be eased through the early stages of this coming season.
Joel Macdonald and Anthony Corrie, who underwent knee surgery in round 7 and round 9 respectively, are still continuing their rehab and are both hopeful of a mid-season return.
