Western Bulldogs duo Josh Dunkley and Lin Jong will undergo surgery on injuries sustained in Friday night’s win against the GWS Giants.
Dunkley dislocated his shoulder in the final quarter. He had scans today which confirmed he will require a reconstruction.
The star midfielder will face a significant period on the sidelines after a prolific start to 2021, where he has averaged more than 30 disposals and five clearances per game across the opening six rounds.
“Although we were initially optimistic that Josh may be able to avoid surgery, subsequent scans have confirmed the best way to manage Josh in the short-to-medium term is to have a full shoulder reconstruction,” head of sports medicine, Chris Bell, said.
“This surgery will be completed tomorrow. At this stage, we expect Josh to miss the next 3-4 months.”
Jong was injured early in his first AFL game for the season and will need surgery to repair a hamstring tendon injury.
“In the first quarter, Lin got caught in a position where he overstretched his hamstring. This has caused damage to the hamstring tendon,” Bell said.
“This tendon injury does require surgery which will be completed tomorrow. At this stage, we expect Lin to miss the next 10-12 weeks of footy.”
The news is more promising for Tim English, who has been cleared of jaw damage following a knock to the head in the final quarter.
However, he will also miss this week’s clash against Richmond due to concussion.
“I’m pleased to say that his jaw is okay, but Tim did suffer a concussion as part of the same incident,” Bell said.
“Tim has come in quite well today, and he will work closely with our doctors through the return to play concussion protocols. Tim will miss this week, but we hope to see him back soon after.”
Injury List
Tim English (concussion) TBC
Bailey Williams (collarbone) 2-3 weeks
Ed Richards (ankle) 3-5 weeks
Ryan Gardner (shoulder) 3-5 weeks
Toby McLean (knee) 4-6 weeks
Lin Jong (hamstring) 10-12 weeks
Josh Dunkley (shoulder) 12-16 weeks
