Calf injury puts Saint Sinclair on back foot
St Kilda’s reigning best and fairest Jack Sinclair is in significant doubt to be fit for the Saints’ season opener against Geelong in March as he battles calf soreness.
With the Saints’ round 1 trip to Kardinia Park just over three weeks away, the club has listed Sinclair as out for two to three weeks as while slowly builds up his training loads amid the calf issue.
The star halfback could join small forward Dan Butler and midfield recruit Paddy Dow on the sidelines when the Saints open their season, but he has not been ruled out.
A St Kilda spokesperson said Butler and Dow were both “touch-and-go” for round 1, as Hunter Clark took steps towards returning from a facial fracture and concussion suffered during match simulation this month.
Saints football boss David Misson said Clark would not be rushed back into Friday’s unofficial hitout against Essendon but could play in the next week’s match against North Melbourne as he all but ruled Sinclair out of both games.
“Hunter is currently training non-contact, but we won’t rush him back this week,” Misson said.
“As for Jack Sinclair, it’s about making sure his body is tip-top for the season proper so we’ll manage his workload over the coming weeks.”
Misson said injury-prone midfielder Zak Jones was being “monitored closely” as he moved through the concussion protocols following a head knock at training last week, while Jack Hayes and James van Es (five to six weeks) and Ben Paton (12 to 16 weeks) were longer-term prospects as they recovered from off-season surgeries.
The Saints said Paton’s surgery was successful after the small defender ruptured his left pectoral tendon a fortnight ago.