Brisbane recruit Nakia Cockatoo is in doubt to make his Lions debut come Round 1 after a further hamstring setback riddled his 2021 preparations.
The former top 10 pick was sidelined for a majority of the past two seasons with soft tissue and wrist injuries, with his last match coming in Round 3 of the 2018 season.
The 24-year-old made the switch north to Brisbane after six seasons at Kardinia Park and looked to be making strides in a return to the AFL this year.
Teammate Jarryd Lyons revealed on RSN Breakfast Club that the pacey utility is facing further setbacks due to a hamstring complaint and will likely sit out of the Lions' season opener against Sydney on March 20.
“I think he had a small hamstring injury a couple of weeks ago," Lyons said.
“He's probably got injured at the wrong time. He hasn’t played the last couple of weeks, I don’t know if we’ll see him in Round 1 but he won’t be too far away.
.@brisbanelions coach Chris Fagan confirms that off-season recruit Nakia Cockatoo won't play against the Suns. He's got a hamstring complaint and Brisbane don't want to rush him. Noah Answerth, Darcy Gardiner also won't play.
Joe Daniher fit and firing. #AFL @9NewsQueensland
— Mark Gottlieb (@MarkGottlieb) February 26, 2021
"Hopefully he can get his body right and it wont be too long before we see him in our colours."
Cockatoo has played just the 34 matches since making his debut in 2015 and was traded to the Lions from Geelong in exchange for future third-round selection at the end of last season.
