Young West Coast forward Noah Long has avoided a dreaded ACL rupture with the Eagles confirming he has damage to the posterior cruciate ligament in his knee.
The 19-year-old was subbed out of West Coast’s thrilling six-point defeat to Essendon at Optus Stadium in the third quarter after his legs were trapped underneath him in a tackle.
West Coast coach Adam Simpson said after the game the club feared he had ripped his ACL, but the Eagles breathed a sigh of relief on Tuesday.
Despite the positive news, no time frame has been set for Long.
“Longy unfortunately hurt his knee in a tackle. His PCL has been damaged. We’ll put a process around him over the next couple of days and give an update shortly,” High-Performance Manager Mat Inness revealed on the club’s website.
The Eagles were left counting the injury toll as well as the loss on Saturday, with superstar Elliot Yeo sitting out much of the last quarter with a groin complaint, while a late knock to in-form forward Jake Waterman means he will miss at least a week in the AFL’s concussion protocols.
“Yeoy got a low-level groin strain out of the weekend. He did run today and ran pretty well, but he will miss it this week,” Inness said.
“In the last 90 seconds of the game, Jake copped a head knock, unfortunately, failed the concussion (assessment), so he will miss this week, too.”
In positive news, pacey wingman Jayden Hunt appears set to return after managing a toe injury that saw him miss his first match since joining the Eagles from Melbourne.
“Hunt missed last week with a bit of a toe injury. He will be a test for this week, so we’re hoping he gets up, but he’ll be a test later in the week,” Inness said.
Youngster Zane Trew will miss another week due to concussion, while emerging ruckman Harry Barnett is also set for a stint on the sidelines with stress reactions in his shins.
Co-captain and key goal-kicker Oscar Allen remains on track to return from knee surgery after the bye alongside ruck recruit Matt Flynn.