Lloyd landed heavily on his right shoulder after attempting to mark midway through the third term. The 26-year-old took no further part in the match. Football manager Dominic Cato said that Lloyd’s shoulder was iced heavily after the incident and also Saturday night to decrease the swelling.
""The medical staff are hopeful that Matthew will be available to play this Friday night against Collingwood. He sustained a heavy knock, but the good news is he still has a lot of mobility in the shoulder area. The medical staff will assess again today and a decision on his availability will be made later in the week,"" Cato said.
The league’s leading goal kicker did not score a goal before leaving the field. It is the first time Lloyd has been kept goal-less in a match since the first elimination final against West Coast in 2002. Lloyd was carried from the ground early in the second quarter of that match after being knocked out.
St Kilda’s Fraser Gehrig booted five goals on Saturday in the Saints 23-point win against Adelaide. Gehrig is just seven goals behind Lloyd now in the race for the 2004 Coleman Medal.
A knock to the knee just before three quarter time resulted in Andrew Welsh taking no further part in Saturday’s game against Carlton. Cato said that Welsh’s knee will be monitored during the week and the medical staff is hopeful the 21-year-old will be available to take on Collingwood. ""There is no structural damage, which is good news for Andrew.
""The doctors will re-assess the injury today and similar to Matthew (Lloyd) a decision on his availability for Friday night will be made later in the week,"" Cato said.
On a positive note, Sean Wellman will return this Friday night from a hamstring injury. Wellman tore his hamstring in the dying minutes of the Round 12 match against Brisbane. The 29-year-old re-injured the hamstring in a training drill in the week prior to the match against St Kilda, which sidelined him for a further two weeks.
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