Injury threatens Damien Duff’s A-League career

Damien Duff’s brief career in Australian football looks to be over after the Dubliner picked up a serious injury in Melbourne City’s game at the weekend. The club has had to look into the recruitment of a replacement player under A-League rules in the event that he cannot play again this season.

The former Chelsea star limped out of City's game against Wellington Phoenix after just eight minutes following a challenge by Roy Krishna and the 35 year-old was immediately felt to have damaged ankle ligaments. Tests, however, revealed that he had also ruptured a tendon in his calf and there was a general sense at the club that he would be ruled out for the rest of the campaign.

“We have to wait and see,” said coach John van’t Schip after the game. “Damien is a big part of our game plan and hopefully the injury won’t be too bad but it doesn’t look good. He said he felt something snap and then he couldn’t walk or put any pressure on it. That’s not a good sign.”

Further tests are being carried out but Duff, who has a made strong impact in Australia, playing in all but one of City's league games and creating quite a few of the team's scoring chances, is on a one-year deal with the club and has previously suggested he would return home to live in Dublin after that time, so he may have played his last game in the country.

Andy Keogh, meanwhile, is widely regarded as one of A-League's signings of the season after scoring nine goals in 17 games but the former Wolves and Leeds United star will have to appear in court in Adelaide on March 19th after he was arrested outside a nightclub in the city in the early hours of Monday morning.

Keogh's team, Perth Glory, who are currently top of the table, had drawn 1-1 against Adelaide United on Sunday evening. Keogh was subsequently fined for disorderly behaviour at 3am, then arrested for continuing to cause a disturbance. His team mate Josh Risdon was also detained for failing to leave the scene when directed to do so.

"The players have apologised to the playing group and in due course will be making an apology to our fan base for their indiscretion," said Glory chief executive Jason Brewer in a club statement.

“The players admit the situation has embarrassed them, their teammates and our fans and they are accepting full responsibility for their poor behaviour” he added.