The Brisbane Lions came away relatively unscathed from Sunday’s clash against Melbourne at Etihad Stadium, with Josh Green the only real member of the team with a cloud hanging over his fitness.
Green might have celebrated his 50th AFL game with a win, but he certainly had a tough day at the office against the Demons.
Not only was the 21-year-old held to just five disposals and no goals, but he also copped a couple of heavy hits on the day – one of which came courtesy of teammate Michael Close.
Strength and Conditioning Coach Matt Hass expects the Lions’ leading goal-kicker will be given the green light to play against the Crows this Sunday pending the results of a concussion test.
“Josh said he had a pretty ordinary day. I think he got cleaned up by Jones, and ran into a bit of friendly fire from Close as well,” Hass told LionsTV as part of the Bupa Recovery Report.
“He did his concussion tests this morning, and the results are pending.
“If he passes that, he’ll be fine to play this weekend. If not, he’ll have a rest. All things are pointing in the right direction.”
Ruckman Matthew Leuenberger, meanwhile, got through a second straight NEAFL game in Sydney last Friday, but will probably need to get through another before being considered for senior selection.
“Leuey played three quarters of the game and played pretty well. He’s pulled up OK and has improved every day since,” Hass said.
“He’s tracking for another game in the twos, where he should play a full match and push for senior selection.”
In other injury news, Trent West has had surgery to fix up an ankle injury that caused him some discomfort early in the season.
With West already in rehab following a knee reconstruction, it seemed an opportune time to undergo a second surgery ahead of the 2015 pre-season.
A Close call for Green
Josh Green copped some friendly fire from Michael Close last Sunday