Due to the injury sustained by star forward Aaron Naughton during the Western Bulldogs’ AFL loss to Sydney, they have avoided an ACL.
Naughton’s right knee, which the Bulldogs describe as having a moderate medial ligament injury, will keep him out of action for at least four to six weeks, but there isn’t any anterior cruciate ligament damage in the joint.
While an ACL tear would have finished his season, they anticipate that he will miss four to six weeks.
On Thursday night at Marvel Stadium, the Bulldogs bravely faced the ladder leaders, coming back from a five-goal deficit early in the final quarter to lose by just 14 points.
That was in spite of Naughton’s knee injuries and the concussions that claimed the lives of Ed Richards and Anthony Scott.
Due to the 12-day concussion protocol, Scott and Richards will undoubtedly miss the game against Collingwood on Friday night.
After the game, coach Luke Beveridge expressed cautious optimism regarding Naughton.
“The indications are that hopefully it’s not as extreme as a (ACL), but you never can tell … fingers crossed,” he stated.
Scott was taken off the field following a head clash in just three minutes of his AFL debut this season.
Richards was the Bulldogs’ greatest player in the first half, therefore it was unfortunate that he suffered a concussion early in the third quarter.
Similar to their teammate Tom Liberatore, who is expected to make a comeback in the coming weeks following his most recent concussion, Scott and Richards have a history of head trauma.
Beveridge bemoaned his team’s inability to convert more opportunities while applauding them for their resilience against the Swans.
The Bulldogs, who had beaten GWS previous week with a score of 8.22, kicked an incorrect 12.16 against Sydney’s 16.6.
“The guys’ actions, which were obviously against the upper side, were really honorable. It’s unfortunate that we experienced some misfortune,” Beveridge remarked.
“In my opinion, our players are winners tonight, but you never lose and feel like a winner.
“The game’s style and system appeared quite nice. We simply failed to give ourselves a genuine chance to win by making some massive mistakes and missing some monumental opportunities.
What then do you conclude from that? That will give us encouragement, but we also need to act on it.”
When questioned about the controversial and crucial 50-meter penalty that was given against Latham Vandermeer—a play that allowed Hayden McLean to score the game-winning goal late on for Sydney—Beveridge remained silent.
“What are your thoughts? “I promise to never comment on the umpiring,” a displeased Beveridge declared after the game.
“I’m not really sure if it’s there or not. In the end, a decision was taken, and we must accept it.”
Young players Ryley Sanders, Riley Garcia, and Rhylee West were lauded by Beveridge for their dynamic midfield play when the Bulldogs needed a last-term boost.
The Bulldogs coach described the trio by citing independent broadcasters in Melbourne.
“It resembled a Triple R radio station inside with Adam Treloar, the seasoned one, holding his own.
