GOLD Coast coach Damien Hardwick has questioned the AFL’s pre-season scheduling amid a spate of injuries that have ripped through the competition in the past week.
Western Bulldogs superstar Marcus Bontempelli (calf) has a lengthy stint on the sidelines ahead of him, with Brisbane’s Brandon Starcevich (concussion) to miss Opening Round and Carlton’s Mitch McGovern (ankle) racing the clock for round one.
On Friday night, Sydney lost two-time All-Australian Errol Gulden to what looks a serious ankle injury, while Hardwick’s Suns are counting the cost of their 21-point loss to the Swans.
Mac Andrew (sternum), Charlie Ballard (ankle), David Swallow (knee) and Lachie Weller (hamstring tightness) all failed to finish the match.
The Suns have eight days before playing Essendon in Opening Round, while the Swans host Hawthorn at the SCG seven days after their AAMI Community Series hitout.
SUNS v SWANS Full match coverage and stats
Speaking to Fox Footy following the match, Hardwick said more thought needed to be put into the scheduling with eight teams playing next week in Opening Round and the other 10 beginning their home and away campaign a week later.
“We’ve got to put our heads together and figure out what we can do and get it a bit tighter,” Hardwick said.
“Even our counterparts Sydney can’t get home tonight, they play Friday, and they’re stuck here tonight.
“We’ve just got to get this scheduling better.
“They’ve got one job, the AFL, let’s get it sorted out.”
Flying home from the Gold Coast on Saturday morning – six days before they face the Hawks – Sydney left some of its big guns on ice at home.
None of Isaac Heeney, Chad Warner, Dane Rampe or Lewis Melican made the trip north, but assistant coach Jarrad McVeigh said they’d be all right to go next week.
“We wanted to make sure our players at that top echelon are primed and ready to go (for Opening Round),” McVeigh said.
“It was no risk with some of those players.”
Gulden wasn’t so lucky, having his left ankle caught under a Will Graham tackle. He left the field in clear pain and headed straight to a Gold Coast hospital for scans that the club expects the results of on Saturday.
“When a player comes off like that, your concerns are heightened,” McVeigh said. “It didn’t look good, but we’ve got to wait on the results.”
With Andrew set to be scanned after leaving the field inside the first 10 seconds of the match, Hardwick said the Suns were extra cautious with Ballard, who re-tweaked an ankle that kept him out of last week’s match simulation against Brisbane and Collingwood.
Vice-captain Touk Miller (knee) will play the Bombers next weekend.
