World Footy News

The Dream Team versus Victoria match next Saturday has been rocked by a series of injuries to big name players. In doubt for the 150 celebration show-piece match are Big V stars Jonathan Brown (captain) and Gary Ablett, both of whom withdrew from the Brisbane versus Geelong clash yesterday, with quad and calf injuries respectively. And Hawthorn's Luke Hodge strained a hamstring and looks a definite loss for the Vics.

Meanwhile the Dream Team has already lost Chad Cornes (broken finger), Chance Bateman (broken bone in hand) and Simon Black (early signs of osteitis pubis). The Dream Team will also be waiting on the fitness of Dean Cox (playing with damaged ligaments in his right foot) and Brett Burton (who injured an elbow this week); of course they'll also be without fallen star Ben Cousins, missing indefinitely after problems with illicit drugs.

One of the scourges that led to the end of State of Origin was champion players withdrawing with injuries. The key issue is that professional Australian footballers play every game with small "niggling" injuries, any of which could be used as an excuse to miss a representative game if they feel pressure from their club or the strain of continuous battle throughout the long season. We've already seen comments from potential Big V player Josh Fraser that the week off would be a good opportunity for a rest.

To be fair, most of the injuries discussed here are more than contentious niggles. But whether representative football will once again be severely damaged by injury and withdrawal remains to be seen. Perhaps Jonathan Brown's position as captain of Victoria and the public face promoting the match will be enough to see him take the field and save the credibility of the event - one can only imagine the pressure he'll be feeling when the decision has to be made.