ACL injury fear for star on a nightmare night for Essendon; Dockers prevail over Hawks in Perth thriller
Vlastuin marks milestone with a win on a horror night for Bombers
Essendon fear star midfielder Nic Martin has injured his anterior cruciate ligament in the Bombers' upset loss to Richmond in one of the worst matches of the season.
The Tigers celebrated premiership hero Nick Vlastuin's 250th game with a stirring nine-point victory – 6.10 (46) to 4.13 (37) – despite not scoring a goal in the second and third quarters.
Martin's right knee twisted when he was tackled by Rhyan Mansell in the first quarter of the game. His left knee crashed into the Astroturf surrounding the boundary, but the damage was done to the ACL in his right knee.
The Bombers are also sweating on a foot injury to important on-baller Will Setterfield, who was trodden on. He was sporting a large ice pack to his right foot in the rooms.
The Dons' lengthy injury list has provided an alibi for their performances this season but a loss to the similarly depleted and rebuilding Tigers will put Brad Scott's team under scrutiny.
The Tigers and Bombers came into this game with losing streaks of seven and five games respectively – and played accordingly.
The two clubs played the first goalless quarter of the season in a match riddled with errors. Neither side could perform the basics of the game. Kicks were punted out of bounds under little pressure. Ground balls were fumbled, and uncontested chest marks were grassed.
Surprisingly, the 47 kick clangers exceeded by just three the season average of 44.
Not that those in the yellow and black in the crowd of 52,125 will mind. For the Tigers faithful who have kept coming in this dark season, they were rewarded with a fourth victory of the year, and a win to complement their memorable upset over another fierce rival, Carlton, on the first night of their campaign.
And they saw a favourite son, Vlastuin, honoured in a milestone game. He was chaired off by Nathan Broad and Ben Miller to a guard of honour formed by players from both clubs.
Fittingly, the gun defender made a key spoil in the closing seconds which snuffed out any hope the Bombers had of pinching the game at the death.
Full-time: Richmond 6.10 (46) defeat Essendon 4.13 (37)
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
7NEWS
an hour ago
- 7NEWS
Bulldogs confirm Lachlan Galvin call as Eels drop superstar Dylan Brown
Canterbury insist Lachlan Galvin will have enough time to feel at home in their halves, after the Bulldogs pulled the trigger and handed the mid-season recruit the No.7 jersey. It came on a huge day for NRL team news, with Taylan May named in the Wests Tigers' backline for the first time and Dylan Brown dropped by Parramatta. But the biggest shock of all came out of Belmore, with regular starting halfback Toby Sexton dropped to NSW Cup to make room for Galvin. It means Galvin will start alongside Matt Burton for the first time on Saturday against St George Illawarra, one month after the teen arrived from Wests Tigers. Galvin was dropped from the team to face North Queensland last week, after coming off the bench twice and starting alongside Sexton in Origin-impacted rounds since his arrival. 'There is still a third of the season left,' Canterbury utility Jaeman Salmon said. 'That's plenty of time to build a combination headed into the finals. So as long as we all get around him, he'll be fine.' Sexton had been part of the Bulldogs' rise to the top of the ladder, but has now been squeezed out by Galvin. Off contract at the end of the season, Sexton is also set for an English Super League move next year. 'Obviously you check on Toby,' second-rower Jacob Preston said. 'He is a great person who has a team-first mentality. You always feel for your mates but it is rugby league and that's just what it is. 'He was down here today ripping in for the (NSW Cup) side and wants to get better.' Elsewhere, the Eels have dropped Brown to 18th man for their match against Canberra, with Ryley Smith's return from suspension squeezing out the Newcastle-bound star. Coach Jason Ryles has made no secret of his desire to plan for the future, with Joash Papalii a potential long-term No.6 and Tallyn da Silva and Smith the hookers. At the Tigers, May will play his first NRL game since early last year, after impressing with a hat-trick in NSW Cup for the joint-venture. His return at centre comes after he was handed a lifeline by the Tigers following domestic-violence charges last year while at Penrith. May had pleaded not guilty to the charges and they were dropped when his wife - whom he was accused of punching - did not show up in court. He has since spent time in a mental-health facility. Chad Townsend is the preferred option to partner Sam Walker at the Sydney Roosters with Hugo Savala injured, despite Sandon Smith being named on an extended bench in the squad to face Cronulla. Penrith have rested Nathan Cleary and Isaah Yeo for their match against South Sydney, with Dylan Edwards and Brian To'o returning. Souths have named Lewis Dodd on the bench, while keeping Jack Wighton at five-eighth. And Manly have opted to keep Tom Trbojevic at centre and Lehi Hopoate at fullback against a Melbourne side who remain without Ryan Papenhuyzen and are yet to decide if Cameron Munster will play.
The Australian
3 hours ago
- The Australian
AFL 2025: Gold Coast star Touk Miller to miss month with hamstring injury
Gold Coast will push towards an inaugural finals berth without Touk Miller after the star midfielder was sidelined for almost a month with a hamstring injury. Miller was substituted out of the Suns' statement win over Collingwood on Friday night with the concern. The Suns managed to hold off the fast-finishing Magpies without Miller to announce themselves as a September contender. Gold Coast physio Lindsay Bull said Miller would miss 3-4 weeks on Tuesday morning. 'Scans have confirmed that Touk sustained a hamstring strain on Friday night which will see him miss the next 3-4 weeks,' Bull said. In more positive news for the Suns, key defender Sam Collins is poised to return from two weeks out with a calf injury, while Caleb Graham will also be available. Touk Miller will miss 3-4 weeks with a hamstring injury. Picture: Russell Freeman/AFL Photos via Getty Images The week at Punt Rd just got better as Richmond released a pair of players from the rehab room. Harry Armstrong will be available for selection after recovering from a long-term hamstring tear – a welcome setback for the Tigers without spearhead Tom Lynch. Jasper Alger, meanwhile, has also made a miraculously swift return. Alger was last week listed as 3-4 weeks away but recent scans revealed the ankle issue less worrying than the initial diagnosis. 'We scanned Jasper's ankle last week after the injury report and realised the injury wasn't as severe as what we thought originally,' Richmond performance manager Ben Serpell said 'Happy to say that he has pulled through training last week and is available for selection this week.' Tyler Lewis Sports reporter Tyler Lewis is a sports reporter based in Melbourne's south east. @tmlew_ Tyler Lewis
News.com.au
6 hours ago
- News.com.au
AFL 2025: Gold Coast star Touk Miller will miss nearly a month with a hamstring injury
Gold Coast will push towards an inaugural finals berth without Touk Miller after the star midfielder was sidelined for almost a month with a hamstring injury. Miller was substituted out of the Suns' statement win over Collingwood on Friday night with the concern. The Suns managed to hold off the fast-finishing Magpies without Miller to announce themselves as a September contender. Gold Coast physio Lindsay Bull said Miller would miss 3-4 weeks on Tuesday morning. 'Scans have confirmed that Touk sustained a hamstring strain on Friday night which will see him miss the next 3-4 weeks,' Bull said. In more positive news for the Suns, key defender Sam Collins is poised to return from two weeks out with a calf injury, while Caleb Graham will also be available. The week at Punt Rd just got better as Richmond released a pair of players from the rehab room. Harry Armstrong will be available for selection after recovering from a long-term hamstring tear – a welcome setback for the Tigers without spearhead Tom Lynch. Jasper Alger, meanwhile, has also made a miraculously swift return. Alger was last week listed as 3-4 weeks away but recent scans revealed the ankle issue less worrying than the initial diagnosis. 'We scanned Jasper's ankle last week after the injury report and realised the injury wasn't as severe as what we thought originally,' Richmond performance manager Ben Serpell said 'Happy to say that he has pulled through training last week and is available for selection this week.'
