Mid West AFL wrap: Judd McVee comes home, Jamie Cripps & Liam Ryan to spend months on the sideline

Melbourne defender and Geraldton export Judd McVee had his best game yet for the Demons with an 18-disposal performance against the Sydney Swans at the weekend to secure his place in his first AFL game in his home State. After making a solid debut against the Western Bulldogs in round one, a quiet performance followed in Melbourne’s loss to the Brisbane Lions, but McVee remained in the side despite the return of several key players. He repaid the faith with his best game to date, tallying up a career-best 61 ranking points, and he now gets the chance to play in front of home WA fans for the first time against the Eagles on Sunday. McVee also will be playing alongside fellow West Aussie and good friend Jacob van Rooyen who quickly became a crowd favourite last weekend with three goals and has credited McVee and Taj Woewodin for his development. “Both of them are really great runners and it was either keep up with them or get left behind,” he said. “Taj really pushed me with that and so did Juddy, so I think that set me up.” McVee is likely to be the only Mid West player to feature at Optus Stadium this weekend, with the outlook for homegrown stars Jamie Cripps and Liam Ryan not looking good as the Eagles count the cost of a bruising derby encounter. Cripps is likely to miss the rest of the season as he underwent surgery on Tuesday to fix the broken ankle he suffered after it was trapped under Fremantle skipper Alex Pearce. The recovery will sideline him for at least four months. The news is not much better for Ryan, who went down heavily after flying up for a mark with initial fears he suffered a concussion or possibly injured his back. With no players left on the bench he bravely hobbled through and played out the rest of the match. The livewire forward was seen walking laps at training on Tuesday but he will also require surgery after scans revealed a torn hamstring which will also sideline him for months. West Coast football manager Gavin Bell praised Ryan’s desire to help the team despite his injury. “After a heavy landing from a marking contest, Liam felt he was capable of returning to the field, and his desire to help the team with interchange rotations was admirable,” he said. Simpson flagged six to seven changes for their clash with the Demons after the derby. “We had two or three guys who shouldn’t have been playing, not to the point where they’d get further damage to the injury, but we just had to leave them out there and try to hide them as best we could,” Simpson told AFL 360. The mounting injuries will make what was already going to be a difficult year even tougher for West Coast. At the other end of the spectrum, reigning Brownlow medallist Patrick Cripps has been praised for taking his leadership up a gear this year. Cripps had 42 disposals, 20 contested possessions and 13 clearances on Saturday to haul Carlton over the line against GWS. Defender Sam Docherty praised his on-field leadership. “He’s just more confident in what he’s doing,” Docherty said. “He’s very sure on the type of leader he is and what he brings to the table, and he’s very confident in his ability to do that. “He’s been on this journey of building this club back to where we all wanted it for a long time and he’s been a massive part in the culture that we have at this footy club.” Elsewhere, Brynn Teakle was an experiment in defence in Port Adelaide’s SANFL Showdown loss, with Port assistant coach Josh Carr suggesting it could be his route back into the starting line-up. “It’s something we’re exploring with Brynn and obviously with a need for a tall defender,” Carr said. “Brynn has still got a bit of work to do to be an AFL defender but we’re definitely having a look at that.” The Showdown was also Jed Hagan’s first game since moving over to the SANFL after his draft disappointment, kicking his first goal for the Power to go with 12 disposals. At Sydney, Logan McDonald has put the disappointment of missing last year’s grand final behind him with a stellar start to 2023, averaging career-best in disposals, goals and marks. He’s kicked eight goals in three games with some commentators suggesting the diminishing returns of Buddy Franklin might be hindering his development. “He’s played his best footy when Buddy’s absent,” Matthew Lloyd said. Dermott Brereton said he was definitely on the radar of other clubs. “I’m surprised that no one tried to grab (him),” he said.