Grant Birchall returns after 2 years out...

[HODGEYROAD]

He needs to play for Box Hill vs Casey to be any chance of returning to the seniors this year IMO.

 

[GerryLewis]

Why on earth would he getting put through a solid training block if not to play this season? I think he would very much be in Clarkos plans if fit. Elite user of the ball and his hardness is underated. Love to see him back in.

 

[Mitchell Madness]

Why on earth would he getting put through a solid training block if not to play this season? I think he would very much be in Clarkos plans if fit. Elite user of the ball and his hardness is underated. Love to see him back in.

To see if he should be pushed into retirement?
We allowed Gibson the benifits of the doubt in 2017, and it backfired. Maybe it is just precautionary

 

[Blackhawk42]

Big Boy, Sicily and Birch back in for finals.
Probably Brand, Nash and possibly Schoey or Cegs out depending on need for talls.

 

[Milkshaker]

If only u saw him at training delivering the ball inside 50. He is a luxury and a real Joker in the pack for us as we hit finals

Stop teasing TFP. If he hits the ground running fun times. Sicily and Birch give us some wonderful zone piercing kickers going into finals and would give opposition coaches a few headaches.

 

[HODGEYROAD]

Any word if he's available to play VFL this weekend ?

 

[Slysh]

Any word if he's available to play VFL this weekend ?

No football for him this weekend, is a chance for next weekend.

 

[Zack]

J'OM and Burgoyne's clubs got a lot of flack on how genius our club was to renew them. However Birchall's non knee or major injury has been the longest running joke at the Hawthorn Football Club... an injury that was originally diagnosed as a "few weeks or so" is almost at two years now we are lucky no one recruited him and solved the continuous misdiagnosis we have been responsible for on this one.

We can celebrate the good, but we should also recognise the bad. I actually feel sorry for Birchall a 4 time Premiership player on how badly our medical team has been for him. I'm rapt they did a good job with the other two mentioned so far, but it doesn't excuse the Birchall issue.

 

[Collins-Langford-Ayres]

No football for him this weekend, is a chance for next weekend.

It's a bit of a risk bringing a bloke in for a final who has not played all year. Really hope he is fit to play next week. Jack was not convincing though...

 

[TheFourPillars]

J'OM and Burgoyne's clubs got a lot of flack on how genius our club was to renew them. However Birchall's non knee or major injury has been the longest running joke at the Hawthorn Football Club... an injury that was originally diagnosed as a "few weeks or so" is almost at two years now we are lucky no one recruited him and solved the continuous misdiagnosis we have been responsible for on this one.

We can celebrate the good, but we should also recognise the bad. I actually feel sorry for Birchall a 4 time Premiership player on how badly our medical team has been for him. I'm rapt they did a good job with the other two mentioned so far, but it doesn't excuse the Birchall issue.

And you sir are a troll

 

[thejockey]

If he is fit to go and Clarko and the club back him in I don’t care if he has only had half a game in the VFL

You don’t muck around with elite players like Birchall when they are good to go . Doesn’t matter if he has missed 12 months of footy . 80% form Birchall still beats most AFL players at 100%

 

[Zack]

And you sir are a troll

Played 5 games last year none this year. That's not trolling it's just pointing out we've done well with a few who came in and poorly with one of our own.

As the Jockey mentioned if he's 80% he plays if he's 100% he may well be the difference between premiership or not. He was that good of a player.

But his diagnosis and management it's basically worse than Burgoyne at PA and equal to or slightly better than JOM at GC17 diagnosis wise. If you don't like that fine, to call it trolling is pretty poor.

You can not like it, but it's hard to dispute a minor injury, that turned into a PCL (that they didn't realise at the time) last year has continued for another year after we were originally told he'd be back last year then rnd 1 oops Rnd 2 this year without some sort of misdiagnosis during his recovery. If he'd had the PCL op like most first up, we wouldn't be here, they chose not to until August.


We had a bad year with knees last year from memory Cyril, who's now walked and Stratton the same. None was given the surgery first up and it backfired. So yes if that's trolling fine, but it's also fact. If facts are trolling these days, so be it. Though I'd expect those sort of comments moreso from an Essendon supporter still defending James Hird.

 

[flinchfree]

Played 5 games last year none this year. That's not trolling it's just pointing out we've done well with a few who came in and poorly with one of our own.

As the Jockey mentioned if he's 80% he plays if he's 100% he may well be the difference between premiership or not. He was that good of a player.

But his diagnosis and management it's basically worse than Burgoyne at PA and equal to or slightly better than JOM at GC17 diagnosis wise. If you don't like that fine, to call it trolling is pretty poor.

You can not like it, but it's hard to dispute a minor injury, that turned into a PCL (that they didn't realise at the time) last year has continued for another year after we were originally told he'd be back last year then rnd 1 oops Rnd 2 this year without some sort of misdiagnosis during his recovery. If he'd had the PCL op like most first up, we wouldn't be here, they chose not to until August.


We had a bad year with knees last year from memory Cyril, who's now walked and Stratton the same. None was given the surgery first up and it backfired. So yes if that's trolling fine, but it's also fact. If facts are trolling these days, so be it. Though I'd expect those sort of comments moreso from an Essendon supporter still defending James Hird.

What's your medical background?

 

[Slysh]

Played 5 games last year none this year. That's not trolling it's just pointing out we've done well with a few who came in and poorly with one of our own.

As the Jockey mentioned if he's 80% he plays if he's 100% he may well be the difference between premiership or not. He was that good of a player.

But his diagnosis and management it's basically worse than Burgoyne at PA and equal to or slightly better than JOM at GC17 diagnosis wise. If you don't like that fine, to call it trolling is pretty poor.

You can not like it, but it's hard to dispute a minor injury, that turned into a PCL (that they didn't realise at the time) last year has continued for another year after we were originally told he'd be back last year then rnd 1 oops Rnd 2 this year without some sort of misdiagnosis during his recovery. If he'd had the PCL op like most first up, we wouldn't be here, they chose not to until August.


We had a bad year with knees last year from memory Cyril, who's now walked and Stratton the same. None was given the surgery first up and it backfired. So yes if that's trolling fine, but it's also fact. If facts are trolling these days, so be it. Though I'd expect those sort of comments moreso from an Essendon supporter still defending James Hird.

To be fair you say he only played 5 games last year but that wasn't all due to his knee, he also missed around a month at the start of the year with a fractured jaw.

 

[TheFourPillars]

To be fair you say he only played 5 games last year but that wasn't all due to his knee, he also missed around a month at the start of the year with a fractured jaw.

Mate dont answer this guy he doesnt know what he is talking about and has got all of his so called facts wrong

 

[HODGEYROAD]

I really hope Birch gets a run at it in 2019, if he plays good footy he might have another year or 2 in him after that. If he can't get on the park it's most certainly curtains.

 

[MrPremiership]

Season looks 100% done now by aggravating his adductor/groin.

Contracted for 2019, wonder if he sees it out.

 

[Hawkie_McHawkHawk]

Starting to look doubtful hel ever get back on the park in a meaningful way. Progressively becoming more injury plagued, let’s hope a bit of rest and a solid pre season with some luck can see him have a successful 2019.

 

[Hawk_francais]

Agree with others that his trend since about 2012 has been injuries and more injuries, but I think 1-2 more years should and will be afforded to him if he wishes. Club legend.

 

[KermitJagger]

If we're being glass half full, the fact that he's sat out this entire year could end up prolonging his career.

 

[SHAKESPEARE]

No way Birchall returns again

And here we are

 

[TylerDurden]

 

[TylerDurden]

Ferrrrkkkkkk.

 

[Strapping Young Lad]

It’s December, and he’s being managed....


I guess the sky is falling.

 

[seysearles]

I thought he was a shot to go past 350-400 games at one point given how young he started and how many extra games he had played by playing finals pretty much every season of his career. Has been stuck around the 240 game mark for two seasons now. I'm starting to think he'll be lucky to get to 250.