GWS coach Leon Cameron has all but ruled a line through Jonathon Patton’s 2019 campaign, adding to speculation the spearhead could end up at a rival AFL club next season.
Patton hasn’t played at the top flight since round 15 last year after going down with an ACL injury that required him to have a third knee reconstruction.
Cameron said the 26-year-old, who is contracted at the Giants next year but has recently been linked to Hawthorn, would not recover in time to feature in the finals.
He said the knee reconstructions had left Patton, who has booted 130 goals in 89 games for the Giants, with some “mental demons” that affected his ability to compete without hesitation in marking contests.
“We’ve sort of backed off his training a little bit and hoping we can build it back up again, but he’s probably going to run out of time now,” the GWS coach said.
“It’s been a tough decision probably not to up the ante on some of those training drills, because of the space he’s been in and the past cards he’s been dealt.
“But I’m confident Jon Patton will get back and play some really good AFL football.”
Meanwhile, Cameron said the club had moved on from an incident which left Giants defender Nick Haynes with a fractured larynx when they played the Western Bulldogs last Sunday.
Marcus Bontempelli escaped suspension for the high hit and Cameron insisted their would be no ill feeling if the clubs met again in the finals series.
“It’s disappointing that he (Haynes) is not playing – that’s the main thing,” Cameron said.
“We’re really proud of his year and of how hard and tough he plays the game.”
Cameron was also philosophical about Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson confirming he had met with off contract defender Stephen Coniglio.
“It’s disappointing because you’re actually in season, but equally I think there’s pretty much no other way,” he said.
“Do you want your own players talking to someone else? Probably not. But you’ve got to be pretty naive to say all 18 clubs aren’t doing it.”
Cameron’s focus was on ensuring the sixth-placed Giants snap a two-game losing streak against cellar-dwelling Gold Coast after dropping games to the lower-ranked Bulldogs and Hawthorn by a combined 117 points.
Coleman Medal contender Jeremy Cameron’s 150th career game is another motivating factor for the Giants to stride into the finals with purpose.