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WODONGA Raiders look certain to miss star ruckman for Anzac Day clash.
WODONGA Raiders look certain to be without star ruckman Luke Visser for their crunch Anzac Day clash with rival Wodonga.
Visser badly hurt his ankle after landing heavily in the opening minutes of Saturday’s thriller against Corowa-Rutherglen.
The former VFL youngster looks to have avoided any serious damage but won’t be risked with such a short turnaround.
It shapes a huge blow.
“Nothing is broken, or anything like that, but it’s just about how quickly he can respond to treatment,” Raiders co-coach Simon Bone said after Saturday’s defeat.
“He’s a good young fella who doesn’t carry a lot of weight and will do all the right things.
“He’s been in the VFL system, so he’s a professional fella.”
James Dickson faces an even longer stint on the sidelines after popping his shoulder later that game.
He was noticeably flat after the defeat.
“We need to get around him as a footy club,” Bone said.
“That’s why you play.
“To enjoy the ups and downs together.
“When somebody is a bit down, and the boys that are injured will be, we need to pick them up.”
The Raiders will look back on Saturday’s contest as a match they could have won but Bone said their effort was commendable, with just one fit player on the bench in the second half.
Michael Steven also spent a large chunk of the second half in the sin bin for allegedly striking Corowa-Rutherglen’s James Brain in the third term.
“I thought it was a really, really good effort to hang in there,” Bone said.
“We had a pretty dominant bloke up forward but just couldn’t get it to him quickly enough to capitalise.
“Last year we may have just chucked it in, with a few undisciplined acts, but to fight it out was commendable.
“But nobody likes being commendable, we want to win.”