Jake Melksham is in doubt for Friday night’s blockbuster against the Bulldogs despite x-rays today clearing him of any major damage to his ankle.

The 19-year-old - who earned the NAB Rising Star nomination last week - sustained the injury in the first term of Dreamtime at the 'G match but returned to the field to play out the match.

Speaking on Bomber.tv show The Recovery Room, general manager of football operations Paul Hamilton said while Melksham is yet to be ruled out, he is unlikely to play against the Bulldogs.
“It is a short week this week so I couldn’t imagine that he will come up at this stage but we will give him another two or three days to assess it before we make our final decision,” Hamilton said.
“Jake has been terrific for us so far this season and has showed some terrific signs in his first season so it is unfortunate to possibly be without him this week.
“We were really impressed with his courage and we thought he dealt with the pain really well to keep playing the rest of the game but it is more than likely that he won’t play this weekend.”
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Meanwhile, emerging defender Cale Hooker is on track to make his return to senior football in the next fortnight after progressing well from a hamstring strain.

“Cale’s hamstring injury was a 3-4 week injury so he is likely to be another couple of weeks away at this stage,” Hamilton said.

“It was a reasonable strain so we just need to work with him to get his through his rehab and have him back playing as soon as we can.

“He was playing some terrific football before he got injured so the sooner we can get him back, the better.”
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