West Coast received a second dose of welcome news on Monday, with two North Melbourne stars facing an uphill battle to be ready for their round one encounter.
After leading forward Jack Darling put in an impressive workout on his injured ankle in the morning, it was revealed Kangaroos bull Cameron Zurhaar was unlikely to be fit in time for the season start, with scans revealing a strain in his calf.
The injury was suffered during last weekend’s practice match against the Western Bulldogs, which ended in a 58-point defeat. Zurhaar didn’t return to the field after halftime.
The club have not but a line through the forward, who has finished in the top two of the club’s goalkicking the past four years, but he is racing the clock with just over a week to go before the season gets underway.
“Cam will be on light duties and monitored closely over the next week. It will be a matter of waiting to see how he responds, then progressing his rehab as his symptoms allow,” North Melbourne football manager Todd Viney said.
Promising forward and former Tiger Callum Coleman-Jones will also have a delayed start to his 2023 AFL campaign after partially tearing his Planta fascia in the VFL.
He will be placed in a moon boot.
West Coast showed glimpses of improvement across their pre-season clashes with Port Adelaide and Adelaide, dispatching the Power in match simulation.
But they couldn’t repeat the effort against the Crows on Friday, looking rusty and unfamiliar while trialling their new, faster style, going down by 59 points.
The club’s young guns were the standout, with Reuben Ginbey in particular pushing for a round-one debut, and the returning Oscar Allen showing he is more than ready to lead the Eagles in attack.
Despite Darling’s session on Monday, there are still doubts over whether he will be ready in time while the Eagles also face a ruck crisis with superstar Nic Naitanui (Achilles) all but ruled out, Bailey Williams struggling with a Hamstring complaint and utility Josh Rotham breaking his arm against Adelaide.
