Sydney has shifted injury-cursed ruckman Sam Naismith to the inactive list and he will sit out the entire 2022 season recovering from his third knee reconstruction.
Naismith hasn’t suffered another setback but underwent a two-stage repair in his latest reconstruction, with surgeries in June then October, after the graft failed from his previous operation.
The 29-year-old is not even five months into his rehabilitation and the Swans plan to take a conservative approach, given another anterior cruciate ligament rupture could be career-ending.
Naismith, who was the No.1 ruckman in Sydney’s 2016 grand final team, has played only two AFL games in the past four seasons because of his barrage of serious knee injuries.
He made it back for two VFL matches last year, only to report instability in his surgically repaired knee before discovering the graft issue.
They estimated at the time that Naismith’s recovery would be about 15-16 months.
Swans head of football Charlie Gardiner said they were taking a long-term approach to his return to football.
“Sam has shown incredible commitment and resilience in his mission to return to elite football, but his recovery is still going to take some time from here,” Gardiner said.
“Sam is currently five months into a 12-month rehabilitation program, and given this is Sam’s third knee reconstruction, we will be taking a conservative approach to maximise his chances of making a full and successful recovery.”
Sydney has invested heavily in its ruck stocks around Naismith, trading for Tom Hickey and Peter Ladhams in the past two years and selecting project big man Lachlan McAndrew in last year’s mid-season draft.
This latest move means the Swans have another list opening after already signing 2014 No.1 draft pick Paddy McCartin via the pre-season supplemental selection period.
It’s understood they don’t have any immediate plans to replace Naismith on the list.
Sydney can sign another player by March 9 to replace him or wait until the mid-season draft, with the spectre of Covid-19 causing the AFL to discuss top-up players as another option for badly hit teams.
Speaking this month, the Swans’ head of physiotherapy and medical services, Damian Raper, said they were pleased with Naismith’s progress.
“Sam’s working hard in the gxjmtzywym with our rehabilitation team,” Raper said.
“(He is) working on his strength around his quadriceps and hamstring muscle; doing lots of balance and proprioception exercises and starting to work towards running over the coming weeks.”
