A host of Gold Coast SUNS players currently sidelined with minor injuries remain on track to taste NAB Challenge action.
Senior coach Rodney Eade confirmed to reporters on Thursday recruit Jarrad Grant, star midfielder Dion Prestia and defenders Jarrod Harbrow and Adam Saad are all expected to receive a dose of AFL pre-season football prior to the season opener on March 26.
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“Jarrad Grant’s obviously recovering from his broken thumb. He’ll be only two weeks away,” Eade said.
“Jarrod Harbrow will play NAB 2. Adam Saad rolled his ankle a couple of weeks ago but he’ll play NAB 2.
“Dion Prestia has done most of the pre-season. We had a fairly willing training session the week before last and he just got a little bit, not sore, but just pulled up a little behind schedule. So he’s been doing more weights, he’ll play round two.
“And obviously Gaz [Gary Ablett] has got the mild foot sprain so he’s probably more likely NAB3.
“So overall we’re in a reasonable spot but there’s probably some good names amongst those players that aren’t playing this week.”
Eade still believes that 2013 Rising Star winner Jaeger O’Meara could be playing football in just over a month’s time but the club remains cautious on the 21-year-old’s return to the field.
“He could be playing some football at round one. Now what form that is I wouldn’t have thought it would be in the AFL,” he said.
READ: Jaeger O'Meara won't be rushed into playing
“It could be NEAFL, it could be playing a quarter, but that’s certainly a chance and I’ve said that publicly for a while that’s a chance he could be playing football about round one but if it’s another couple of weeks after that, it’s a couple of weeks after that, we won’t rush it.”