The Melbourne AFL club is nearing a final call to wrap up veteran midfielder Jack Viney’s 2024 campaign, after a grueling season plagued by persistent Achilles and back injuries, senior coach Steven King has confirmed.
A fan-favorite warrior of the club, Viney left the door open to a potential return as recently as last week, even as he acknowledged he had not yet mapped out a clear timeline to resume full running after his ongoing injury battles. Currently sitting sixth on the AFL ladder, the Demons are gearing up for a push through the final stretch of the regular season to secure a strong finals position, but club leadership has made clear that protecting Viney’s long-term health will always take priority over a rushed comeback this year.
“I think it’s getting close to that point now,” King told reporters on the decision to rule Viney out for the remainder of the season. “Without speaking on Jack’s behalf, it’s getting to a point now where he has progressed to a level but whether it’s still on the table, we’ll have to sit down with the medical team and really nut that out. Obviously with each week that goes on it’s getting more and more difficult, but I’d love to have him out there. Especially at this time of year and what’s coming ahead for us, he’d be valuable. But we don’t want to compromise Jack in any way and his long-term health is going to be more important than trying to get him back just for this year. That’s something we still have to manage.”
While Viney’s season looks all but over, the Demons have received promising injury updates on three other key players, with a return to the senior side on the near horizon for most.
Veteran defender Christian Salem, who has been sidelined by a foot injury, recently made his comeback through Melbourne’s reserve VFL affiliate Casey, where he got through a full half of match play. King said the club is not rushing Salem’s return, but expects the experienced defender to push for senior selection in the coming weeks after he builds up more match fitness.
“He got through a half so I think he’d need at least another week to play a full game,” King explained. “Without putting any timeline on it, just let him get back to feeling good again about playing after such a long time out. His experience and class is going to help us, so we just let him tick another box this week and then hopefully he puts his hand up for selection following that.”
Two other key Demons players, Harrison Petty and Bayley Fritsch, are also on track to return this weekend. Petty pulled out as a late starter ahead of Melbourne’s victory over Richmond on Sunday due to a hamstring issue, while Fritsch sat out the entire round to recover from a finger injury. King confirmed the pair are slated to train fully on Thursday, and are expected to be available for selection for Melbourne’s Saturday afternoon clash against North Melbourne at Marvel Stadium.
“I expect them both to train on Thursday, hopefully they can both come back this week,” King said. “Which will be great to add a bit to our front end and put the squeeze on selection a little bit as well. We’re hoping they’re both available.”