The Western Bulldogs have delivered a mixed batch of injury updates heading into their upcoming clash against Fremantle, with one star forward avoiding a catastrophic injury to earn his spot in the round’s squad, while another key midfielder remains sidelined by ongoing concussion symptoms.
AFL club head coach Luke Beveridge confirmed that fan-favourite key forward Aaron Naughton has escaped any long-term damage after a scary fall last Thursday, during the Bulldogs’ defeat to Sydney. Naughton was stretchered off the playing field after a dangerous aerial collision while contesting a mark, with immediate fears raised about potential neck and concussion damage. However, after thorough medical assessments, the 27-year-old was cleared of any structural neck injuries and showed no signs of post-traumatic concussion.
Calling the outcome nothing short of miraculous, Beveridge lauded Naughton’s remarkable resilience, joking that the forward is a “hyper-malleable Indian Rubber Man” who has bounced back from the incident far faster than anyone expected. “It’s amazing that he’s OK,” Beveridge told reporters. “Once the medical team completed their initial checks and confirmed he hadn’t damaged anything in his neck, everything came up clear. He bounced out of that pretty well, and the great thing is he had no concussion concerns whatsoever. He’ll get through training this week, and I fully expect him to line up this weekend.” The coach added that he intentionally avoided watching a replay of the fall, saying “it’s one of those things you don’t really want to see, because you already know how scary it was when it happened. I was genuinely surprised he walked away completely unscathed.”
Unfortunately, the news is far less positive for hard-nosed midfielder Tom Liberatore, who suffered a concussion in a match against Geelong two weeks ago and remains under the AFL’s strict concussion protocols. The 31-year-old will definitely miss Friday night’s matchup against Fremantle, as he continues to deal with lingering post-concussion effects. Beveridge said the club’s decision to hold Liberatore out combines both his ongoing subtle symptoms and his long-term history of concussions, with player safety the top priority.
“He’s not ready, he’s not quite himself yet so he’s not up for selection this week,” Beveridge explained. “He’s sleeping fine, and he doesn’t really have headaches anymore, but it’s common for concentration issues to hang around after head knocks. We’re still seeing those difficulties pop up in his day-to-day, so we’re not going to rush him back until he’s totally on top of everything. Once he gets through a full main training session without issues, he’ll probably be right to play. We’re hoping that can happen over the next week or two, but for now he’ll stay on the sidelines.”
The update also touched on two other key Bulldogs players, with captain Marcus Bontempelli expected to line up despite a persistent niggling knee injury that he has been playing through for weeks. Bontempelli showed no signs of being slowed by the complaint in last week’s match against Sydney, and Beveridge confirmed the skipper “should be right” to front up again this round.
Star ruckman Tim English, who has been sidelined through injury for several weeks, is also edging closer to a return to the senior side. While he is not guaranteed to play this week, Beveridge said English is much closer to match fitness than he has been, and his selection will depend on how he gets through full training sessions this week. “We won’t rush him back if he’s still underdone,” the coach added, “but if he gets through all of his work, there’s a solid chance he’ll be available for selection.”