Western Bulldogs ruckman Jordan Roughead has shown positive signs in his recovery following a freak eye injury suffered in the club’s historic victory over the Giants.
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The former North Ballarat Rebel was unable to see out of his right eye Saturday night but told the media on Monday that while his vision was still hazy he had made strong progress since the final siren as he aims to be right for Saturday’s AFL grand final.
“The vision came back a fair bit on Saturday night post-game,” Roughead said.
“There was no concussion or anything like that, it was a pretty weird one.
“I was a bit frustrated at that because I thought I’d have five or six minutes to see how it cleared up and get back out there.
“Up until three-quarter-time I had absolutely no vision but it just gradually came back.
“It’s still a little hazy but it seems to be healing well and we’re positive about the prospects going forward.”
Roughead had a follow-up appointment with a specialist on Monday and said he will make a cautious return to training, with his recovery focused on draining the residual blood from his eye.
And while time isn’t of the essence for the 25-year-old he was hopeful of returning to the track for Tuesday’s training session in what will give the club a far better indication of his likelihood of lining up in the biggest game of the year and the Bulldogs first grand final in 55 years.
It seems to be healing well and we’re positive about the prospects going forward.
- Jordan Roughead
“If I do too much, too early, it could bleed again and I could lose vision again.
“At the moment I’m on doctors’ orders just sitting at home. I’ll just take it easy over the next few days, hopefully get out there and do a little bit tomorrow and then Thursday.”
The much-maligned Tom Boyd stood up in Roughead’s absence against his former club in Saturday’s preliminary final however Tom Campbell bodes as a likely inclusion if Roughead is unable to get up for the grand final. Out-of-favour veteran Will Minson looks a long shot to make a return given he has played just two senior games this season.