Shockwaves have reverberated through the West Coast Eagles training camp following a concerning incident during an intra-club match at Mineral Resources Park on Friday. Co-captain Liam Duggan was involved in a heavy collision with second-year player Tom Gross, resulting in Duggan leaving the field with a suspected concussion.
Collision Halts Play as Duggan Suffers Injury
During the first term of the match, Duggan gathered the ball only to be lined up by Gross, who left the ground and took down his co-captain with a late tackle. Play was immediately stopped as a visibly shaken Duggan required assistance from trainers to leave the ground. According to reports from The West Australian, Duggan appeared to undergo a concussion test on the sidelines shortly after the incident.
The 29-year-old defender was clearly dazed by the impact and took no further part in the match. After the game concluded, Duggan still appeared stunned and is now in serious doubt for the Eagles' upcoming match simulation against Fremantle at Cockburn next Saturday.
Multiple Injury Concerns Emerge for Eagles
The collision between Duggan and Gross was not the only injury concern to emerge from the intra-club match. The West Australian described "carnage reigning" during the session, with midfielder Jack Graham also escorted into the clubrooms at quarter-time with what could be another significant injury concern for the club.
Gross himself left the field midway through the second term as player numbers began to dwindle on the field. The Eagles were already missing several key players from the match, including co-captain Liam Baker and star forward Jake Waterman who are on AFL Origin duty for Western Australia.
Recruit Tylar Young also did not participate as he deals with a knock to the shin, further depleting the Eagles' available players for the intra-club session.
Positive Performances Amid the Carnage
Despite the injury concerns, there were some positive performances that emerged from the match. Top draftee Cooper Duff-Tytler was the standout story of the first term, kicking three goals in a starring performance that will certainly push his case for Round 1 selection.
Duff-Tytler operated as the main tall forward alongside exciting second-year forward Jobe Shanahan, who also booted a goal in the opening term. The 18-year-old draftee added a fourth goal when he ran into an open goal after Harley Reid selflessly dished off to him late in the second term.
Reid was rewarded not long after with a goal of his own after taking a strong mark in the right forward pocket before kicking truly on his left foot. Duff-Tytler's fellow first-round draftee Josh Lindsay made the most of Baker's absence with a strong showing at half-back, displaying impressive skills as he hit several targets with composure in traffic.
The incident has raised serious concerns about the Eagles' injury management and player availability as they prepare for the upcoming AFL season, with the club now facing multiple fitness tests ahead of their match simulation against Fremantle.
