A shoulder injury has ruled star South Barwon midfielder Taylor Mulraney out of Saturday’s GFNL preliminary final meeting with St Joseph’s.
The Swans vice-captain was forced from the field early in the first semi-final win over St Mary’s after coming off second best following a fair bump from Matt Keast.
Coach Mark Neeld says Mulraney, who has re-signed at McDonald Reserve for 2025, is expected to find out the seriousness of the damage when he meets with specialists later today (Wednesday).
That’s likely to indicate whether the Koroit product would be right for next Friday’s grand final if the Swans can overcome Joeys this week.
“The first part is giving ‘Grub’ some clarity around what the diagnosis is,” Neeld said.
“We’ll deal with him and what he’s going through first.’
“And then whatever comes out of that, we’ll deal with if we need to deal with it.”
Neeld and his coaching staff are weighing up several options as replacements for Mulraney, who is averaging 20.3 disposals, 10.8 contest possessions, and a team-high 5.9 clearances in 2024.
Those likely to come under consideration are Jake Peters, who was dropped following the elimination final win over Bell Park, Zac Urquhart, Lake Boga recruit Dustin Burns and young defender Tom Bartlett.
“It’s worthy to go through selection and have a look at Joeys,” Neeld said.
“Joeys have had an unbelievable season – they won 18 on the trot.
“We know that every decision we make has to work, and every player has to be at the peak of their performance to even be competitive with Joeys.”
X: @krockfootball
