Eagles' final-quarter fightback comes at cost as Ryan flags ankle pain
Exciting West Coast small forward Liam Ryan seems to have snapped his ankle in a brave lunge and
soccer goal to put his new side in front in the dying minutes of a thrilling win over Geelong in Perth.
The exciting goal-sneak told teammates he heard “a crack” in his ankle as he slid along goal-square turf as frantic Cats defender Jed Bews tackled Ryan from behind, his right leg folding under the slightly built Eagle.
Ryan was a starring scoring source with three goals in only his third AFL outing, having bagged another three in last week’s win over the Western Bulldogs in Melbourne.
Ryan’s desperate slide and goal put West Coast in front by three points 22 minutes into a frenetic final term on Sunday.
Ryan, 21, has rapidly become somewhat of a looming cult hero with his creative and dangerous crumbing and occasional high-leaping marking attempts after he was recruited from powerful WAFL club Subiaco last November.
An imminent loss of the classy goal-shark will escalate consideration and raging prospects for West Coast management to swing star key forward Josh Kennedy back into playing action this month.
The dual Coleman Medal-winner and premier Eagles scoring avenue has only been back into full training for the past fortnight, having recovered from Achilles and knee surgery over the summer.
It will rage throughout this week whether Kennedy could be rushed back to play Gold Coast in Perth
on Saturday.
An alternative and more rational approach from West Coast will be to aim to recall such an important component as Kennedy against Carlton in round five at the MCG.
Up and over: Brad Sheppard clashes with Geelong's Tom Hawkins.
More likely, though, West Coast could continue building Kennedy’s fitness levels after completing crucial load training and match preparation to resume in an historic first-ever Western Derby confrontation at Optus Stadium on April 29.
Ryan will have scans to his injury today with assessments from Eagles medical staff to determine a course of recovery.
The extent of any injury will decide if the first-year draftee needs surgery for a supporting pin or plate to assist and hasten healing for a return as quickly as possible.
West Coast coach Adam Simpson played down his rising star’s injury immediately after the come-
from-behind 15-point victory when he anticipated only a sprained ankle.
West Coast's Nic Naitanui outrucks Geelong's Esava Ratugolea during their round 3 clash at Optus Stadium on Sunday.
Photo: AAPRyan was a starring scoring source with three goals in only his third AFL outing, having bagged another three in last week’s win over the Western Bulldogs in Melbourne.
His third against the Cats was a desperate sprint-and-lunge at a loose ball in the Eagles' goal-square and the third major of an unbroken six-goal run, as West Coast crashed back from as much as 15 points down 12 minutes into a frantic final term.
A brave Cats outfit wilted with match-ending injuries to three vital players including superstar play-
maker Gary Ablett with a nasty right hamstring strain, tagger Cam Guthrie (ankle) and dashing all-rounder Nakia Cockatoo with a knee problem.
Geelong had brazenly crashed back into a handy lead and threatened to take an important road win
just six days after going down by just a point against Hawthorn in an energy-sapping thriller at the MCG on Easter Monday.
West Coast will consider promoting another highly regarded first-year utility Brayden Ainsworth to
make his debut to replace Ryan, particularly if Kennedy continues his comeback bid with a conservative approach.
Ainsworth, 19, was the Eagles' standby emergency for Sunday’s clash after he was held out of alignment outfit East Perth’s stunning 10-goal demolition of staunch rival West Perth.
Rangy left-footer Liam Duggan was a late withdrawal from the Eagles' starting outfit with a slight hamstring niggle and is tipped to be available for selection against the Suns.