Footscray defender James O’Donnell is a chance to feature in the Club’s 100-year marquee fixture at the MCG this Friday night.
O’Donnell was subbed out of the Dogs’ Round 1 win after suffering a jaw injury late in the third quarter and will be tested this week.
“James received some incidental contact to his jaw from an opponent’s shoulder,” Bulldogs Head of Sports Medicine Chris Bell said.
“This caused a small crack in his jawbone, which required surgery where a metal plate was put in to stabilise the crack.
“The surgery was completed yesterday, and he has bounced out well and is already chomping at the bit to get back into training.
“We will reassess where he is at on Wednesday, before confirming when he will return to playing.”
Luke Cleary has been placed under concussion protocols after a late collision, while Riley Garcia will undergo surgery after an incident in the VFL practice match.
“Late in the fourth quarter, Luke was involved in a traumatic clash where he received an opposition knee to the side of his head,” Bell said.
“Luke was concussed as part of this incident. He did go to hospital after the game for precautionary scans and was monitored throughout Saturday night.
“In some good news, the scans have cleared Luke of any serious structural damage. He was back at the club today and will be managed within our concussion protocols.
“In the last two minutes of our VFL practice game, Riley was involved in a tackle where he twisted his knee. This mechanism has caused some damage to the cartilage in Riley’s knee.
“Unfortunately this injury requires surgery to remove the cartilage fragment.
“The surgery is being completed this afternoon, so we will have an updated return-to-play timeline in the coming days.”
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