The GWS Giants will need to make further adjustments to their forward line for round one after Brent Daniels injured his foot at training on Monday.
The 22-year-old looked a good chance to start in the forward line this season, especially given fellow small forward Toby Greene is unavailable for selection until round six in the wake of his “ump bump” saga.
But now Daniels has injured the Lisfranc joint in his foot, ruling him out until roughly round 10, the Giants will need to remodel their forward line even more extensively.
The club is also without forward Jeremy Finlayson, who defected to Port Adelaide in the off-season.
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Daniels is set for surgery this week and had been having a strong pre-season before injury struck him down.
“This is a disappointing injury for Brent, who was having a great pre-season,” said Giants head of medical services James Rahme.
“Brent will have surgery this week before we determine a timeline for his return.
“We expect him to be sidelined until approximately round 10.
“It’s a tricky injury, so we’ll take our time to make sure he’s fully fit to return in the first half of the season.”
Camera IconDaniels has played 62 games for the Giants since he was selected with pick 27 of the 2017 draft. Michael Klein Credit: News Corp Australia
The injury blow will be especially frustrating for Daniels given his persistent hamstring struggles in 2021.
The Giants’ 2021 campaign was injury hampered, with big names Jesse Hogan and Stephen Coniglio among those to spend significant time in the casualty ward.
Despite constant reshaping of the side’s best 22, senior coach Leon Cameron managed to guide the Giants to their fifth finals appearance in 10 seasons.
GWS upset local rivals Sydney in a mouth-watering elimination final, but found itself knocked out of the premiership race by Geelong a week later.
The Swans will look to make amends for the elimination final loss when the two NSW teams meet in round one.
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