St Joseph’s fighting eight-point win over Newtown & Chilwell has come at a cost, with a trio of players facing extended stints on the sidelines.
Jack Mullen, Hunter Lewis and debutant Fletcher Pulleine failed to see out the clash at Plan Group Oval.
Mullen is set to have scans for a knee injury the club believes is an MCL issue; Lewis has a double break in his wrist that will likely require surgery; and Pulleine suffered a broken leg.
Pulleine earned his opportunity with Joeys after some impressive form at Talent League level with the Geelong Falcons.
He’d gathered 10 disposals before suffering the break in the second quarter.
“He looked right at home at senior level,” Gow said.
“He fitted in really well with all our players, and the attitude he showed, it was really good to see him play well
“It’s disappointing to go down like that on your debut. I think his leg just got caught in a contest.
“He was trying to crawl off the boundary line with a fractured leg, so it shows a bit of his character and his toughness.
St Joseph’s win over the Towners, coupled with Bell Park’s 10-point victory over Colac, has it two games clear of the Tigers and Leopold, with each having five matches to play.
Joeys next test is a trip over the river to McDonald Reserve for a meeting with South Barwon.
When the two teams met in their traditional Anzac Day clash, the Swans handed out a 104-point hiding, with Gow sidelined through injury.
“I was up in the coaches’ box that day, and it wasn’t very fun, to be honest,” he said.
“We’re going into this week with a few sore bodies, but I’ve got a lot of confidence from the weekend.
“We always want to be playing against the best teams in the comp just to see where we’re at, and that’s what makes you a lot better, playing against those teams.
“You want those tests.”
Big man Ed McCoy is a chance to return after missing the win over Newtown & Chilwell with a foot issue.
Ollie Hanneysee, Ryan Connolly and Charlie Clark made their returns from a mixture of injury and concussion in the reserves and will come under consideration for senior selection.
However, James Hose is still sidelined with a broken leg suffered while playing VFL with Geelong last month.
“There might be some opportunities for some younger lads as well, but we’ll have to see how that plays out,” Gow said.
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