FOOTSCRAY defender James O’Donnell has been ruled out of Friday night’s centennial fixture against Collingwood after breaking his jaw in round one, opening the door for former first-round pick Jedd Busslinger to be considered for a debut.
O’Donnell underwent surgery to repair his jaw on Monday after an incident in the 16-point win over North Melbourne last Saturday night.
The 22-year-old will push to be available against Carlton next Friday night, but another injury creates another headache for Footscray coach Luke Beveridge.
“He won’t play,” Beveridge told reporters at Mission Whitten Oval on Thursday morning.
“He trained yesterday and trained fully. But it is pretty traumatic when you have your jaw broken and have a plate put in and losing a wisdom tooth.
“He was still a bit swollen yesterday, so it’s probably not right that he plays. Hopefully he is a candidate for the following week.”
Buku Khamis was an emergency against the Kangaroos and considered most likely to replace O’Donnell down back, but Beveridge said Busslinger will also be debated at match committee on Thursday.
The 2022 No.13 pick is yet to play at senior level since being recruited from East Perth, but after finishing third in the VFL best and fairest last year, the 198cm key defender is closing in on a debut.
“Jedd is under consideration,” Beveridge said.
“His form has been pretty good, so we will make a call between him and Buku to play that key spot. One of those lads will be selected in the starting line-up.”
The 34-year-old has stepped up his training this week, along with captain Marcus Bontempelli, who is still at least a month away from returning from the complex calf injury he sustained during the AAMI Community Series.
“He is a slim chance for next week,” he said.
“He has done a fair bit. We anticipate its either against Carlton or the week after.”
Footscray has spent the week paying tribute to its history with famous names from different eras speaking to the media, posing for photos and addressing the group at different stages.
Favourite son Bob Murphy will lead the pregame celebration that marks 100 years in the VFL/AFL, with Kelvin Templeton, Gary Dempsey, Brad Johnson, Adam Cooney, Scott Wynd and Brad Johnson amongst a stack of Bulldogs royalty that will be on the MCG.
Sam Darcy and Isabella Grant ahead of the Western Bulldogs’ 100-year anniversary celebrations. Picture: AFL Photos
“We touched on a couple of things this morning with the current group and their place in our history. There are so many people who have kept our club alive and contributed to some success,” he said.
“I don’t want our players to think they are less important to those who have come and gone. I think that’s really important part of tomorrow night, that they feel valued and part of the celebration. They are the ones forging the new future for the club.
“Tom Liberatore was drafted in 2010 and since his debut game, 105 Western Bulldogs players have made their debuts. It’s a lot, isn’t it, in a 15-year period. Plus all the people behind the scenes who contribute so much to our organization.”
