In yet another unfortunate incident during the AFL’s pre-season competition, St Kilda’s Mitch Owens sustained an injury after being pushed into a marking contest on Saturday.
Owens exited the field with a shoulder injury during St Kilda’s match against Port Adelaide at Moorabbin, having collided with Miles Bergman from the Power.
The collision was instigated by Port Adelaide’s Jordan Sweet.
Post-match, St Kilda’s assistant coach Corey Enright was uncertain about the severity of Owens’ injury.
“We know he’s a tough player… It must have been a significant impact for him to come off,” Enright commented.
During this pre-season, the likes of Brisbane’s Brandon Starcevich, Jordan Croft of the Western Bulldogs, and West Coast’s Sam Lalor have also faced injuries related to similar marking contest pushes.
Jordan Sweet pushes Mitch Owens, leading to a collision with Miles Bergman. Fox Footy
North Melbourne legend David King has urged the AFL to take decisive action.
“This is a perilous situation that has caused another significant injury,” King remarked regarding the Owens incident.
“I reiterate: the AFL must intervene promptly and eliminate this from our game.”
Concern has also been expressed by former St Kilda star Leigh Montagna.
“It’s undoubtedly a topic of discussion; we’ve already seen three injuries stemming from similar situations in pre-season matches,” Montagna noted.
“While each case is unique, we are witnessing a concerning trend.”
Port Adelaide’s assistant coach Chad Cornes was questioned about Sweet’s action against Owens.
“There have been potentially three incidents like this over the weekend. I’m certain it will be assessed if it continues to be a trend,” Cornes remarked post-match.
Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera releases a handball during St Kilda’s practice match against Port Adelaide. Getty
“However, that’s not a tactic we encourage or train for. Players can occasionally end up in awkward situations,” he added.
“I can’t specifically recall the incident involving Sweet, but I’ll be sure to review it thoroughly.”
Port Adelaide triumphed in the practice match, winning by 44 points with a scoreline of 14.9 (93) to 7.7 (49).
Looking ahead, Port Adelaide will commence its premiership campaign against Collingwood at the MCG on Saturday, March 15.
Meanwhile, St Kilda is set to take on Adelaide at Adelaide Oval the following day as they kick off their own premiership quest.
Compiled by SportArena.com.au.
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