Bell sufferes collision

[Nicholas]

Just under 30 seconds into the third quarter, Daniel Bell suffered a collision with Ben Johnson. That knocked Bell out and Johnson was placed on report. He was taken to hospital. He was concious by the time he reached the rooms. Let's home he hasn't suffered an injury like Blake Caracella did in round 10 last year.

[Nicholas]

Melbourne's demonic night for injuries
18/08/2007 7:12:34 AM
Andrew Wu at the MCG
Sportal

Melbourne defender Daniel Bell has been cleared of serious injury after he was stretchered off the ground following a collision with Collingwood's Ben Johnson at the MCG on Friday night although the news was not so good for Ben Holland.

Play was stopped for five minutes as trainers applied a neck brace on Bell and carted him off the field after the Demon was bumped front on by Johnson while he had his head over the ball just 27 seconds into the third quarter.

Johnson was booked for making forceful contact and will have an anxious wait before he fronts the tribunal on Tuesday night.

Melbourne interim coach Mark Riley and Collingwood assistant coach Guy McKenna, who was fulfilling Mick Malthouse's post-match media duties due to the death of the Collingwood coach's father earlier in the week, both declined to comment on the incident.

Fortunately for all concerned, Bell was later cleared of any serious damage by Melbourne's medical staff.

Remarkably, he is given a chance of playing next Saturday against Fremantle in Perth.

"He's a lot better than what it looked at the start. He was in the change rooms and he was walking around and talking. So that's great for Belly and his family," said Riley.

"We love going into battle with him. He plays a very hard brand of footy, he puts his head over the ball."

"He might even be right for next week."

Bell's positive diagnosis was the only piece of good news to emerge out of Melbourne's medical rooms on a night when the Demons were defeated by 11 points in skipper David Neitz's 300th game.

The career of 30-year-old defender Holland, who comes out of contract at season's end, could be over after he suffered a sickening dislocated shoulder in a hard but fair collision with Magpie strongman Anthony Rocca.

The season of livewire forward Aaron Davey is also finished after he injured his hamstring in the third quarter.

"Aaron has a little bit of a history, 21-day hamstring and we're not playing in the first semi-final so I think he might be out," Riley said.

The three casualties continue Melbourne's wretched run with injury this season, during which key players such as Cameron Bruce, Neitz, Brock McLean, Matthew Whelan and Jared Rivers have all spent long periods on the sidelines.