INTEGRAL defender Darcy Gardiner is set for another stint on the sidelines after suffering a hamstring injury in Brisbane's statement 22-point win over Geelong on Thursday night.
Gardiner, 30, has played just 38 games dating back to the start of 2023, suffering from a litany of issues including a shoulder, ankle and torn ACL.
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He had done well to quell an out-of-touch Jeremy Cameron until he clutched at his hamstring in the fourth term, while Zac Bailey appears to be clear of any issues with his own hamstring.
"Gardiner's got a hamstring, 'Bails' just had a bit of tightness, we just didn't take any risk with him once we knew we had the game won, so I wouldn't expect him to miss," coach Chris Fagan said after the match.
"But I think Darcy might have a decent hamstring injury. Don't know the extent of it yet, obviously, which is a pity for him. He gets injured a lot, and played a pretty decent game tonight on Cameron until that moment. Fingers crossed it's not a serious one."
Lachie Neale was sent from the field by the ARC (via the field umpire) for a HIA after a second-quarter knee to the head, but Fagan said he was happy with the process.
"It seemed OK. It's hard when you're the coach to know exactly what's going on in all those instances. I'm down on the bench, they got him off pretty quickly," Fagan said.
"He got checked out, he was passed to be OK and continued on for the rest of the game. I thought that was all done pretty well."
Jeremy Cameron's numbers – 39 goals from 15 games at an average of 2.6 – still look quite impressive, but that tally also contains a 10-goal haul, and he has been far from his sparkling, game-breaking best this year.
He went goalless against the Lions, managing just four disposals.
"He's going through a bit of a flat spot at the moment, there's no doubt about that. But I do remember getting these questions the week before he kicked 11, so if he doesn't kick at least 10 next week, I'll be flat," Geelong coach Chris Scott said.
"I don't think anyone other than him knows that (if his previously broken arm is affecting him) for sure, but the feedback we're getting is that he is well and truly good enough to play. I think you can take it as read that we do not play players who we don't think can perform. The fact a player can get out there to play doesn't mean he should.Â
"In that context, we are quizzing the medical staff and Jeremy, and he's saying, 'I'm not perfect, but I'm well and truly good enough to perform'. We tend to give our champions a little more room than some others, and we're confident that he'll find his way through it.Â
"If he can't in the short term, we think about how we can help him through even more. It's a strange situation to be talking about, given how good he's been for us."
Asked whether a move to the wing was considered during the loss, Scott seemed to indicate that Cameron had made the call to remain forward, but that may not be the case in the future.
"We talked about different options. I and our coaching group don't coach him within an inch of his life," Scott said.
"He has a fair bit of control over where he feels best. That's probably the case at the moment. Maybe I might get a bit more involved."