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InjuryIQ

Melbourne vs Western Bulldogs — AFL 2026 Round 24

Round 24

Match details

Home & Away
Round 24
Full time
Melbourne
87–108
Western Bulldogs
5th
of 18 · index 41Round Health Score (0–100), last 5 rounds. Scores drift down league-wide as the season's injury load builds — read the slope relative to the league, not the level.
Round health
18th
of 18 worst · index 0Round Health Score (0–100), last 5 rounds. Scores drift down league-wide as the season's injury load builds — read the slope relative to the league, not the level.
MEL entered healthier — 5th v 18th this round
Season 8th of 18 · index 53+3vs season
Season 7th of 18 · index 58−11vs season

Head-to-head

9Ongoing injuries7
5Long-term (LTI)2
7 dDays' rest6 d
3Games in 21 days2
1,998 kmLast month air km2,718 km
Squad stabilityMEL 17thWBD 4th of 18

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 (MEL 0, WBD 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.
Sat 22 Aug · 4:15pm·Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
State
VIC
Surface
Natural grass
Roof
Open roof
Capacity
100,024

Injuries from this game

What this game cost — players hurt in it, OSIICS-classified, each linked to its injury record.

MEL
  • •Matthew Jefferson
    Minor
    Knee· typically ~1 gameHurt a knee during the Round 24 game against the Western Bulldogs.
  • •Daniel Turner
    Minor
    Knee· typically ~1 gameHurt a knee during the Round 24 game against the Western Bulldogs.
WBD
  • •Aaron Naughton
    Minor
    Ankle/Foot· typically ~2 gamesRolled the ankle against Melbourne and finished the game on the bench. Scans showed a…

Back from injury

Players who returned from injury in this game, each linking to their profile.

MEL

None returned

WBD

Current injuries

Every ongoing injury carried by each squad today (16 across both). Injuries sustained in this game are in the casualty report above.

WBD carry the cleaner bill of health — MEL enter with 9 ongoing injuries to WBD's 7, 5 of them long-term.

MEL
  • Thomas Matthews
    LTI

    Shoulder — Shoulder Injury (General)

    Long-term
    Due Mar 1, 2027
  • Jed AdamsDEF
    LTI
    Recurrence

    Knee — Posterior Cruciate Ligament (PCL) Tear

    Long-term
    Injury-proneDue Mar 1, 2027
  • Brody Mihocek
    LTI

    Head/Neck — Unstable Cervical Fracture

    Long-term
    In rehab
    Due (14 days ago)
  • Andy Moniz-WakefieldDEF
    LTI

    Knee — ACL Tear

    Long-term
    Injury-proneDue Feb 27, 2027
  • Jai CulleyMID
    LTI

    Knee — ACL Tear

    Long-term
    Injury-proneDue Feb 1, 2027
  • Blake HowesDEF

    Wrist/Hand — Hand/Wrist Injury (General)

    Moderate
    Due Mar 1, 2027
  • Matthew JeffersonFWD

    Knee — Knee Injury (General)

    Minor
    Injury-proneDue Mar 1, 2027
  • Jake LeverDEF

    Foot — Toe Ligament Sprain

    Minor
    Due Mar 1, 2027
  • Latrelle Pickett

    Head/Neck — Concussion

    Minor
    Due Mar 1, 2027

Signals

  • 1recurrence
  • 3awaiting diagnosis
  • 4durability-fragile
  • Body regions:
    • Knee4
    • Head/Neck2
  • What they lose: 4 of 6 outs are defenders

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.