AFL Finals 2024: Brisbane Lions ruckman Oscar McInerney dislocates shoulder
The Brisbane Lions appear to have lost their prime big man after ruck Oscar McInerney dislocated his shoulder in the first term.
Amid the Lion’s hot start to the preliminary final against Geelong, McInerney, affectionately known as the ‘The Big O’ by fans, was left distraught after his shoulder popped during an attempted tackle.
The Lions dominated the centre clearance battle as McInerney and Rhys Stanley battled to win taps.
But just as Brisbane looked like opening a significant margin, disaster struck on the broadcast wing.
The ball was brought to ground after a throw-up up with McInerney forced to turn rover.
He was beaten to the ball, so instead, he tried to lay a tackle.
But as his body weight moved towards the ground, his shoulder hooked around his opponent and visably popped out of the socket.
The big man was in visible distress as the trainer rushed to his aid, gasping for breath amid the pain.
He was instantly taken into the rooms for treatment and had not returned at the first break.
It left forward Joe Daniher as the Lions makeshift ruckman.
It’s a monster blow for last season’s runner ups, with McInerney having had 796 hit outs this season while Daniher while next best, only has 48.
The first 68 kicks of Saturday’s preliminary final failed to produce a goal, but a six-minute flurry saw the Cats and Lions kick one each before the Lions added two more from brilliant, flashing clearances.
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