AFL Injury News: Melbourne Demons receive huge boost with key duo set to return for St Kilda clash
Narram (Melbourne Demons) will be boosted by the return of Ed Langdon and Jacob van Rooyen in Round 11. Both players will be available for selection when the Demons clash with Euro-Yroke (St Kilda) on Sunday, May 26.
Langdon did not play in his side's 35-point loss to West Coast in the previous round. The 28-year-old was permitted to fly to London for his sister's wedding. He returned to Australia earlier in the week, partaking in multiple training sessions ahead of the Saints' game.
While confirming Langdon's availability for this weekend's clash, coach Simon Goodwin revealed that the club sanctioned Langdon's travel, which had been planned since last year. He said (via AFL.com.au):
"Ed will play. He was away last week for his sister's wedding. That was something we are really passionate about – about family being a priority – we won't compromise on that.
"For Ed, it was a really important process for him to be there for his sister. They've got a really close relationship. She lives in London. We were really supportive of his journey back there.
"We won't compromise because we know how important family is. It's not going to be the same for every person, but for Ed it was important and we knew about it in the pre-season and we planned for it," Goodwin added.
The Melbourne Demons will also be bolstered by the return of 21-year-old forward van Rooyen who will be exiting concussion protocols.
Melbourne Demons coach set to make some key decisions in the absence of Jake Lever
Melbourne Demons coach Simon Goodwin will have to reshuffle his defense lineup in Jake Lever's absence. The Demons' key defender will be out for up to a month after knee surgery. Lever suffered a concussion against West Coast, and the club decided to perform the surgery on a lingering knee problem while the 27-year-old underwent concussion protocols.
In his absence, coach Goodwin is considering recalling Adam Tomlison. The key defender has not played since the loss to Sydney in Round 1.
Speaking on Tomlison's possible appearance against the Saints, Goodwin said:
"Adam Tomlinson is in really good form. The decision for us is whether we go a bit taller or stay a bit smaller. We'll train today and have a look at that, but we've got some options."
The coach, however, ruled out switching Harry Petty from attack to defense as a makeshift. He said:
"I'm fixed on him [Petty] being a forward. What we've seen last year and parts of our pre-season this year, he is a really important person for us in our forward half of the ground from a leadership perspective and also from an aerial perspective. He is not playing his best footy but we are really confident with some continuity we will get that."
Melbourne Demons are winless in their last two games, losing to Carlton and West Coast in Round 9 and 10, respectively. Despite the bad run of form, they are still seventh in the AFL standings.