Melbourne small forward Jeff Garlett has avoided surgery on his dislocated shoulder and is set for a short spell on the sidelines.
Garlett injured the shoulder in a marking contest in the third quarter of the Demons' JLT Community Series match against Richmond on Sunday.
Elite Performance Manager David Misson told Melbourne Media that the assessment of the shoulder was positive.
“He consulted with a surgeon yesterday who advised that we don’t go down the surgical option, which is sort of what we thought after the injury anyway,” Mission said.
“It (the dislocated shoulder) came back in pretty easily so now it’s a matter of strengthening up that joint and making sure he can function properly.
“He’s probably going to be four to six weeks.”
However, Misson explained that despite avoiding damage to his previously repaired shoulder, there is no certainty that Garlett will not require surgery on his ‘good’ shoulder.
“This is his good shoulder – he’s had an operation on the other side, but not on this shoulder,” he said.
“I wouldn’t say he’s not going to need surgery, because he could come back and play his first game and it pops out again, and then we may have to operate.”
Garlett joins Mitch Hannan (knee, 8-12 weeks), Kade Kolodjashnij (knee, 8-12 weeks), Jake Lever (knee, 12-16 weeks) and Aaron Nietshke (knee, season) on Melbourne’s injury list.
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