Whitfield keen to play on despite ankle issue

LACHIE Whitfield has conceded he will have to manage an ongoing ankle issue that could need end-of-season surgery but he doesn’t want to miss any more of the “adventurous” football GWS Giants are playing under interim coach Marc McVeigh.

Returning for the first time since round 9 in last week’s win over North Melbourne, Whitefield said he “couldn’t run the kays” he would normally but had pulled up well enough to go again in Saturday’s home clash against the Western Bulldogs.

But Whitfield said his training loads would continue to be affected by the ankle issue with post-season surgery likely.

“I’ve got an ongoing ankle issue that probably isn’t going to go away for the rest of the year, but it’s manageable,” he said after a recovery session at Sydney’s Bronte on Tuesday.

“I’m just trying to sort through that.

Whitfield said the Giants, who will miss the finals for only the second time since 2015, were building on the back of McVeigh’s “fun vibes” approach. But the fun will have to continue without Harry Perryman, who suffered broken ribs against North Melbourne and will be sidelined indefinitely.