James Harmes granted personal leave from Dogs; star recruit’s cruel setback amid double blow — AFL Latest

James Harmes has stepped away from the Western Bulldogs as the latest AFL premiership player to take personal leave from club land.

Foxfooty.com.au can confirm Harmes has remained away from the Bulldogs’ pre-season training since the Christmas break and has no timeline on a return as he deals with a delicate personal matter.

The 30-year old, who trained fully in the lead up to the Christmas break, is considered unlikely to feature early in the 2026 season.

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It follows Collingwood Norm Smith Medal flag hero Bobby Hill and Geelong premiership forward Tyson Stengle taking leave from their respective clubs last week to deal with personal issues.

Harmes has been in and out of Luke Beveridge’s side the past two campaigns, playing 22 of his 174 AFL games for the Dogs since the 2021 premiership Demon crossed to the Kennel at the end of 2023.

His three-year contract expires at the end of the season.

The rest of the Bulldogs players returned to pre-season training this week as the club tries to improve on its 14-win 2025 campaign and narrow finals miss.

The Dogs opens their season against reigning back-to-back premier Brisbane in Opening Round on Saturday night at the Gabba.

OLIVER SETBACK AS GIANTS DUO IN ORIGIN DOUBT

Giants recruit Clayton Oliver will spend a few weeks on the sidelines after an ill-timed setback as a star duo remain in doubt to line up in next month’s AFL Origin match.

Giants coach Adam Kingsley on Wednesday told reporters that Oliver “had a bit of a hiccup on Monday with a calf issue”, but insisted it was “not a big deal” as it’d only “put him back maybe a week or two”.

A premiership Demon, four-time club champion, triple All-Australian and dual AFLCA Champion Player, Oliver was one of the biggest stories of last year’s trade period, moving from Melbourne to the Giants – despite being contracted to the Demons until the end of 2030.

Kingsley said Oliver had “fitted in really well” at the Giants, adding he would complement fellow stoppage star Tom Green well.

“Clearly, he’s an outstanding stoppage player, so we feel like he’s going to help that phase of our game.

“Two outstanding stoppage players (Oliver and Green), alongside the rest of our midfield, I think makes us a harder team to play against.”

Meanwhile, Greene and Hogan remain doubtful to line up for Victoria and Western Australia respectively in the AFL Origin clash.

Coleman Medallist Hogan, who underwent foot surgery after last season, is still a fortnight away from rejoining the main group, while Greene has spent ample time with the Giants’ rehab group due to a glute injury.

Greene was seen running laps at Giants training on Wednesday. Kingsley said he was confident Greene would “be back on deck next week”, but added he’d be “touch and go” for the Origin game.

“He’s saying all the right things, his body’s feeling good,” Kingsley said. “But again, we’ll take it step by step. (It’s) not nursing him through this period because he is working quite hard, but we won’t take any risks this time of year.

“We encourage our players to want to play (Origin). We think it’s a great idea, we want as many of our players in that Origin team as we possibly can. But they’ve got to be ready to play.”

ROOS CAUTIOUS AS VETERAN WITH ‘HISTORY’ SUFFERS SETBACK

North Melbourne defender Aidan Corr has suffered a pre-season setback, with the veteran’s preparation for 2026 hitting a hurdle.

The Kangaroos on Wednesday confirmed Corr, 31, had suffered a “moderate-grade calf strain”.

The injury is set to sideline Corr for the next four to six weeks.

“We’ll program a more graduated return to group training for Aidan given both the grade of strain and his history of calf injuries,” North Melbourne head of performance Kevin White said.

It’s an unideal blow for Corr, who was restricted to just 10 games last season due to soft tissue issues.

The news comes days after emerging defender Jackson Archer ruptured his ACL, which will sideline him for the entire 2026 season.

“He is booked in for surgery in two weeks once there has been adequate time for swelling to subside to aid a better outcome with healing post-procedure,” White said.

“The club will wrap its arms around Jackson and provide a strong base of support through this injury.”

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