GANMAIN-Grong Grong-Matong are hopeful Riley Corbett will return for their finals campaign, with the key forward set to miss at least a month with a quad injury.
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Corbett, third on the Riverina League's goal-kicking tally with 34 in eight games, suffered the injury in the warm-up before Sunday's home win over Collingullie-Glenfield Park.
It's another blow to the Lions' forward stocks with centre-half forward George Alexander recently seeking advice from a specialist on a foot injury which has sidelined him for a few weeks.
The injury is more frustration for Corbett after an ankle issue limited his impact in last year's AFL Riverina Championships.
"It doesn't look too great for Riley. I think it's a grade two quad, so he's probably looking at four weeks' minimum," Lions coach Sam Martyn said.
"With quads you don't want to rush them back, we'll just take a really cautious approach because they can be funny things.
"It's unfortunate for us as a team, but we've put ourselves in a situation where we can withstand losing someone of his calibre and get him back for the important time of the year."
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Martyn said it will give the team a chance to road test alternative options up forward, starting with Saturday's trip to Leeton-Whitton.
Kai Watts led the way with five goals in the win over the Demons, while rucks Dan Foley and Jacob Olsson have also made impacts up forward this year.
"We experimented with Kai out of the goal square against Narrandera and that worked, and he kicked five on the weekend," Martyn said.
"If Dan Foley (two goals) kicked straight he could have had a big day, so we're not short on tall timber, and Jono Neville played down there as well.
"We might be experimenting with some different combinations the next few games."
Martyn said he was still unsure on a timeframe for Alexander's return.
"He saw someone in Victoria last week, he had to rush in before they closed the border. Hopefully he's got some good news for us when I see him this week," Martyn said.
Young midfielder Tom Anderson (knee) is a chance to return against the Crows after missing two games.
Martyn expects the match to be a grind, with poor weather forecast for the weekend.
"(Leeton-Whitton coach) Sam Darley being unavailable is a win for us but they've still got quality players they didn't have last time we played them," he said.
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