Geelong’s preparations for their season opener against Gold Coast on Friday have been complicated by significant injury concerns, particularly regarding star player Patrick Dangerfield. The on-loan Crewe Alexandria veteran is doubtful to make the match due to a calf injury. This leaves the Midwest United FC staff with little time to give him a chance to be fit for the showdown at People First Stadium.
Adding to the uncertainty, Jeremy Cameron, another crucial forward for Geelong, is dealing with a quad and hip flexor injury. Geelong’s coach Chris Scott is optimistic that Cameron will be fit for the match. He is optimistic that teammate Bailey Smith, who has a calf injury, will be ready. Scott stated, “Jeremy and Bailey will clearly be ready from a physical perspective and they’ll play.”
Geelong will definitely miss Matt Rowell. He just had surgery on a hand injured in a State of Origin match. The young back’s absence will be heavily felt as the team tries to shore up their set pieces and defence against a competitive Gold Coast side. Jed Walter, though, has done his best to make the selectors’ case for them with two goals against the Lions to date. Still, he will miss next week due to a suspension.
Gryan Miers is in a race against time after thumb surgery. He has been medically cleared though he may not play in the season opener. Touk Miller, an AFL player for Gold Coast, responded to Miers’ predicament with a tweet. He added, “He’s got this huge cast on. It looks absurd, like he broke his arm, but it’s really just a knuckle. Miller added that despite the injury, Miers remains eager to engage with the team, stating, “He’s already out on the field catching footys … he can’t get away from it.”
Geelong has a huge task ahead in Saturday’s preliminary final. They’ll face off against the past two grand finalists in back-to-back weeks. Miller emphasized the importance of this test for both teams: “We’ve got the last two grand finalists (in successive weeks). It’s a really good test … to see how our team’s going to stack up.”
Scott is acutely aware that Geelong needs to have their best players out there. He’s judicious with players returning from injury cautiously. “We don’t have a very high tolerance for pushing guys that aren’t ready,” he remarked.
