GWS Giants vs West Coast Eagles — AFL 2026 Round 23
Match details
Round health not yet available.
Head-to-head
Value-weighted players used — 1st = most churn of key players, 18th = most settled. Weighted by player value (our metric), not raw squad size.
Soft-tissue = the OSIICS muscle/tendon family — the injuries most prone to recurrence (GWS 2, WCE 3).
What do these scores mean?
- Round Health
- — point-in-time (0–100, 100 = no injury absences), weighting current ongoing absences on a fixed scale comparable across rounds. The league average drifts down as the season's injury load builds, so low late-season numbers are normal.
- Season Health
- — cumulative season-to-date: value-weighted injury burden, availability and incidence. Load-managed rests are excluded from both.
- State
- NSW
- Surface
- Natural grass
- Roof
- Open roof
- Capacity
- 24,000
Possible returns
Currently-injured players who could feature — fitness tests, squad signals and projected returns.
- ManagedDue (5 days ago)
- Jesse HoganProjected returnWrist/Hand — Finger FractureDue this week
- Head/Neck — ConcussionDue this week
- Wrist/Hand — Hand FractureDue this week
- Groin/Hip — Groin StrainDue this week
- Josh LindsayProjected returnQuadriceps — Quadriceps StrainDue this week
Returnees to watch
Recently back from injury and still in the elevated-reinjury window — risk concentrates in the first games back, especially for soft-tissue.
- Jayden Laverdeback from hamstring · 1 game backSoft-tissue return — recurrence risk is highest in the first games back.
- Xavier O'Halloranback from ankle/foot · 1 game back
- Phoenix Gothardback from systemic/other · 1 game back
None in the window
Current injuries
The confirmed outs for both squads (22 across both), ranked by impact. Players in doubt are listed under Possible returns above.
WCE carry the cleaner bill of health — GWS enter with 15 ongoing injuries to WCE's 13, 6 of them long-term.
Knee — ACL Tear
Long-termDue Dec 1Groin/Hip — Hip Osteoarthritis
Long-termDue Mar 1, 2027Knee — ACL Tear
Long-termDue Jul 25Knee — ACL Tear
Long-termDue Oct 1Knee — Patella Dislocation
SevereInjury-proneDue Jul 25- Nick MaddenLTI
Knee — Posterior Cruciate Ligament (PCL) Injury
SevereInjury-proneDue (5 days ago) Shoulder — Shoulder Dislocation
ModerateFragileDue Aug 22Lower Leg — Calf Strain
ModerateDue Aug 1Foot — Foot Injury (General)
ModerateAwaiting DiagnosisDue Aug 1- Jack BuckleyDEF
Hamstring — Hamstring Strain
ModerateDue (5 days ago) Ankle/Foot — High Ankle Sprain
ModerateDue Aug 8Quadriceps — Quadriceps Strain
MinorDue this week
Signals
- 2recurrences
- 1awaiting diagnosis
- 4durability-fragile
- Body regions:
- Knee5
- Groin/Hip2
- What they lose: 6 of 11 outs are forwards
Hamstring — Hamstring Strain
Long-termDue Sep 27Head/Neck — Concussion
Long-termInjury-proneDue Mar 1, 2027Knee — Knee Injury (General)
Long-termAwaiting DiagnosisInjury-proneDue Sep 27Knee — Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) Tear
Long-termInjury-proneDue Mar 1, 2027Foot — Navicular Stress Fracture
Long-termDue Oct 1- Sam AllenLTI
Knee — ACL Tear
Long-termDue Aug 20 Knee — Knee Injury (General)
Long-termAwaiting DiagnosisInjury-proneDue Jan 1, 2027Head/Neck — Concussion
ModerateFragileDue this weekLower Leg — Calf Strain
MinorAwaiting DiagnosisDue Jul 26Quadriceps — Quadriceps Strain Grade II
MinorDue Aug 15
Signals
- 1recurrence
- 3awaiting diagnosis
- 6durability-fragile
- Body regions:
- Knee4
- Head/Neck2
- Quadriceps2
- What they lose: 6 of 9 outs are forwards
Recurrence flags repeat injuries to the same body region within 24 months.
Injury classifications use the OSIICS system (Orchard Sports Injury and Illness Classification System). © John Orchard — Free to use with acknowledgment.