Sam Walsh back injury won’t impact his 2023 Carlton campaign, says Harry McKay; Time for Dustin Martin to ‘respond’

Assistant coach Hayden Skipworth said the decision to hold off on surgery straight away was standard. He’s confident De Goey will be back on the field in a matter of weeks. “Jordy had some soreness, he probably played the last two or three games with [the injury] in the back end of the year,” he said. “We gave him pretty much the whole break to let it settle down, which is normal. [But] he’s not quite where we need him to be.” Richmond turns spotlight on Dusty Jon Pierik The Tigers have declared they expect their highly paid superstar Dustin Martin to respond next season after a modest 2022 campaign.

Martin, the three-time Norm Smith medallist, managed only nine matches last season, his campaign impacted by injury and the death of his father, Shane. It took the midfielder-forward time to fully recover from a major kidney injury late in the 2021 campaign, while after the round one loss to Carlton he also took a significant break to deal with personal issues, missing the next seven rounds. Dustin Martin was not as his best in last season’s elimination final, having battled a hamstring issue for months. Credit:AFL Photos He later had hamstring issues, but returned from an eight-week absence in time for the losing elimination final against Brisbane, where he was clearly underdone. Now with two years remaining on his multi-million contract, and having eased speculation of a shift to Sydney, Tigers chief executive Brendon Gale said on Monday it was time for Martin, 31, to again play a pivotal role in a side many expect to seriously challenge for the premiership.

Loading “He had a tough year, a really tough year, coming back from a fairly significant injury to start with, and the tragic loss of his father, obviously. He has been training pretty hard,” Gale said. “He has been away, he has been up north, and doing a fair bit of boxing away from the club. He is a proud athlete, he is a proud man. He will look forward to getting back in the swing of things, that’s for sure.” Gale said the Tigers understood the Martin of his stunning 2017 Brownlow Medal year may not return, but club officials still believe the 269-game veteran has the capability to be a match-winner in his 14th season. “He is an impeccably well-prepared athlete. A lot of people probably wouldn’t get that impression, but he is. He is really finely tuned, and he is really, really proud. And he has played at a really high level for a long time,” Gale said.

Loading “That is not going to continue forever, but he still has a very, very important role to play with our football club. He is well-supported, and we expect him to respond this year.” Gale said the Tigers, who have won three flags over the past six years, were “disappointed” with their controversial exit last year in Brisbane when a Tom Lynch goal was denied. But having secured elite midfielders Jacob Hopper and Tim Taranto from GWS, the Tigers have addressed the growing issue about their on-ball depth. “They commenced training a couple of weeks ago with the one to four years,” Gale said. “They are really appreciative of their time and grateful for their time in western Sydney. I think in the scheme of things they have achieved a hell of a lot. But I think they are looking forward to being in the epicentre of football.” While the Tigers’ senior players officially began pre-season training on Monday, coach Damien Hardwick remains on a holiday and study tour overseas.

Gale calls on Albanese government to deliver funding for new Tasmania stadium Jon Pierik Richmond chief executive Brendon Gale has urged Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and the federal government to back a new Tasmanian AFL club by providing its share of the funding for a $750 million sports stadium which will have a “seismic” impact on the state. The Tasmanian Labor Party and the Greens are opposed to the Tasmanian Liberal government’s promise to allocate $375 million towards the proposed 23,000-seat stadium, and the federal Labor government is yet to consider a business case that is likely to request at least $250 million in federal funding to the Macquarie Point stadium. The funding of the stadium remains the sticking point in Tasmania being awarded the AFL’s 19th licence, despite Jeremy Rockliff’s government and the AFL having reached an agreement on the commercial terms for the bid, with Tasmania committing $12 million a year for 12 years, and $60 million for a new high-performance facility.

Richmond CEO Brendon Gale says funding for a new sports stadium in Tasmania will bring more benefits than just an AFL club. Credit:Getty Images Gale, a proud Tasmanian, said the federal government needed to think about more than just football when it came to allocating any funding for a new stadium. “I just think, sport in this country, we have only just seen with the soccer, sport in this country has an incredible ability to bring people together. Without sounding self-important, there is probably no bigger sport in this country than Australian [rules football] and its institutional power is compelling,” Gale said on Monday. “I think the ability to bring people together, to bring communities together, is really, really powerful and Tasmania will be no exception. I think it will be wonderful for football, it will be wonderful for the AFL, but I think there will be incredible outcomes for health, participation in sport, and education and a whole range of other factors in Tasmania. I think the impact would be seismic for the state. That’s what I would be saying to Anthony Albanese.” AFL chief Gillon McLachlan wants all 18 clubs to back the new club, but that remains a work in progress, not least because McLachlan will leave his role in April.

AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan. The league has reached a commercial agreement with Tasmania about a 19th team, but it still hinges on a stadium. Credit:Getty Images Collingwood president Jeff Browne insists a decision to grant a 19th licence now would be “premature”, but Gale – a candidate to replace McLachlan – denied momentum for a new club was wavering. “I don’t think it’s lost momentum at all. I think there is a very strong support from the AFL clubs. I think the AFL clubs have generally felt there is a legitimate right for Tasmania to be included in the competition,” he said. “I think that has been supported by a very strong and thorough business case. I think we have a willing partner in the state government who is willing to invest in the vicinity of three quarters of a billion dollars over the life of the term, so it is significant. There is some local politics playing out with the stadium. I am not too sure where it’s going to end up, but I think there is a lot of enthusiasm. Our club is supportive, we are on the record in saying that, and some other clubs have as well.” Gale, who played a key role in the Tigers morphing into an on and off-field power, refused to discuss any chance he had of replacing McLachlan, declaring his focus was on a potential $76 million upgrade of the club’s Punt Road facilities, and elevating the Tigers on-field next season.

He said clubs continued to deal with uncertainty, pointing out the 2023 fixture, salary cap and club distributions had yet to be settled by league chiefs. The full fixture is expected to be released on Thursday, while the league and AFL Players Association are working through a new collective bargaining agreement. Walsh back injury won’t impact his 2023 campaign, says McKay Jon Pierik Carlton forward Harry McKay says Sam Walsh will return to full training after Christmas and does not expect his back issues to impact his 2023 campaign. Midfield gun Walsh, 22, is on a limited program as he continues to deal with an injury which forced him out of the round 23 clash against Collingwood, a match the Blues lost to fall out of the eight for the first time in the season and miss the finals.

Sam Walsh is nursing a back issue but the Blues insist it won’t impact his 2023 campaign. Credit:AFL Photos Walsh, who finished third in the John Nicholls Medal count last season, has already forged a reputation as one of the best trainers in the game, his meticulous approach and attention to detail helping to lift standards from the moment he was taken as the No.1 overall pick in the 2018 national draft. McKay said Walsh’s approach would ensure he was fully fit come the season opener against Richmond in March. “Someone of Sam’s quality, not only as a person but as a professional, it doesn’t matter what his preparation will be like. He will get the best out of himself,” McKay said on Monday. “I am sure come round one he will be in a position to play his best footy. Professionals like Sam always find a way to get the best out of themselves.

“He is going pretty well. Obviously, it’s just managed at the moment, kind of doing a bit of an individual program. But, post-Christmas, I fully expect him to be up and going again. He is ticking off everything he needs to do at the moment, so he will be all good.” McKay said the stinging one-point loss to the Magpies has provided added motivation for the new campaign. Senior players officially began pre-season training on Monday, but have already been back for a fortnight with their first-to-fourth-year teammates, a sign the Blues are determined to end a decade-long finals drought. What is clear, McKay said, is that training standards have risen, the Blues now in their second pre-season under coach Michael Voss. “Compared to 12 months ago, the standards and the intensity of training and the quality of training is definitely on a new level. Obviously, after 12 months of a new system and new coaches, you would expect that. But I have been really impressed by the standard of training so far over the last two weeks,” he said. Brothers in arms: The on-field chemistry between Harry McKay and Charlie Curnow will only get better next season. Credit:Getty Images

The Blues boast one of the best spines in the league, for they have the Coleman medallists of the past two seasons, Charlie Curnow and McKay, as key marking talls inside attacking 50. Loading McKay and Curnow have missed much football together because of injury, but the chemistry continues to build. “I am not sure what the stat is, I think we have only played … 40 or 50 games together. So, chemistry takes time to build. I am sure over the next couple of years it is only going to go from strength to strength,” McKay said. “Charlie has come back in awesome nick. Obviously, winning the Coleman and being the best forward in the game last year, it doesn’t matter, he has come back and is in really good nick.”

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