In welcome news for Gold Coast fans, captain Touk Miller has fully recovered from a hamstring injury and will line up for the SUNS in Round 1 at Heritage Bank Stadium.
Meanwhile defender Wil Powell, who has been sidelined with a hamstring injury, is in the final stages of his recovery but won’t be available for the season-opener this weekend.
“Wil’s going well, he’s been involved in training over the last couple of weeks,” GC SUNS Head Physiotherapist Lindsay Bull told the Qscan Injury Update.
“He needs a little bit more training exposure before he’s available for a return to play.”
Brandon Ellis has been sidelined with a calf injury and will be unavailable for selection this week as he continues with his rehab.
“Brandon’s running at the moment and we just need to get a bit more consistency in his running volume and speed before we can progress him into his return to play phase, so that will be a wait and see for Brandon,” Bull said.
Defender Sean Lemmens will be unavailable for Round 1 as he manages a calf injury, but is expected to return to play in 1-2 weeks.
“Sean has been through a good strengthening block with his calf and has been running for a week and a half, he just needs a bit more running before we move into his end-stage rehab phases,” Bull said.
New recruit Bailey Humphrey missed the practice match against GWS after sustaining a cut to his foot, but has re-integrated back into training on a modified program.
“Bailey is doing well, he started running again this week and he is progressing really nicely so he’ll be back in the next week or so,” Bull said.
Lachie Weller is nearing a return to play as he continues to train fully in his comeback from his ACL injury.
“Lachie’s been in training now for three weeks and he’ll have another week or so of training under his belt and then be available for selection as well,” Bull said.
Connor Budarick (ACL) has re-joined the group in light training and continues to progress in his rehab as he aims for a mid-season return.
