Kurt Tippett will be forced to wait an extra week before making his AFL season debut with the Sydney Swans.
The big forward suffered a cracked rib playing the Sydney seconds last weekend.
“Our plan was to play Kurt for the first half and he nearly got through unscathed, but unfortunately he copped a knee in a marking contest just before half-time,” Swans coach John Longmire told AFL.com.au.
Tippett has yet to play an AFL game in 2014 due to pre-season issues with knee tendonitis and while the 26-year-old has recovered from his early season woes, he is now slated to miss this weekend’s clash with the Demons at the MCG.
Possibly joining Tippett for the Round 7 clash against Brisbane could be veteran Adam Goodes, who last played in Round 13 last year. Goodes and forward Sam Reid are nearing full fitness and are likely to return in the coming weeks.
Chris Judd’s AFL comeback lasted all of three minutes after the former Brownlow Medallist injured a hamstring injury as the team’s substitute against the Western Bulldogs. The setback will see the former champ out for at least the next five weeks while West Coast recruit Xavier Ellis will have to hold off in his bid to revitalise his AFL career after suffering a calf injury against the Power.
A number of big names are also set for short stints on the sidelines led by North defender Scott Thompson, set to miss a week for striking Travis Cloke.
Other players to accept one-week bans include Fremantle livewire Hayden Ballantyne for separate off-ball incidents involving Swans defender Rhyce Shaw, West Coast captain Darren Glass for rough conduct against Chad Wingard, Adam Schneider for striking and Greater Western Sydney’s Toby Greene also for striking.
Adelaide defender Richard Douglas will face the tribunal for a heavy shoulder bump to the Giants’ Callan Ward away from the ball.
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