Jordan Roughead appears unlikely to take any part in the Western Bulldogs’ open training session in Ballarat on Monday as he looks to recover from a knee injury picked up in the weekend’s pre-season clash with Melbourne.
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The 2016 premiership player left the field at quarter time and failed to return following the seemingly innocuous ruck incident.
Roughead, originally from Ballarat, flew for a ball with Demons big man Max Gawn and was left visibly distressed and holding his right leg.
He left the ground under his own steam, but didn’t take any further part in the game, which Melbourne won by six points.
The injury follows a serious eye issue that almost cost the 26-year-old a place in the side that beat Sydney in the grand final.
A former Damascus College student, Roughead was set to be one of the headline acts at the open training session at Eureka Stadium, which is the feature of the club’s two-day community camp in Ballarat.
His injury was a disappointing element to an afternoon that returned a number of positives, including the first-up performance of Collingwood recruit Travis Cloke and the returns of skipper Bob Murphy and forward Stewart Crameri.
Murphy was playing his first game since rupturing an anterior cruciate ligament early last season, an injury that cost him a place in the Bulldogs’ team that went on to win the flag.
Crameri, meanwhile, was able to return after being banned for almost all of the 2016 campaign for his part in the Essendon supplements program.
Both Murphy and Crameri will be part of the group of players and coaches that will spend time in Ballarat for the annual camp, with training, school and community visits planned across Monday and Tuesday.
Western Bulldogs media manager Julia Morgan also confirmed that premiership players Tom Boyd, Luke Dahlhaus, Jack Macrae, Lachie Hunter, Jake Stringer and Tom Liberatore will be among those joining Murphy, Crameri and Cloke.
Only part of the Western Bulldogs squad will be in Ballarat this week, with the club also sending players and coaches to Horsham for the two-day stint.
Monday’s open training session at Eureka Stadium is booked for 10am, with spectators able to get up close to the 2016 premiership cup, which will be on display.
The Western Bulldogs are set to take on Port Adelaide in the first AFL game for premiership points in Ballarat this season. This round 22 encounter will be played on Saturday, August 19.
The Bulldogs’ next pre-season game is scheduled against Brisbane Lions on Thursday, March 2 at Etihad Stadium.
