Brisbane and the Western Bulldogs have been hit by fresh injury concerns after their pre-season hitout last night, with just 11 days to go until the season gets underway.
The Lions were hit the hardest, with Keidean Coleman and Deven Robertson both leaving the ground with hamstring injuries, while James Madden's night ended in the third term after suffering a lower leg injury. Key defender Darcy Gardiner didn't take the field, withdrawn pre-match due to a tight quad.
Lions coach Chris Fagan addressed media post game to give an update on his growing injury list.
"Itโs a little bit early to assess, but they looked quite sore,โ Fagan said.
โColeman and Robertson have hamstrings and Madden โ Iโm not quite sure.
Meanwhile, the Bulldogs lost valuable defender Alex Keath midway through the game after a knee knock. The 30-year-old didn't return after half time and was seen with strapping on his lower leg.
Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge remained optimistic post game that Keath would be available for Round 1 selection.
โKeathy had a significant kick to the shin and wasnโt moving too well, so we took a conservative approach with that and had to take him off,โ Beveridge said.
"There are some good signs."
๐ฅ Bevo reflects on our pre-season clash + provides an update on Alex Keath: https://t.co/g3fIc1l1tm
— Western Bulldogs (@westernbulldogs) March 4, 2022
โWe think he will be OK. You know what it is like when you hit your shin on the end of the edge of the bed, itโs hard to shake it off.
โHe couldnโt shake it off, so we thought it was best that he left the game.โ
Brisbane won by six points in the competitive pre-season match, with Lachie Neale and Jack Macrae among the best on field.
The Bulldogs will get their season underway against Melbourne in a highly anticipated grand final rematch, while Brisbane will take on Port Adelaide at the Gabba.
