West Coast coach Adam Simpson refuses to reveal the “private” circumstances around Jack Darling’s shock return last weekxjmtzyw from his vaccine-related exile.
The All-Australian forward was back at the club on Friday and spoke in a players-only meeting but won’t be available in round 1 because of a foot injury and lack of conditioning.
Simpson addressed the topic before answering any questions on Monday, making clear he would not discuss Darling’s or any player’s medical status or history, or their mental health and wellbeing.
But the 2018 premiership coach did say he was “pleasantly surprised” to have Darling back, especially amid an injury crisis that has left the Eagles with only 26 players to pick from.
“I’m really happy for him and for the players and for the footy club,” Simpson said.
“I was always hoping it could get worked out. It’s a very complicated issue that, really, I separated myself from … (and the specifics are) private between Jack and his doctor.
“I’m sure we wouldn’t like to talk about everyone here’s medical status and health and wellbeing, so I’m just not going to go there – out of respect – and that’s with anyone, not just Jack.”
Simpson expects Darling’s summer saga will soon be forgotten in West Coast’s locker room but was unable to put a timetable on his playing return.
“He’s always fit and he was extremely fit when he left,” he said.
“He’s got a couple of little niggles, but it’ll be now how long it takes to get match conditioned. There’s only so much you can do on your own.
“He does have a little bit of a niggle in his foot, but I don’t know if that’s going to be the thing that holds him back.
“It will just be how long it takes him to get back to match fitness, so we’ll find out in the next couple of weeks.”
Star midfielder Tim Kelly is one of up to three West Coast footballers in the AFL’s health and safety protocols and won’t be available for Sunday’s clash with Gold Coast.
Simpson indicated there could be multiple debutants selected, with Brady Hough and Hugh Dixon the leading contenders, given Tom Joyce suffered an injury in an intraclub match on Friday.
Captain Luke Shuey (hamstring) is in the selection frame after a starring role in the same internal game, while Willie Rioli (doping ban) needs only to negotiate training to play his first match since the 2019 elimination final.
“(Shuey) trained on Friday and it was his first full training session, so we need to get through this week and we’ll assess it on Thursday,” Simpson said.
“We play on Sunday, so we’ll see how he looks this week. The one thing we don’t want to do is just rush him back in because we desperately need him. It’s more the fact when he’s right.”
