This has been a injury-plagued start to the AFL season for 34-year-olds.
Three of them - former St Kilda captain Nick Riewoldt, Western Bulldogs premiership defender Dale Morris and West Coast recruit Drew Petrie - suffered significant injuries in round one.
It was not all bad news for the AFL's veterans; Sam Mitchell, 34, racked up 38 disposals in his Eagles debut as they beat North Melbourne and Bulldogs captain Bob Murphy, also 34 and the league's oldest current player, made a successful return on Friday night from his knee reconstruction.
But Morris could be out of action for two months because of a leg fracture, suffered with less than a minute remaining in Friday night's win over Collingwood.
Riewoldt dodged a bullet when he hyper-extended his right knee in the last quarter of Saturday's loss to Melbourne.
Everyone at Etihad Stadium - including Riewoldt - initially feared he had ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament.
That could have meant a season-ending reconstruction, but instead Riewoldt is out of action for around a month with bone bruising.
Then Petrie hurt his hand in the opening minutes of Sunday's win over North Melbourne at Etihad Stadium.
He played out the match, but Petrie will need surgery because of a fracture and will also be out of action for several weeks.
It was Petrie's official Eagles debut after he was one of four veterans delisted by North Melbourne at the end of last season.
Petrie kicked a goal against his old club in the last term, but his injury further depletes the Eagles' ruck options.
Also on Sunday, Tendai Mzungu was another recruit to have his first match at a new club soured by injury.
The former Fremantle on-baller limped from Adelaide Oval in his first game for the Giants with a suspected hamstring injury.
There was a spate of injuries at the end of the Crows' win over GWS, with Adelaide forward Mitch McGovern suffering a head knock and Giants pair Dylan Shiel and Rory Lobb also needing attention.
Share
