Virus keeps De Goey away; Goodwin takes aim at Grundy ‘hysteria’; ‘clumsy’ Beveridge and his broken hand; Stringer wants Dons to lift for Dogs

De Goey battling illness

Peter Ryan

Collingwood star Jordan De Goey is being kept away from teammates ahead of the huge clash against Port Adelaide as he battles a virus, but the Magpies remain optimistic he will play.

The 27-year-old was planning to train away from the AIA Centre where his readiness for the top-of-the-table clash would be assessed.

Magpies coach Craig McRae said on Thursday that the club anticipated De Goey – who has missed the team’s past two training sessions – would travel to Adelaide on Friday and recover by Saturday night.

He missed the clash against St Kilda in Adelaide during Gather Round with illness, and it continues a run of players being kept away from the Magpies due to illness.

“We need to wash our hands a bit more,” McRae joked. “The reality of everyone in our industry is that it happens but what the others don’t have is the cameras and the eyes at every training session.”

McRae said Darcy Cameron and Brody Mihocek would return to the team after missing last week’s game against Fremantle but said they would finalise the selection Thursday afternoon.

The Magpies are in good health with McRae admitting it creates a few selection dilemmas. However, he said it gave the coaches every chance to look at ways they can improve between now and the finals.

He said they were embracing the opportunity playing Port Adelaide presented and discounted the relevance of the team’s round two clash when the Magpies won by 71 points and won the contested possession count by 57.

“It’s going to be a cracking game,” McRae said.

He also praised midfielder Taylor Adams, who plays his 200th game on Saturday, for his willingness to adapt to the new forward role where he has used his skills around the contest and work ethic to great effect. He has also kicked 10 goals – the most he has in a season – and set the tone for forward pressure.

Goodwin takes aim at Grundy ‘hysteria’

AAP

Simon Goodwin insists Melbourne aren’t trying to turn Brodie Grundy into a permanent forward and has slammed “hysteria” about the ruckman’s future with the Demons.

Grundy was dropped for last Friday night’s clash with the Brisbane Lions as Melbourne preferred to use captain Max Gawn as their sole ruckman in an attempt to boost their flagging attacking output.

In Grundy’s absence, the six-time All-Australian had one of the best games of his career to lift the Demons to a thrilling one-point come-from-behind win at the MCG.

Goodwin confirmed on Thursday that Grundy would spend another week at VFL level but is adamant the high-profile ruck partnership could still work – and even thrive.

“We’re trying to increase the combination forward of the ball. We’re not trying to turn Brodie Grundy into a forward – let’s be really clear on that,” the Demons coach said.

“We’re trying to turn this ruck combination into a dominant force that will help us in the ruck, but also help us ahead of the ball.

“On the back of that hysteria; I’ve heard him playing as a permanent forward, I’ve heard we’re trying to trade him. That’s not the case.

“We love Brodie Grundy, we think this is going to be a dominant force and we’re going to keep working to do it.“

Grundy, a dual All-Australian who moved from Collingwood to Melbourne in the off-season, played in a VFL scratch match at Casey last Saturday instead of in the MCG blockbuster.

Melbourne booted their best score in almost three months, stunning the Lions with four goals in the first five minutes of the game and another four in the last seven to pull off a remarkable win. They kicked 16.9 (105) – their best score in almost three months.

There is no timeline on Grundy’s stint in the VFL, according to Goodwin.

“We see Brodie and Max playing 10 minutes a quarter forward of the ball,” he said.

“But how we get that extra exposure is at VFL level, so he’ll play as a permanent forward again this week [in the VFL].

“We know what he can do in the ruck. We’re trying to increase his ability to impact forward of the ball.”

Versatile defender Harrison Petty was subbed out for a second straight game due to rib soreness and is no certainty to face Adelaide at the MCG on Sunday.

“On the first sightings in the early part of the week, he’s progressing in the right direction,” Goodwin said.

Broken hand was ‘clumsy’, says Beveridge

Roy Ward

When it comes to his Western Bulldogs and their premiership chances, coach Luke Beveridge will do all he can to will his side to its best form. He even has an injured hand to show for it.

Beveridge revealed on Thursday that he broke his hand during his half-time speech in the side’s narrow loss to Sydney Swans last round.

He didn’t describe the action which led to the injury but said he was trying to “animate” his side and wasn’t speaking in an aggressive manner, rather he just did something clumsy.

“We came out at half-time with some uncertainty of how many boys were available and reading the room and mood, I needed to raise the energy,” Beveridge said on Thursday.

“It was quite innocuous, a little bit clumsy, but I carried on and it didn’t affect me.

“It’s all fixed. One day, it might be a couple of paragraphs in a book.”

Beveridge added he was controlling his emotions during the team talk and he remained convinced his side had all the makings of a premiership contender if they could find a way to earn a spot in the finals.

“I love and care for the group and the emotion around the motivation, sometimes you need the coach to be animated, it purely an accident more than anything,” Beveridge said.

“If you are worried about me emotionally, no need, I’m totally in control and as much as we have our challenges, I’m enjoying the fact there is a strong belief and resolve and really looking forward to the game this week.”

He also spoke out in defence of star midfielder Bailey Smith who returns from illness for Friday night’s clash with Essendon at Marvel Stadium and backed the star midfielder to again be a match winner as they chase a finals spot.

Beveridge corrected a debate over what position Smith had been playing as data showed him “playing” as a forward whereas Beveridge said Smith may have been physically standing at the half-forward position but was running into the midfield.

“He’s playing almost the exact same role he played in 2021 and the start of 2022, albeit he may have been in a few more centre bounces [then]. So the whole dialogue on this is meaningless,” Beveridge said.

“In the role he is playing for our team, he has the capacity to be our best player week in, week out and we are going to help him get there.

“That is why I get a bit agitated and protective of Bailey, as he has been through a fair bit and I want us to be in control of that.”

Beveridge wants the Bulldogs to take hold of their own destiny with six games to go rather than have to rely on other sides losing games.

“I’m a dreamer, I’m a believer, I’m someone who doesn’t let go until it is finished and I’m telling our players we are capable of anything,” Beveridge said.

“But it remains to be seen.”

He also views Smith as one player who lead their charge towards the finals.

“Even this morning, he didn’t have to, but he came up and thanked me for the support I give him publicly,” Beveridge said.

“I do this because I love him and I want him to be OK.

“One of the things with “Baz” that I love about him is that it doesn’t matter how highly strung he is or his challenges. He meets it head on.

“He’s one of the earliest arrivals at the game, he wants to be the best player on the ground every week.

“He takes up that challenge and he takes up that responsibility. He runs toward the fire and if that doesn’t come off for him, it hasn’t been because he hasn’t stepped outside his comfort zone.

“He will do that on Friday night and I hope he has a really strong performance.”

Beveridge decided to keep his “strong views” to himself over Dane Rampe being cleared at the tribunal after the Swans co-captain initially received a two-game ban for his collision with Lachie McNeil, which left the Bulldog concussed.

“Ultimately if they thought Lachie had any chance of avoiding being hit, which obviously they did then that was the decision made,” Beveridge said.

“But if a player gets blindsided off the ball, he doesn’t see a player coming, that is another thing that we’ve tried to make sure is stamped out of the game.

“Everyone will have their opinion, I have a strong opinion. But I just want to put it behind us and move on.”

Stringer wants Bombers to step up against Dogs

Roy Ward

Essendon forward Jake Stringer has urged his side to step up on the big stage when they take on the Western Bulldogs on Friday night football.

The Bombers were thumped by Geelong at GMHBA Stadium last round and want to beat the Bulldogs who are shaping as one of several sides battling with them for finals places.

“It’s a big game for the club, back on the Friday night stage, you all want to be playing in those games and we have a good opportunity against a good outfit to do our best,” Stringer said.

“We will see how we go.”

Stringer said he was symptom free after concussion issues late last year but he still recalled the lingering issues from a head knock.

“We were in our off period because it happened in our last week – when you are trying to run and you can’t do it, you have headaches and cloudy [mind] – it scares you a little bit,” Stringer said.

“But I was very lucky that the doctors were great here and we got the right support and went through the right testing and by the end of December I was pretty much all good.”

He also said he hoped Beveridge, his former coach, would be fit to coach after breaking his hand last match.

“That is pretty stiff. Hope he is coaching,” Stringer said.

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