North's Ben Jacobs no closer to return
With the retirement of Western Bulldogs premiership hero Liam Picken confirmed earlier this week, many North Melbourne fans would’ve immediately thought about the absence of their star tagger, Ben Jacobs.
But in reality, Jacobs is no longer missing football due to concussion, with the ongoing problems far more complex.
That’s not to dismiss concussion as a simple issue. On the contrary, Jacobs has battled bouts of concussion during his long injury lay-off, but according to several specialists, his neck, nose and face remain areas of concern.
Jacobs, who has been moved back to the rehabilitation group, is struggling with sinusitis and is too unwell to train.
He is out indefinitely and not even coach Brad Scott has an inkling on when his stopper will be available for senior selection.
With the Kangaroos 0-2, it would be unreasonable to suggest Jacobs would have singlehandedly changed that.
A disastrous start against Fremantle in Perth went from bad to worse as the game went on and they should have beaten Brisbane from a winning position in the third quarter.
But it’s not unreasonable to suggest that Jacobs would have got them closer.
North were three goals up in the second half against Brisbane when the Lions midfield, particularly star recruit Lachie Neale, got on top.
Neale had 43 disposals and eight clearances, four of which were out of the middle, a much more significant statistic with the new 6-6-6 rules.
But with Shaun Higgins (38 disposals), Ben Cunnington (36) and second-year star Luke Davies-Uniacke (26) dominating as a midfield group, Scott arguably was one tagger away from taking the game away from the Lions.
A week earlier, Trent Dumont was forced to play on Fremantle skipper and Brownlow medallist Nat Fyfe, who dominated with 32 disposals and a goal.
Dumont was a late out just prior to the round-two match against Brisbane.
In the off-season, North Melbourne identified a lack of outside run on their list, hence the public pursuit of West Coast gun Andrew Gaff.
Football boss Cameron Joyce then targeted and landed trio Jared Polec, Jasper Pittard and Aaron Hall to fill that void - three players who would seemingly thrive in a team that provided enough ball to them on the outside.
But without Jed Anderson – who could return this week – and Jacobs, the Kangaroos have been without a significant part of their inside grunt.
After foot surgery ruined his 2017 season, Jacobs copped a heavy knock to the head last year in the round 11 clash with Brisbane.
He played the next week against Geelong before reporting feeling ill to doctors and has only played one game since.
That knock against the Lions caused him immense pain in his neck, but it was in the weeks prior that Jacobs believed he had hurt his nose.
With a deviated septum, Jacobs saw a nose specialist who recommended surgery at the end of last season.
But despite the nasal operation, the 90-gamer continues to struggle.
He doesn’t present with symptoms of concussion. There aren’t splitting headaches nor are there bouts of dizziness, but instead he is constantly feeling generally unwell with a bout of what’s now believed to be sinusitis.
Jacobs will continue to be monitored closely by North’s medical team in the hope that his symptoms subside and the stopper can return to a position that his teammates have been unable to fill in his absence.