- In the mix: round 22
- The unluckiest club
THERE is a chance Steve Johnson might not play again until Geelong's finals campaign starts in September.
The Cats consider him a week-to-week proposition – he's a work in progress with the stress reaction in his right foot that presented with pain after round 20.
They don't want to risk him, so I wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't play for two more weeks in the hope the reaction in the bone subsides.
It's not a full stress fracture but it is inflammation and it can go on to being a stress fracture so Geelong is being wary with his load – he's not training and has been on crutches and in a moonboot.
He missed round 21 against Carlton, I'm not expecting him to play this week against Hawthorn and it's quite likely he'll miss another week beyond that.
Geelong's hopeful Jimmy Bartel will get through training on the back of bad bruising in his hamstring that saw him withdrawn from the Carlton game.
He was at risk of tearing the hamstring if the bruising didn't resolve, which is why he didn't play.
I'm pretty optimistic he'll play against the Hawks on Saturday night, but the Cats will make a final call on Saturday.
Everyone is anticipating when we're going to see Cyril Rioli again – but I don't think we can put a return date on him.
The word a couple of weeks ago was he was going a bit slower than expected after the round 15 left hamstring injury, which was initially assessed as a 5-6 week recovery.
The club said 3-4 weeks last week, which means it will be a 10-week total injury. That's an extraordinary amount of football to miss.
There's a small fear he won't play finals but the expectation is he'll need another two weeks of rehabilitation and competitive training, which will take him right up to September.
Matt Suckling had scans on his right ankle, which showed a low-grade ligament injury and inflammation on the medial (inner) side.
I'm expecting him to play against the Cats with strapping but it will take 2-3 weeks to settle.
Josh Kennedy sent a scare through the Sydney Swans when he developed tightness in his hamstring in the first quarter against St Kilda on Saturday. He tried to play on but the Swans took the precaution of subbing him out.
His scan does show some fluid in the hamstring, which is an indication of low-grade strain.
Even though it's not reported as a tear, it is most unlikely they'll risk him this week but you would hope it's only one week.
Josh Kennedy was subbed out of the St Kilda clash in the first term: Picture: AFL Media
Craig Bird sustained a low-grade PCL (posterior cruciate ligament) strain of his knee and completed the match with heavy strapping but he'll no doubt have some swelling and soreness in his knee.
I'm anticipating he'll have a week off but it is possible he'll play against the Western Bulldogs on Sunday – it's a 3-4 week injury at least but sometimes players do play with low-level PCL injuries.
For Port Adelaide, Angus Monfries will be 50-50 for the Power's clash with Carlton this Friday night after being a late withdrawal on the weekend with a hip flexor strain he suffered in the warm up against Gold Coast.
Jackson Trengove was also a late withdrawal after he aggravated his ankle injury from round 15 while Hamish Hartlett re-injured his round 13 ankle strain.
All are in doubt but will be tested. Hartlett is the most likely to get through.
North Melbourne's Jack Ziebell finished the Bulldogs game with ice on his right knee. He's still carrying a lateral side problem from a round 15 sprain so he's been limited recently.
Hopefully it will settle down with physio and he's likely to continue playing with strapping after a fitness test later in the week.
Lindsay Thomas sprained the lateral capsule of his knee in the win over the Dogs on Sunday in the first quarter but appeared lucky to avoid a nasty ligament injury.
He was limping in the second half and I'm sure the club will monitor him all week. There is a small chance he won't come up to face Adelaide.
Collingwood suffered carnage in the medical room on the weekend and it started in the warm up with Scott Pendlebury, who was already carrying a corked thigh.
He was struck again in the most tender spot by an errant football and realised he'd aggravated it. This week he'll have a fair bit of rehabilitation and the Pies are optimistic he'll play, but he will need to have a light week and avoid kicking on his right side.
Jamie Elliott was ruled out before the game with a recurrence of left hamstring soreness off the back of a similar injury in round 15, so you'd expect it to be at least two more weeks before they risk him.
Ben Reid, Dayne Beams and Travis Cloke have played their last games for the season.
Reid sustained a high-grade hamstring injury on the right side, which is another setback in the soft tissues for him. It probably would have been a 4-6 week hamstring so he won't play again.
In the second quarter, Cloke sustained a significant left ankle ligament injury, which included a syndesmosis sprain – a combination of the external and internal ligament strain.
It's a 4-6 week injury and he won't do much in the next two weeks at all.
Beams was lucky because it looked with the significant hyperextension of his left knee, he may have sustained a cruciate injury, particularly posterior.
But the scans have ruled out any significant PCL injury. It's still had a minor stretch but the main injury is to the capsule, which is the external ligament at the back. That should settle over a period of 3-4 weeks.
After the match, Alan Toovey had scans to look at some further problems related to the lower back/groin problems he had in round 18.
He was sore in the groin after the game so probably won't be risked this week and perhaps in round 23.
For Carlton, David Ellard sustained a right syndesmosis high-grade ankle sprain and went to hospital during the Blues' loss to Geelong on Friday night to exclude any fractures.
He's in the 6-8 week category.
Troy Menzel was carrying soreness in his left AC joint from his original round 16 sprain.
He had an aggravation of it and while the club has reported no structural damage, he's still carrying a very inflamed and partially torn AC joint on the left and I would be surprised if he could play unrestricted this weekend.
Dale Thomas is an interesting one because he had a double injury out of the same game – he sprained the medial ligament in his left knee when a player fell across his knee but he went back on with it strapped.
He also irritated his right ankle with a new medial ligament sprain, which is again a syndesmosis type sprain. It's not the area he's had the previous lateral tendon surgery.
Thomas will be very restricted and I'm not expecting him to play this week but the club is hopeful he'll miss only one week.
It was terrible to see Jonathon Patton sustained his second major knee injury when he ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament graft against Melbourne on Sunday. I expect he will have a revision hamstring graft using tendons from his opposite (left) leg.
And the Giants' co-captain Callan Ward won't play again this year with his calf and Achilles strain, while Phil Davis should be right to face Collingwood after being concussed against the Demons provided he passes all testing.
Finally, Freo will be without Michael Barlow for at least 2-3 weeks after he broke his thumb in last weeks win over Hawthorn.
He doesn't require surgery but will wear a protective thumb guard when he returns for finals.
Craig Bird sustained a low-grade PCL (posterior cruciate ligament) strain of his knee and completed the match with heavy strapping but he'll no doubt have some swelling and soreness in his knee.
I'm anticipating he'll have a week off but it is possible he'll play against the Western Bulldogs on Sunday – it's a 3-4 week injury at least but sometimes players do play with low-level PCL injuries.
For Port Adelaide, Angus Monfries will be 50-50 for the Power's clash with Carlton this Friday night after being a late withdrawal on the weekend with a hip flexor strain he suffered in the warm up against Gold Coast.
Jackson Trengove was also a late withdrawal after he aggravated his ankle injury from round 15 while Hamish Hartlett re-injured his round 13 ankle strain.
All are in doubt but will be tested. Hartlett is the most likely to get through.
North Melbourne's Jack Ziebell finished the Bulldogs game with ice on his right knee. He's still carrying a lateral side problem from a round 15 sprain so he's been limited recently.
Hopefully it will settle down with physio and he's likely to continue playing with strapping after a fitness test later in the week.
Lindsay Thomas sprained the lateral capsule of his knee in the win over the Dogs on Sunday in the first quarter but appeared lucky to avoid a nasty ligament injury.
He was limping in the second half and I'm sure the club will monitor him all week. There is a small chance he won't come up to face Adelaide.
Collingwood suffered carnage in the medical room on the weekend and it started in the warm up with Scott Pendlebury, who was already carrying a corked thigh.
He was struck again in the most tender spot by an errant football and realised he'd aggravated it. This week he'll have a fair bit of rehabilitation and the Pies are optimistic he'll play, but he will need to have a light week and avoid kicking on his right side.
Jamie Elliott was ruled out before the game with a recurrence of left hamstring soreness off the back of a similar injury in round 15, so you'd expect it to be at least two more weeks before they risk him.
Ben Reid, Dayne Beams and Travis Cloke have played their last games for the season.
Reid sustained a high-grade hamstring injury on the right side, which is another setback in the soft tissues for him. It probably would have been a 4-6 week hamstring so he won't play again.
In the second quarter, Cloke sustained a significant left ankle ligament injury, which included a syndesmosis sprain – a combination of the external and internal ligament strain.
It's a 4-6 week injury and he won't do much in the next two weeks at all.
Beams was lucky because it looked with the significant hyperextension of his left knee, he may have sustained a cruciate injury, particularly posterior.
But the scans have ruled out any significant PCL injury. It's still had a minor stretch but the main injury is to the capsule, which is the external ligament at the back. That should settle over a period of 3-4 weeks.
After the match, Alan Toovey had scans to look at some further problems related to the lower back/groin problems he had in round 18.
He was sore in the groin after the game so probably won't be risked this week and perhaps in round 23.
For Carlton, David Ellard sustained a right syndesmosis high-grade ankle sprain and went to hospital during the Blues' loss to Geelong on Friday night to exclude any fractures.
He's in the 6-8 week category.
Troy Menzel was carrying soreness in his left AC joint from his original round 16 sprain.
He had an aggravation of it and while the club has reported no structural damage, he's still carrying a very inflamed and partially torn AC joint on the left and I would be surprised if he could play unrestricted this weekend.
Dale Thomas is an interesting one because he had a double injury out of the same game – he sprained the medial ligament in his left knee when a player fell across his knee but he went back on with it strapped.
He also irritated his right ankle with a new medial ligament sprain, which is again a syndesmosis type sprain. It's not the area he's had the previous lateral tendon surgery.
Thomas will be very restricted and I'm not expecting him to play this week but the club is hopeful he'll miss only one week.
It was terrible to see Jonathon Patton sustained his second major knee injury when he ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament graft against Melbourne on Sunday. I expect he will have a revision hamstring graft using tendons from his opposite (left) leg.
And the Giants' co-captain Callan Ward won't play again this year with his calf and Achilles strain, while Phil Davis should be right to face Collingwood after being concussed against the Demons provided he passes all testing.
Finally, Freo will be without Michael Barlow for at least 2-3 weeks after he broke his thumb in last weeks win over Hawthorn.
He doesn't require surgery but will wear a protective thumb guard when he returns for finals.
