Dons to revive Stewart career
A 790-day AFL absence is likely to end for Essendon forward James Stewart on Friday night, with Bombers coach John Worsfold looking to add some scoring firepower to his team for the clash against Brisbane.
Worsfold also flagged a potential debut for big man Sam Draper against the secondplaced Lions confident that bringing in two fresh players, without an AFL game between them since 2018, posed little risk in a COVID-19-affected season.
“We like to minimise any risk when we name players and we generally won’t unless we think they are ready to go,” Worsfold said on Wednesday.
“Ned Cahill (who made his debut in Round 7) hadn’t played any footy this year and hadn’t played AFL before. A lot of players are making debuts in different circumstances, a lot of players are coming off long-term injuries.
“We make sure they are physically fit and ready to cope with AFL footy.
“Form is different question. If you wanted a guarantee how every player you bring in was going to perform, you’d never bring them in. Definitely we now feel as though (Stewart) is ready to go.”
Stewart, who has battled a series of injuries, hasn’t played at senior level since round 11, 2018, while 205cm Draper has recovered after rupturing his ACL last year.
Their likely inclusion comes as the Bombers continue to battle injury with Orazio Fantasia (calf) and Jayden Laverde (ankle) joining a growing list this week.
Worsfold suggested the impact of being forced onto nonAFL grounds to train, while stationed in their Gold Coast hub, could be playing a part.
“We are training on different surfaces regularly and that is often a warning sign,” he said. “In Melbourne you train on your same ground and play on the same grounds. Up here we are training on different grounds, some are harder some are softer.”