COLLINGWOOD ruckman Josh Fraser could be fit to tackle St Kilda this Friday night, despite hobbling from the ground during the final term of Saturday’s Hall of Fame Tribute Match with what looked to be a potentially-serious knee injury.
The Magpies will learn more of Fraser’s posterior cruciate ligament injury over the next 24 hours, however Collingwood football manager Geoff Walsh said on Sunday morning that club doctors were hopeful the star big man’s injury wasn’t too significant.
“He won’t have any scans until tomorrow probably, we’ll wait and see how he comes up tomorrow,” Walsh said.
“Our doc’s had a look at him and you know he thinks it’s not going to be too bad.
“He’ll have a scan tomorrow but the way Josh is talking he thinks he can be a chance to come up this week but we’ll have to see how it settles down tomorrow after 24 hours.
“We don’t think it’s too bad.”
Mid-way through the final term, Fraser clashed knees with Dream Team ruckman Dean Cox and left the field shortly after the incident.
Walsh said the posterior cruciate ligament in Fraser’s right knee was “certainly not torn” and declared the Magpies’ No.1 ruckman in contention to front up against Saints big man Justin Koschitzke at Telstra Dome on Friday.
“Well, he’s a chance,” Walsh said.
“The way Josh is talking this morning, you know he feels he’s in reasonably good shape so soon after the match but we’ll know more tomorrow after it’s sort of settled down.
“We’re reasonably optimistic that if it’s not this week [then] it’s not a horrific injury [that will keep him out for a long time].”
Walsh said all of Collingwood’s other representatives in Saturday night’s Hall of Fame match had come through the game unscathed.
Meanwhile power forward Anthony Rocca, who has missed the Magpies’ past two matches with an ankle injury, will have to prove his fitness after enjoying a rest in recent days.
“Our guys who didn’t play in that game [the Hall of Fame match], they had a pretty light week on the track,” Walsh said.
“Again, we’ll test Anthony and any others who need that probably Tuesday but you know he got through last week fine.
“But to be fair none of our guys really did too much last week. We had a bit of a light week.”
