Young Swan ruled out for SIX months; Pies granted coach extended leave — AFL Daily

Sydney has been hit with an ill-timed injury blow to one of its young draftees.

Plus, Collingwood’s coach was granted extended leave, while the Suns open up on a couple of positional swaps.

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SWANS RECRUIT RULED OUT FOR SIX MONTHS

Sydney has been dealt a pre-season injury blow, with gun academy recruit Max King to be sidelined for the next six months.

The Swans on Wednesday confirmed King had suffered a stress fracture in his back, which would rule him out for most of their 2025 campaign.

The club indicated King would commence rehabilitation immediately. He won’t run for a period of time while he recovers.

“Max was experiencing some back pain and unfortunately scans yesterday revealed he has developed a stress injury in his lower back,” Swans football boss Leon Cameron said.

“While it is disappointing for Max as a young player, he is a very hard worker, and we feel he will do everything he can to get back to full fitness as soon as possible.”

While King wasn’t expected to feature in the Swans’ best 23 early in the season, he’d impressed track-watchers in recent weeks, including an exciting three-goal performance in Sydney match simulation last week.

King, a Swans academy product who looked up to Isaac Heeney, was drafted by Sydney with Pick 49 in last year’s draft after the Swans matched Adelaide’s bid.

A powerful, freakishly athletic forward who’s strong overhead and clean at ground level, King’s upside at AFL level is enormous.

He produced the best 2025 national combine standing vertical jump result of 80cm – 5cm better than the next best result — while he also finished equal-fourth in the running vertical jump (89cm) and 10th in the 20m sprint (2.929 seconds).

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FLY GETS EXTRA TIME OFF

Collingwood coach Craig McRae only recently returned to the club in the middle of last week following an extended leave period in preparation for his fifth season as Magpies coach.

That’s according to SEN’s Sam Edmund, and it comes after it was revealed Geelong’s Chris Scott was also afforded extra time to gather himself ahead of another gruelling campaign.

Instead, the respective clubs’ assistant coaches had been handed the reins to guide their pre-season programs.

Edmund wrote on X: “There’s a move among some clubs to better protect the longevity of their leaders.”

Scott, who’s been in charge at Kardinia Park since 2011, signed a new Cats deal through 2029 as last year’s grand finalists ready another tilt at silverware.

Last December, McRae signed a new Collingwood contract ensuring his future at Olympic Park until at least the end of 2028.

SUNS TRIAL NEW ROLES

Gold Coast is spinning the magnets ahead of its highly-anticipated 2026 campaign, with several players gaining exposure in new positions.

The most significant move has seen the Suns throw defender Wil Powell into an on-ball role ahead of his eighth AFL season.

Suns assistant coach Josh Drummond said the coaching staff “definitely feel he (Powell) can add to our midfield mix”.

“I see a little tear form in the eye here,” Drummond joked, referencing how he’s moved from the backline Drummond oversees as a line coach. “He’s someone I’ve enjoyed coaching.

“He’s someone we feel plays the game in such a physical way, and plays the right way offensively and defensively.

“As a midfielder, he’s going to be in and around more contests, generally speaking. He just throws himself into everything he does. He’s got an ability to compete and to pressure, but he’s also an elite ball user.”

Powell was joined in the midfield on Wednesday by Lachie Weller, who said he wasn’t sure yet whether on-ball minutes would come to fruition during the season.

“We’ve got a lot of depth through every area, but we’re just trying to get a little bit of exposure in different areas,” Powell told reporters.

“I went through the midfield today, ‘Powelly’ went through — we’re just trying to change it up a little bit and share the load throughout the season.”

Elsewhere, 202cm forward/ruck Ethan Read has been seen on a wing at Suns training.

Despite his frame, Read has excellent aerobic capacity — he ran a ridiculous 5:56 2km time trial at the 2023 national draft combine — as well as pinpoint skills and reflexes of a classy midfielder.

“What is he, 200cm or so? And he runs like the wind,” Weller said with a smile.

“He adds another element to our midfield group. He’s been fantastic.”

Dual All-Australian Touk Miller has also been moved to half-forward.

Top-10 draftees Zeke Uwland and Dylan Patterson have both been training with the backline, while Uwland has also spent time on the wing.