GWS’s head of football Wayne Campbell says former Richmond star Brett Deledio’s return date from a chronic calf injury is still up in the air.
Deledio, who was brought to the Giants in last year’s AFL Trade Period, has yet to make a single senior appearance for his new club after a re-occurrence of a troublesome calf injury during the pre-season - and injury which plagued his final few seasons at the Tigers.
Campbell says that the club is still unsure of when the 30-year-old can finally play his first game for the club, saying that the Giants are taking every precaution with him.
“A little bit uncertain (of Deledio's return date), yeah,” he said on SEN Breakfast.
“He hasn’t had a major setback in probably the last six to seven weeks but we’ve just been incredibly conservative and slow with him.
"He’s been running ground for two weeks now I think it is, and this is around the time where he has had some setbacks in the past. We need to get through this."
Campbell says that the earliest possible return date for Deledio won’t be until after the club’s bye in Round 13.
“We have a bye in five weeks and we will be looking to hopefully get him on the ground after that,” he said.
Deledio made 243 appearances for Richmond between 2005 and 2016, having been selected at pick number one in the 2004 AFL National Draft.
He won Richmond’s best and fairest award in 2008 and 2009, and has also made the All-Australian side on two occasions.
Deledio's indefinite return to football is one of many injury headaches the Giants are currently facing, with midfielder Stephen Coniglio set to miss the next 10 weeks with an ankle injury, joining Jacob Hopper, Tendai Mzungu, Ryan Griffen, Jeremy Finlayson, Will Setterfield, Nick Haynes, Matt Buntine and Adam Kennedy on the sidelines.
Among all the injury setbacks, one positive so far in 2017 has been the form of star youngster Josh Kelly.
The silky left-footer has been in superb touch this season – he is leading the Inside Football Player Ratings – and hasn't seemed to be distracted by reports of a nine-year $9 million contract offer from North Melbourne.
Campbell said the contract talk seems to be working wonders for the former No.2 draft pick's form.
"We hope the scrutiny increases, because he just seems to be playing better and better footy under it, but we'd certainty like his signature sometime this year," he said.
"Obviously everyone knows there's an enormous offer there, and that's given him pause to think, which understandable being a young guy.
"He's handling it really well, he's showing why other clubs are interested, because he's a really good kid and a really fine footballer.
"We think he'll stay, we've had positive talks with his manager, he loves the club, he loves Sydney."