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Carlton defender Nic Newman is sure to miss the first-round opener against Richmond The former swan suffers a setback when he returns from a serious knee injury
However, on more promising news on the club’s injury front, critically acclaimed young ruckman Tom De Koning could be back sooner than expected after overcoming a back ailment
Newman missed most of the 2020 season after fracturing his patellar tendon on round two, but he had recovered well before his final setback and had competed for most of the preseason
“Newy was doing very well with his knee; He went back to the full ball routine and was playing, “said blues fitness boss Andrew Russell
“His patellar tendon looks really nice which is the injury he had last year, but the back of the kneecap is a little inflamed at the moment. We’re still deciding what that means and how much training he will miss.” >
“We need a little more information to figure out how long it will take for him to calm down and he will play footy, but it probably won’t be early in the season””
The club had previously stated that De Koning – who was impressed in his seven games last year – would miss the early stages of the season, but the big man will run again this week
“He had very little bone stress in his spine. The next day he had no pain and no back pain. He feels completely normal,” he said
“How quickly he progresses depends on how good he is feeling, but at this point we’ll see him early in the season I think”
The Blues are set to hit arch rivals Essendon on Thursday before heading to St.Petersburg in an official preseason match next week Line up with Kilda
The club said Eddie Betts (calf), Levi Casboult (knee) and Mitch McGovern (thigh) would miss Thursday’s training game against the Bombers, but all remain on track for first round availability >
Sam McClure is a sports reporter for The Age and winner of “Best News Reporter” at the AFL Media Association Awards
Carlton Football Club, Nic Newman, Australian Football League, injury
News – AU – Newman will miss round one, De Koning on track for early comeback
Source: https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/newman-set-to-miss-round-one-de-koning-on-track-for-early-comeback-20210222-p574ok.html
