Sam Darcy is expected to miss at least the first half of the AFL season after suffering a navicular bone stress fracture in his foot.
The Bulldogs' rising star, who was taken with pick no. 2 in the 2021 AFL draft, is yet to train with the main group since being drafted as he continues to recover from the injury he suffered last season.
Reports suggest that Darcy won't return to full training until at least May, with the Bulldogs choosing to take a conservative approach with their young prospect.
The 18-year-old reportedly experienced ongoing foot pain following the club's Christmas break, with the club reducing his workload into the new year.
Sam Darcy has been ruled out of the first half of 2022 due to an ongoing stress fracture in his foot. The No. 2 pick wonโt start full training until May. More to come @AFLcomau
— Josh Gabelich (@JoshGabelich) February 22, 2022
The son of Bulldogs legend Luke Darcy, the 205cm key position playerย was highly rated by the Bulldogs as a junior, with the club matching GWS' bid to bring the Darcy name back to Whitten Oval.
The young gun wasn't expected to feature heavily in the early rounds of the season as he continues to develop at AFL level, but now faces the prospect of waiting until the depths of winter to debut at senior level.
Bulldogs Head of Sports Medicine Chris Bell confirmed that the club was taking a long-term approach with Darcy.
โGiven Sam is a developing young athlete with a bright future, we want to make sure that we are conservative in his management and take our time to build a resilient and durable athlete,โ Bell said.
โThe management plan in place for Sam will have a long-term approach, and the Club will confirm whether this involves playing games in the second half of the season once we accurately track progress over the coming months.โ
The Darcy name returns home.
Sam becomes a Bulldog ๐ดโช๏ธ๐ต pic.twitter.com/szblwfzFfo
— Western Bulldogs (@westernbulldogs) November 24, 2021
Meanwhile, new recruit Tim O'Brien will also be spending time on the sidelines to start the season after suffering a hamstring injury during pre-season training at the kennel.
The 28-year-old defender is expected to miss at least the opening match of the season as he recovers, with the injury not expected to keep him out for an extended period of time.
The Bulldogs are set to face Melbourne in Round 1 in a season opening grand final rematch at the MCG.
