St Mary’s speedster Kane Loftus is unlikely to be seen again until July after scans revealed he broke a scaphoid in last week’s mauling of Grovedale.
Co-coach Luke Rayner said the incident happened when the Essendon VFL-listed young gun was tackled during the final quarter.
“He got slung to the ground and landed a bit awkwardly, putting his hand down to shield the blow,” Rayner said.
“He felt it at the time but played through the rest of the game in a bit of discomfort.
“24 hours later, it had blown up, so he went straight in on Monday for a scan, and that revealed a fracture of the scaphoid.”
Loftus will undergo an MRI tomorrow (Saturday) that will determine whether his recovery will continue with a cast or he will require surgery.
“Most scaphoids are around that 10-week period, so it’s going to be a fair stint on the sidelines for him, which is really unfortunate,” Rayner said.
“He started the season really well, and he’s certainly a difficult matchup, I think, for opposition sides to contend with.
“Definitely a bit of a blow for us, but it provides an opportunity for someone else to come in and fill that role.”
Loftus joins Kade Chalcraft, who has a bulging disc in his neck, as the Saints whose magnets have been shifted off the board for the moment.
However, the Saints will welcome back Jarryd Garner, Jesse Travaglini and Elijah Wales after they missed last week for the clash with preliminary final conquerors South Barwon at Anthony Costa Oval.
Luke Hillier and Noah Biggs have been dropped.
The Swans have named Geelong VFL-listed Todd White among four changes.
Tom Peirce is back after missing the loss to Colac with a shoulder issue. At the same time, Harry Cunningham has been promoted for his first senior game of the season, and St Joseph’s recruit Aaron Vickery will debut.
Forward Jonty Broughton (groin) and Zac Urquhart (hamstring) will be sidelined until after the bye later this month, while Tom Bartlett and Austin Shepherd will pull on the boots at midday.
Devon Smith will make his long-awaited return for Lara when it travels to Elderslie Reserve for a meeting with Newtown & Chilwell.
The former Essendon and GWS Giants made his lone senior appearance for the Cats as a 16-year-old in 2009.
Smith returned to the club as co-coach ahead of the 2023 but ruptured his Achilles tendon in a practice match in March.
A quad issue has sidelined him from the opening month of this season.
In a further boost, prolific midfielder Connor Thar is also expected to play with VFL club Werribee having the bye.
The Eagles will have access to Thar’s Tiger teammates, Flynn Young and Charlie Byrne.
Tough-as-nails Leopold captain Marcus Thompson has declared himself fit and will play against Grovedale at Memorial Park.
Thompson went to hospital during the win over Colac a fortnight ago after suffering bone bruising to his ribs.
He is one of three changes for the Polders, with Mitch Howard recalled and Sam McDonald getting his chance to debut after 42 games in the reserves.
Trent Thompson (soreness), James Edmonds (illness) and Luke Justin, who is being managed after a limited pre-season, go out of the team that defeated Lara last week.
Bryson Nicholls will become the latest debutant for the Tigers, with Nick Hau promoted after one game in the reserves.
They replace Jack Cook and Harry Hauenstein.
Colac will be without veteran Kane Smartt (hamstring) and young defender Will Parkhouse (foot) as it hosts North Shore at Central Reserve.
The Tigers have recalled Joel Cooper and elevated Darcy Howard for the meeting with the Seagulls.
The visitors hadn’t confirmed any changes at the time of writing.
St Albans has made three changes as it looks to open its 2024 account against Geelong West at St Albans Reserve.
Sam Wolfenden returns after spending the past fortnight in the concussion protocol, while Harry Howarth has been promoted after two games in the reserves, and William Rofe will make his debut after playing last year with Uni Blacks in the VAFA.
Dylan Johnson, Jack Bumpstead, and Brad Horsham have gone out of the team that lost to North Shore last week, with Horsham joining GDFNL club Corio during the week.
At the time of writing, the Giants had listed last week’s team. With Geelong and Werribee having the VFL bye, Greg Mellor may have access to his players that featured with the Cats and Tigers last week.
St Joseph’s has welcomed back Ollie Hanneysee from a hamstring injury suffered in Round 1 for the clash with fellow unbeaten team Bell Park at Hamlyn Park.
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