The West Coast Eagles’ exciting recruit Milan Murdock will face a stint on the sidelines after scans confirmed a moderate‑grade hamstring injury.
Murdock reported awareness during the game, and the club will take the next few days to determine a clearer return to play timeframe for the energetic small forward.
“Unfortunately, Milan felt some awareness in his hamstring during the match and scans have shown a moderate‑grade injury,” High Performance Manager Phil Merriman said.
“We’ll get a better sense of timeframes as the week goes on.”
In better news, co-captain Liam Baker and forward Jamie Cripps are on track to take on Port Adelaide in round three, with Baker’s ankle showing no structural concerns and Cripps recovering well from a bruised shoulder sustained in the final term against North Melbourne.
Jack Williams (calf) and Elijah Hewett (quad) are also expected to be available after brief layoffs, while Sandy Brock (ankle) will be assessed at training on Thursday.
“Sandy will work through this week with the plan to join the main group for training on Thursday,” Merriman said.
“Tom Gross is progressing but remains another week or two away with his hamstring.”
Key defender Harry Edwards will be monitored closely after a second concussion, with the club working through the required protocols without setting a return date.
“As we always do with concussions, we’ll take the appropriate steps and make sure Harry’s health is the priority,” Merriman said.
Brandon Starcevich will require an extended build after missing significant conditioning time through knee and calf issues.
“Brandon has been prioritising strength for his calf and is getting started on some running progressions,” Merriman said.
“It will take some time to build his fitness back up having missed a large chunk of pre-season and games due to his knee and recurrent calf issues.
“We will update his return-to-play timeline as he progresses his workload.”
Developing utility Jack Hutchinson is tracking well in his recovery from an ankle injury and will rejoin main training this week.
Draftee Fred Rodriguez is also progressing strongly through his foot rehabilitation and continues to impress with his professionalism as he builds back into the main program.
Fellow draftee Sam Allen is integrating more non‑contact football work and edging closer to the next phase of his program following his ACL injury.
“We’re excited to see Sam’s athletic ability shine as he continues to progress,” Merriman said.
“Fred is flying through his reconditioning and is ultra-professional in everything that he is asked to do. He is building his football with the main group.
“Jack has been building some great volumes and will be re-joining the main group this week to build his football load.”
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