FRESH OUT OF LUKE
LUCKLESS CATS: New injury blow as casualties mount
GEELONG forward Luke Dahlhaus is facing a stint on the sidelines as the Cats’ injury list continues to grow.
And coach Chris Scott has revealed Tom Atkins is battling a rib cartilage complaint.
Dahlhaus has a foot injury but Scott would not provide details on the “medium-term” setback.
He said it was hard to pinpoint when the injury happened but conceded Dahlhaus would miss a “period of weeks with a foot issue”.
“That’s why I don’t want to elaborate too much on the exact nature of it because it’s beyond the scope of my expertise,” Scott said on Friday.
“The onset was quite slow and it took us all a little bit by surprise.”
Asked if Dahlhaus would play again this year, Scott said: “I’m not sure, that’s why I didn’t want to elaborate too much on the nature of it.
“I think so, but I wouldn’t place too much stock in what I say.
“I’m not giving you an ironclad guarantee either way. I’m saying I don’t know.
“You can keep asking but I’ll keep saying I don’t know.”
Small forwards Dahlhaus and Atkins are among the firstchoice players in Geelong’s casualty ward, and Gary Ablett will miss at least the next two games after returning to Victoria to be with his family.
Captain Joel Selwood (hamstring) and Jordan Clark (shoulder) are also out injured.
Scott reserved comment on detail of Dahlhaus’s injury.
“I just want to wait a little bit before I clarify the exact nature of that issue, but it’s medium-term,” he said.
“It’s not a matter of him being back in a couple of weeks. It will be a little bit longer than that.”
Atkins sustained his injury against Melbourne in Round 4 and was initially expected to be a short-term setback.
“The specific issue right at the moment, and there have been several, is more related to a rib cartilage, which is quite a common rugby league and rugby union injury,” Scott said.
“As those guys would know, they can linger for quite a long time, which this one has.
“It wasn’t completely unexpected … we’ve decided with the fixture we’ve got coming up we’re not going to play him before he’s absolutely ready.”