Brad Scott and the match committee have had their work cut out for them in recent weeks with 45 of a possible 46 players to choose from.
Draftee Tom Curran is the only Kangaroo unavailable for selection after being placed on the Long Term Injury List before Round One with a foot problem. He still has three weeks to go before the club can reactivate him.
The number of fit players a club has goes a long way to shaping a season. More often than not, the teams that have the emptiest medical rooms finish the highest on the ladder. Injuries can simply cripple even the best sides’ ambitions for success.
Luck, one can argue, has much to do with it when the types of injuries players sustain are taken into account. Jack Ziebell for example would be considered unlucky after breaking his leg twice in as many years in his first years at North.
It’s the same for Nathan Grima who was in the wrong place at the wrong time when Ziebell fell across his leg in a pre-season match several weeks ago. The key defender has only just returned to the field after successfully rehabilitating his knee.
Collision type injuries are unavoidable, like the one Liam Anthony suffered against Collingwood in 2010. Running back with the flight of the ball, the midfielder was crunched from behind by Travis Cloke at the MCG. The West Australian’s shoulder dislocated and he missed the rest of the season.
Soft tissue injuries like calf strains and hamstrings, some argue, can be avoided.
But one thing is certain, player availability is one of the keys to success in the AFL and those at North Melbourne are hoping luck continues to go their way.
Injury List
Tom Curran - foot (3 weeks)
