Star Carlton ruckman Tom De Koning will miss at least the rest of the home and away season due to a collapsed lung and foot fracture in a massive blow to Michael Voss’ side.
De Koning was taken to hospital after reporting shortness of breath following the Blues’ win over North Melbourne on Sunday night.
Channel 7’s Mitch Cleary reports the gun big man suffered a late hit from Roos ruckman Tristan Xerri in the fourth term. De Koning chatted with club medical staff and took the next centre bounce and boundary throw in before leaving the field before the end of the game.
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The 25-year old will require surgery on his fractured foot, which was stepped on early in Sunday’s match and partially sidelined the tall, after scans confirmed the extent of the setback.
He’ll miss at least the next five games and be reassessed at the pre-finals bye.
“As tough as the news is for Tom, first and foremost we are pleased he is feeling okay and recovering, following his treatment in hospital overnight,” Blues footy boss Brad Lloyd said.
“Tom reported symptoms of being unwell within half an hour of the game finishing, so the priority for us was immediately ensuring he got the treatment he needed and he is now recovering with the appropriate care around him.
“Tom will undergo surgery this week to correct his foot injury, which we expect will sideline him for the remainder of the home-and-away season, and we will continue to monitor his recovery over that period of time.”
Marc Pittonet looms as his replacement.
But while De Koning could be sidelined for the immediate future, Carlton forward Harry McKay has been cleared of any issues amid criticism of the club’s handling of an incident in which the goalkicker seemed dazed following a heavy collision.
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Blues coach Michael Voss defended the actions of the club’s medical staff who took minutes before attending to McKay, who kicked a goal before eventually being taken from the field for an assessment.
He was cleared to return, had no issues post match and on Monday was again found to have no issues after more testing and is set to take his place in Friday’s clash with Port.
Several pundits were stinging of Carlton’s handling of the situation, but Voss was adamant the protocols were followed and McKay “got the care he needed”.
“I couldn’t speak to specifics of the time, but what I do know is the protocol was there and we got notified that we needed to get him off the ground,” Voss said.
“He came off the ground, went into the protocols and fortunately he was able to respond and be OK. He was able to keep the game going.
“The downside was we had to hold our tactical sub to work out whether we needed to change Harry or not. That’s a different discussion maybe in time but certainly not today. I feel like we followed what we needed to and Harry got the care he needed.”
Meanwhile, star wingman Blake Acres has been sent for scans.
Acres was subbed out of the win over North Melbourne with what Voss said were “ bumps and bruises” but would now need to be cleared to play against Port.
“He was hobbling around a bit with a couple of bumps and bruises he was battling with and probably wasn’t moving as well,” Voss said.
“He was keen to go on, but we just felt we had some fresh legs, so once we knew Harry was OK, we could go with something different.”
Source Agencies
