The 21-year old pulled up with knee soreness following the opening round of the NAB Cup, and coach Brad Scott says the Kangaroos are likely to make a call on his availability in the next 24 hours.
“We’re hopeful Maj will be up and right to play, but he did have some swelling Sunday morning and Saturday morning,” Scott told the media at Aegis Park on Tuesday.
“That was disappointing given we’d managed his load through the pre-season, we thought he’d get through and we managed his load in the game.
“At this stage he’s at best 50/50 to play this week. He’d be selected in the side but if that swelling doesn’t reduce significantly in the next 24 hours I’d say he probably won’t play and we’d start to look to getting him right for the following week.”
Video of the number 38’s ‘don’t argue’ and goal against Richmond has proven an internet sensation, and Scott says suggestions of Daw being selfish in not handballing to a team-mate are disappointing.
“We made it very clear to him that we want him to take the game on,” he added.
“On that particular passage he didn’t see Brad McKenzie on the inside. It’s very easy in hindsight for people to say he should have passed it off. He simply didn’t see him.
“It takes a long time for players to develop the awareness of what’s going on around them. Maj at the moment, the simplest way for him to play is to play to his strengths, and you can see from that goal his strengths.
“He’ll evolve and he’ll develop that awareness as time goes on. He wants to be a really respected member of this team, and that means giving it to a player in a better position when it presents himself. When he saw that vision he said, ‘yeah I should have given it to Brad, but I just didn’t see him’. That’s what we’re training with him, that’s what we are working with him to try and help his development.”
Already a crowd favourite, Daw looked comfortable in the ruck and up forward during the club’s first hit-outs of 2013, but Scott admits he’s still got much to learn.
“Right at the moment Maj is in the early stages of his development. Despite what people say, he’s got a lot of work to do and he knows that.
“We’re trying to simplify the game for him...I stated before the game that he would do some things that would make people stand up and take notice, but he’s still working really hard on the fundamentals of the game.”
