Grovedale could be without Tom Gillett until the second half of the GFNL season after suffering a serious ankle injury.
The 2021 Rookie of the Year, who was the Tigers’ leading goalkicker last year with 37, is facing at least eight weeks on the sideline after turning his ankle on another player’s boot during the practice match against Werribee Districts on March 22.
Coach Jacob Spolding says Gillett has avoided surgery at this stage, but a review after six weeks will determine whether he requires surgical intervention, which could push his recovery time out to late July.
“They’ll treat it conservatively, and we’ll sort of know more probably about the six-week mark on how that’s tracking,” Spolding said.
“Then they’ll be able to make a definitive call whether surgery will be required or not at that point.”
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Following the off-season departure of Mitch Chafer to St Joseph’s, Gillett was set to shoulder much of the work inside forward 50 for Grovedale.
Spolding used the weekend’s practice match against St Mary’s to look at different options, which will be tweaked in the lead-up to the John Nankervis Shield meeting with South Barwon to open the Tigers’ season on April 12.
“Nathan McHugh spent a bit of time there on the weekend before going back again,” he said.
“We’ve got Ryan Abbott who can spend some time down forward. Joe McCarthy has spent some time through there in the practice match and in our match sim stuff as well, so there are a few options.
“We just need to have a think about what will work sort of best in terms of our structure there.”
Geelong VFL big man Nathan Kreuger is another option if he doesn’t make the VFL team for the representative match against the SANFL as part of the AFL’s Gather Round in Adelaide.
“If ‘Kreugs’ doesn’t make the state squad, then early indications are that he will play Round 1 with us,” Spolding said. “That’s what he’s informed us.
“But now that he’s in the state squad and after I watched a bit of the Sandringham (VFL) Round 1 game, he certainly looks like he’s fit and firing.
“So I dare say he’ll make that state team. And if he does, that’s great for him.
“But if not, then yeah, we think he’ll be available Round 1, so obviously that comes into our calculations as well.”
Gillett isn’t the only injury concern for Grovedale.
Stawell recruit Ben Davis broke his wrist in the Werribee Districts clash and is facing up to eight weeks recovery, and Tom DeGoldi will be sidelined for four weeks with a calf problem.
However, Spolding is hopeful Ed Adams (knee), who has arrived at Burdoo Reserve for Goulburn Valley League club Shepparton United, will be right to take on the grand finalists of the past two years.
Youngster Cooper Leach is closing on a return from a ruptured ACL, with a May return on the cards for the Geelong Falcons-listed big man.
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