McDonald-Tipungwuti may miss potential finals campaign
Essendon will be without livewire forward Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti for the crucial round 23 clash with Collingwood on Sunday, and he may also be missing as the club looks to break its hoodoo of losing finals in the weeks to come.
McDonald-Tipungwuti was a noticeable absentee for the second week in a row when the Bombers announced their line-up for this weekendâs game, and on Friday coach Ben Rutten revealed the 28-year-old was being rested because he was dealing with personal issues, not injury.
Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti runs out with his side for the round 20 clash with the Swans at the MCG.Credit:Getty Images
âItâs about Anthonyâs wellbeing as a person, that comes first and foremost,â Rutten said.
âAnthony wonât play in the AFL team this week and we will just continue to manage him, putting him at the forefront of our decision-making. That wonât change this week.
Bombers coach Ben Rutten.Credit:AFL Photos
âHe is going really well, he is getting some really good training in, he is enjoying his time at the club, so that is the way we are going to be managing Anthony.â
Rutten said McDonald-Tipungwutiâs absence was not for physical reasons, and he could not guarantee he would play again this season.
âHe is not injured, no,â Rutten replied when asked in a Zoom press call on Friday, and when quizzed as to whether the small forward would be a long-term absentee, Rutten added: âNot sure, we are just managing that as we see fit and how that comes to hand. We donât have a timeline on it.
âItâs not something we are going to have a running commentary on. But the main thing is, like all our players, we are putting them at the forefront and their wellbeing, and that is really important for Anthony.
âWe are giving him the full support, as we would any of our players. I am not sure when we will see him back, but we all know and love what Anthony can do on a football field for us, so we just want to make sure he is in the best-possible condition to be able to do that.â
The coach would not elaborate on the nature of the playerâs situation.
âItâs more so personal reasons, really,â Rutten said.
âThereâs a few things behind the scenes that need to happen to have him being at his best. We are just helping him manage that the best he can, giving him all the support we can. Itâs just one of those things that happens for everybody from time to time.â
The Bombers should, barring an unlikely set of circumstances, play finals this year. But Rutten is looking for a strong finish against a Collingwood side which, despite their lowly ranking this season, is playing a different brand of football under caretaker coach Robert Harvey.
âThey have been in some close games, playing some really good aggressive football as well,â Rutten said.
âThatâs probably the big shift we have noticed since Robert Harvey has taken over, a bit more aggression through the corridor, moving the ball really quickly, and giving their forwards a really good look.
âThey have probably (had) a little smaller forward line than some teams, so quicker ball movement to their more dynamic forwards is going to be preferential for them.
âThatâs a couple of subtle shifts that we have probably noticed since Robert Harvey has taken over. âThey have taken on some really good runs, they are able to hit the scoreboard well.
âBut all of our focus is on what we need to do to continue to maintain our improvement, working and fine-tuning parts of our game that we can still improve on.â
Cale Hooker, who is retiring at seasonâs end, was left out of the match day squad, but Rutten said he would be ready in the finals if called on.
âCertainly from the football clubâs point of view, we absolutely really appreciate all the service he has given to the footy club,â Rutten said.
âThe communication between Cale and I has been really strong all season and if there is an opportunity that we play Cale again, based on what the team needs, he is absolutely up for that and he is going to be fighting out the rest of the season the best he can.â
Keep up to date with the best AFL coverage in the country. Sign up for the Real Footy newsletter.
Michael Lynch is The Age's chief soccer reporter and also reports on motor sport and horseracing
0 Response to "McDonald-Tipungwuti may miss potential finals campaign"
Post a Comment