North Melbourne could be without midfield star Tarryn Thomas for up to two months after he suffered internal bruising following an inadvertent kick to his rib area by an opponent.
Thomas left Marvel Stadium in the hands of the trainers on the stroke of half-time after attempting to spoil a kick from West Coast defender Luke Foley on the wing in the Kangaroos’ 15-point win over the Eagles on Sunday.
The 22-year-old was a split second late on his spoil attempt, and completely missed the ball, instead copping the full brunt of Foley’s swinging right leg to his ribs.
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Thomas was left on all fours for a number of minutes following his spoil attempt as the play continued on around him, before he was eventually assisted off the ground by the Kangaroos’ trainers and did not return.
The midfielder was stretchered off and taken to a nearby hospital while the match was still going on, but has been discharged since.
North Melbourne is expecting Thomas to be sidelined from anywhere between four and eight weeks as he recovers from the injury.
“He’s got some internal bruising, but fortunately his ribs are fine, there’s no fracture. The ongoing advice and assessment from specialists will be the guiding factor as Tarryn recovers,” North Melbourne’s football manager Dan McPherson said in a club statement on Tuesday.
“Tarryn’s health is our priority, with that in mind we will take a conservative approach with his recovery and continue to monitor him closely.”
The loss of Thomas is a major blow to the Kangaroos’ midfield stocks, after he played a career-high 21 games and averaged a career-best 18.2 disposals per match last season.
The Thomas-less Kangaroos are faced with one of the AFL’s toughest road trips when they travel to Brisbane to take on the Lions at the Gabba on Saturday night.