Blues could recall Setanta - Sports News - Fanatics - the world's biggest events

Blues could recall Setanta

By Roger Vaughan 08/04/2009 07:20:19 PM Comments (0)

Carlton tall utility Setanta O'hAilpin could return to the side for Saturday night's AFL clash against Essendon at the MCG.

O'hAilpin's career was in jeopardy two months ago when he punched and then kicked team-mate Cameron Cloke during an intraclub game.

The club suspended him and he also received a four-match ban from the AFL for the incident.

But he has impressed Brett Ratten with his ruckwork in the VFL and there could be an opening in the senior team, following the injury to key defender Michael Jamison.

"He's right in the mix - he just had a bit of frustration with his legs and how he could run," Ratten said.

"Just watching him on the weekend, he played in the ruck and he was really bouncy and he's sort of getting back to the fitness levels that he needs to.

"That's two weeks that I've watched him live and he's shown that he's capable of 20-odd possessions playing in the ruck."

But Essendon coach Matthew Knights said midfielder Mark McVeigh was still another week away from returning to the AFL.

McVeigh has been out of action after suffering an ankle injury in the round-one NAB Cup win over the Western Bulldogs.

"He trained well yesterday and did most of the session, but I went and had a chat to him after training and he just thinks he needs another week of conditioning," coach Matthew Knights said on Wednesday.

"He's pretty happy with his ankle, but we've got to make sure that McVeigh is right for the whole year.

"It's not just about this week and I would say, barring anything going wrong, he's a virtual certainty for the week after."

Brought to you by AAP AAP © 2024 AAP

0 Comments about this article

Post a comment about this article

Please sign in to leave a comment.
Becoming a member is free and easy, sign up here.

« All sports news