North end good day with bad injury news

A good day has ended on a sour note for North Melbourne, who have revealed AFL midfielder Ben Jacobs has suffered another foot fracture.

Jacobs needs surgery and North say he will miss six to eight weeks, putting him out of action for the start of the season at least.

North made the bad news public with a media statement on Sunday night, a couple of hours after they celebrated their nostalgic Arden St pre-season game with a 21-point win over Hawthorn.

They said Jacobs suffered the new injury at training on Friday, when teammate Mason Wood also had a hamstring strain that has sidelined him for eight weeks.

“North can confirm Ben Jacobs has refractured the fifth metatarsal in his right foot,” the club said.

“It is the same foot he injured early last season.”

After playing 23 games in 2015, Jacobs only managed seven matches last year because of the injury.

The news is particularly disappointing because North had eased pre-season injury concerns by welcoming back several key players in Sunday’s 0.13.17 (95) to 0.11.8 (74) win over the Hawks.

Todd Goldstein, Majak Daw, Robbie Tarrant and Scott Thompson all played.

While Ryan Clarke suffered a corked thigh, assistant coach Josh Drummond had been buoyant immediately after the match.

“It was probably more worrying a few weeks ago … but today we got a number back,” he said.

Sunday was also encouraging because nearly a half century since the Galloping Gasometer, the Arden St match might have confirmed the emergence of their newest frontline ruckman.

Rugby league convert Braydon Preuss starred on Sunday with game-high statistics of 27 hitouts and three goals, combining well with Goldstein.

It was North’s first game at their home ground since they beat Richmond in round 20, 1985 and it attracted a crowd of 3981.

It was also a successful hitout for Hawthorn, who played their three high-profile recruits together for the first time.

Former Sydney midfielder Tom Mitchell had his first run for the Hawks, joining Jaeger O’Meara (Gold Coast) and Ty Vickery (Richmond) in the lineup.

All were prominent, with Mitchell and O’Meara prolific through the midfield and Vickery kicking two goals.

At 206cm and 109kg, Preuss is a big lad, but not quite the dimensions of North ruckman Mick Nolan, all 194cm and 135kg of him, who played 107 games for the ‘Roos until 1980.

Nolan’s build was reminiscent of the giant gasometer that once dominated the outer wing at Arden St, hence his Galloping Gasometer moniker.

But Nolan could also play and so, it seems, can Preuss.

The Queenslander played league until 16 and North recruited him through the 2015 rookie draft as a project ruckman.

Now 21, Preuss has done well enough in the VFL to earn a two-year contract and elevation to the rookie list.

Going on Sunday’s performance, his AFL debut could come in round one against West Coast.

Hawthorn pair James Frawley and Will Langford suffered head knocks, but assistant Cameron Bruce said they were also not serious injuries.

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